Croatia Airlines shelves Sofia, Podgorica flights
Croatia Airlines has suspended plans to launch seasonal flights from Zagreb to Sofia and Podgorica this year. Services were initially to commence this week but were rescheduled for June 1 and 2 respectively due to the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. However, the planned new flights have now been completely dropped and ticket sales have been suspended. Both routes were to be maintained three times per week with the airline’s Q400 turboprop aircraft. Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, warned last month the services could be shelved. The carrier has so far cancelled over 3.200 flights due to the pandemic. It continues to maintain a single daily service between the Croatian capital and Frankfurt, while it will resume domestic flights from Zagreb to Dubrovnik and Split as of next Monday. The remainder of its domestic network is expected to restart on May 18.
Croatia Airlines is currently seeking a solution to stabilise its finances as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The airline has reduced its expenses, however, revenue in April was down by fifteen million euros, while passenger numbers decreased by 95%, following a 56% decline in March. “Our results are such that we are sharing the same destiny as other companies in the transport and tourism sector in Croatia. The extent of the losses will depend on the duration of this crisis and how long the recovery will take. We have taken action, and, as a result, none of our employees have been dismissed or furloughed”, the head of Croatia Airlines’ Commercial Division, Slaven Žabo, said.
Croatia Airlines has delayed the publication of its first quarter financial report due to Covid-19 and will make its results public by June 30. The Croatian government said it plans to assist its national carrier in overcoming the financial fallout, however, it noted the scope of the aid will depend on negotiations with the European Commission. “What we can do at this point is cover the airline’s losses. However, there must be some limits to this because we do not have boundless means, and neither would that be approved. For now, we are negotiating with the Commission to see how we can help the airline”, Dinko Staničić, the Director of the Civil Aviation Sector at the Ministry for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, said recently.
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