In late 2022, Croatia Airlines announced plans to refresh and simplify its fleet in a pretty exciting way. I wanted to post an update regarding this — not only are we a couple of months from the first aircraft entering service, but Croatia Airlines has also announced plans to introduce Wi-Fi, so that’s pretty cool.
In this post:
Croatia Airlines will exclusively fly Airbus A220s
Croatia Airlines plans to fly up to 15 Airbus A220s, with the first plane expected to enter service with the Star Alliance airline in June 2024. Specifically:
- Croatia Airlines has ordered six Airbus A220-300s directly from Airbus
- Croatia Airlines has an agreement to lease nine Airbus A220s, including six A220-300s and three A220-100s
- Croatia Airlines will equip its A220-300s with 148 seats, and will equip its A220-100s with 127 seats
- By 2026, Croatia Airlines intends to exclusively fly Airbus A220s, representing a complete fleet renewal
Here’s how Croatia Airlines CEO Jasmin Bajić describes this aircraft order:
“Today’s signing of a contract for the purchase of state-of-the-art Airbus aircraft is a very special moment for all of us at Croatia Airlines. It marks the beginning of a new period of aviation, a new period in the life of Croatia Airlines, a new period for our passengers, and a new period for Croatia’s tourism and economy as a whole.”
For context, Croatia Airlines currently has a fleet of 12 aircraft with an average fleet age of 18 years, including:
- Five Airbus A319s, which are an average of ~23 years old, and can seat 144 people
- One Airbus A320, which is ~22 years old, and can seat 174 people
- Six De Havilland Dash 8-Q400s, which are an average of ~18 years old, and can seat 76 people
At this point, a fleet refresh seems appropriate, both in terms of the cost of maintaining old aircraft, as well as in terms of fuel efficiency.
The A220 is Airbus’ awesome jet that’s a bit smaller than the Airbus A320-family of aircraft. The plane is fuel efficient and long range. From a passenger experience standpoint, this is probably the most comfortable narrow body aircraft, given the 2-3 layout, the huge windows, and the wide seats.
Croatia Airlines Airbus A220s will have inflight Wi-Fi
Croatia Airlines has announced that for the first time in the company’s history, the airline will offer inflight connectivity. Specifically, the airline will offer Panasonic Avionics’ Ku-band satellite connectivity.
In order to be sure people can actually use their devices onboard, A220s are also expected to feature USB-A and USB-C outlets at every seats, as well as smartphone and tablet holders.
Here’s how the carrier’s CEO describes this development:
“We are thrilled to announce the introduction of onboard connectivity for the first time in our thirty-five years history, coinciding with the arrival of the A220 aircraft. This agreement with Panasonic Avionics aligns with our mission to enhance the in-flight passenger experience and deliver top quality connectivity to our valued customers.”
What a cool and bold fleet renewal!
Personally I love the concept of an airline having a fleet with just one type of plane. It’s great in terms of knowing what to expect (there won’t be a last minute aircraft swap), and it’s great in terms of operational reliability (swapping planes is easier, you have a bigger pool of reserve pilots, etc.).
There’s something to be said for this type of efficiency, and it’s something that airBaltic has done quite well with in Europe, as a major all-A220 operator (though the airline takes simplicity to the next level, with just a single variant of the A220).
Admittedly this is a bit of a gamble, though. Currently Croatia Airlines has planes with capacity from 76 to 174 seats, so that’s quite a range. Meanwhile in the future, all Croatia Airlines planes will have a capacity of 127-148 seats.
For most markets that will probably work, though there are certainly situations where the A220 may not offer enough capacity, while there are other situations where the A220 may offer too much capacity. I’d think the synergies of having a single aircraft type will largely make up for that.
I do wonder if Croatia Airlines will be forced to cut any destinations because of this change, as the A220 isn’t necessarily able to operate to some of the smaller airports that the Q400 can operate to. Quickly glancing at the list of Croatia Airlines destinations, I don’t see any obvious airports where this should be an issue, but it’s possible I’m missing something.
Bottom line
Croatia Airlines plans to acquire up to 15 Airbus A220s, including a direct order for six planes, plus plans to lease nine additional planes. The first plane should enter service by June 2024, and by 2026, the airline plans to exclusively operate the A220, meaning that all existing A320-family and Dash 8 Q400 aircraft will be retired.
Croatia Airlines’ fleet is getting old, so it’s nice to see that the airline has chosen such a capable jet for its fleet renewal. Furthermore, we’ll finally see the airline introduce USB-A and USB-C outlets, plus Wi-Fi.
What do you make of Croatia Airlines’ Airbus A220 order?
This looks like a great idea on paper, but is in fact likely to be the final nail in this airline's coffin.
First of all, they barely managed to scrape some profitability in 2023 by selling all their remaining Airbus aircraft, otherwise they've been in deep red for years. Now instead of owned aircraft they will have expensive leases for A220s. And btw ALL 15 aircraft are going to be leased, it's no longer a...
This looks like a great idea on paper, but is in fact likely to be the final nail in this airline's coffin.
First of all, they barely managed to scrape some profitability in 2023 by selling all their remaining Airbus aircraft, otherwise they've been in deep red for years. Now instead of owned aircraft they will have expensive leases for A220s. And btw ALL 15 aircraft are going to be leased, it's no longer a 6+9 arrangement.
Secondly, the airline's LF has been poor (60-65%) for years, and it's hard to see how the huge jump in capacity from Dash to A220 is going to improve it.
Finally, the airline's politically appointed management is clueless and utterly unable to compete with RyanAir at their home base in ZAG. To illustrate, Croatia Airlines had 13 (!) international destinations out of ZAG this past winter.
Ben, please, please, please terminate using the grammatically incorrect and painfully annoying phrase "QUITE THE" as opposed to standard usage "quite a." I implore you! There was a particularly vicious homophobe in my high school who had a adopted "quite the" before you were born.
One benefit is pilot rating on one aircraft (A220) as opposed to two (A320 & Dash series) as well as maintenance and spare parts. Could do some wet leasing like AirBaltic has done in the immediate past. Also, A220-100 certified for London City airport. Bring in the wealthy and moneyed. If successful, AirEgypt has a few A220 airframes available.
What happened to a Croatian Airlines pilot who is trained / certificed to fly the A320/A319? How long does it take them to learn how to fly the A220?
I'm glad to see the Dashes go. I once flew a Dash from Zurich to Dubruvnik and being near the wing/engine was deafening.
I flew the Dash-8 a few years ago from Dubrovnik to Venice on a clear summer day, which had to have been a top-3 most scenic flight I've ever taken. Great cabin crew as well. Looking forward to trying Croatia's A220!