May 10, 2020 - As Croatia Airlines readies to resume domestic services within the country from tomorrow, how will this summer look in international travel for the national airline?

Ex Yu Aviation reports that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced Croatia Airlines to downsize some of its operations, which makes us wonder what routes in its international network will return. Because it’s been said that the border with Slovenia should open on June 1,  it’s safe to assume some international services could kick in from then, too. 

While they haven’t announced a date for the resumption of international travel, Croatia Airlines had previously said it has three different plans, depending on how COVID-19 progresses. “Croatia Airlines will be the first carrier to bring tourists to Croatia and enable the country’s connectivity to the world. We will start with domestic operations first. In terms of international flights, we currently have three active strategies, of which each has several sub-strategies, on how to resume services. Routes with healthy point-to-point demand and some transfer traffic will be prioritized,” said Krešimir Mlinar, the airline’s Director for Network and Revenue Management, 

Currently, Croatia Airlines’ only operating international service is to Frankfurt, while this year’s new routes to Zagreb to Sofia and Podgorica have been canceled. Ex Yu Aviation adds that we can expect that seasonal flights from Zagreb to Helsinki, Stockholm, Oslo and Tel Aviv will also be temporarily suspended, though anything is possible. 

Croatian Tourism Minister Gari Cappelli said that Croatia Airlines would participate in creating “air bridges” to specific European markets, bringing foreign tourists to the country in the peak summer months. Talks are being held with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Austria and Germany. 

The German Federal Tourism Commissioner said that people might be able to travel abroad soon so long as the situation stays under control, and Italy’s Prime Minister shared the same sentiment. French President Emmanuel Macron, however,  did not want to jump to any conclusions until the beginning of June. 

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In an interview with Ex-Yu Aviation on January 28, 2019, Croatia Airlines revealed that they would only expand their network of flights under a new owner. 

"For any further growth and the opening of new routes, Croatia Airlines will require additional aircraft. The expansion of our fleet and network is foreseen through the company's recapitalization under the Croatian government's National Reform Programme," the airline said. 

Recall, Croatia Airlines has expanded for the last three years but announced that they would not do the same for 2019, and no new routes would be added to their network this year. The national carrier increased their operations with twelve new lines over the past three years, most of which worked in the summer season. The airline had to lease two additional aircraft over the summer months to manage this growth. 

"Through a decision passed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia on January 4, 2018, Croatia Airlines was put back on the list of companies of strategic and special interest to the Republic of Croatia, and on April 26, 2018, the government passed the National Reform Programme. The goal of this is to ensure the company’s further development and to strengthen the competitive advantages and position of Croatia Airlines on the air traffic market via a quality strategic partnership. This would include an expansion of the company’s flight network, an increase in Croatia Airlines' market share, and recapitalization to facilitate the future development of Croatia Airlines,” the airline added for Ex-Yu Aviation. 

"Croatia Airlines will continue to focus on managing all business risks, and on ensuring the best possible conditions for regular business operations. Jet fuel prices are expected to continue being the most significant risk, and the company will, in that regard, try to reduce its negative effects on the company’s overall business operations. The further improvement of the quality of service and network business model is also the company’s goals, as well as further investment in the fleet to maintain the highest level of flight safety,” Croatia Airlines concluded in response to their goals for this year. 

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