No final decision on Croatia Airlines fleet renewal
Croatia Airlines has said it has made no final decision on the future make-up of its fleet, over half a year after contact was made with global aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing and Embraer over a potential order. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the Croatian carrier noted, “Renewing Croatia Airlines’ fleet is of strategic importance for the company, although no final decision about the matter has been made yet. The lease of an additional aircraft is, at present, under negotiation”. The airline is believed to be considering a long-term lease of an Airbus A320-family jet.
Croatia Airlines’ twelve-member fleet currently averages 16.7 years with both the A319s and the A320 being on average over twenty years old, while the Dash 8 turboprops are close to thirteen years old. The addition of newer generation aircraft is envisaged in the company’s post-Covid strategy, which must be approved by its main shareholder – the Croatian government. A final decision is expected to take place this year. Croatia Airlines has conducted aircraft market research. Potential options with multiple aircraft manufacturers have been considered and possible fleet renewal scenarios developed. It previously said certain market conditions must be met for the fleet renewal to commence, without specifying details.
The airline had previously said the A220 would be a “perfect fit” for its future fleet, while Embraer noted, “The E2 family is comprised of three family members, from ninety to 146 seats, which will offer Croatia Airlines great flexibility to operate the ideal capacity on their future network”. Most recently, Boeing floated the idea of providing its MAX jets to the Croatian carrier saying, “We strongly believe that the 737 MAX family is the perfect choice for Croatia Airlines’ short and medium haul network. The 737 MAX offers unmatched performance for smaller markets with the possibility of increasing aircraft capacity within the same family of aircraft in order to meet increased demand, which we expect to occur on the Croatian market in the coming years”.
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