Croatia Airlines has phased out its second 72-seat Dash 8 turboprop aircraft, as the airline transitions to a single-type Airbus A220 fleet. The carrier has retired the seventeen-year-old turboprop registered 9A-CQA (Slavonija), which was returned to its owner in Canada over the weekend. It follows the retirement of another Dash 8 earlier this year, registered 9A-CQB. As a result, the company will operate four units of the aircraft type this summer. Croatia Airlines’ existing turboprop fleet is under an operational lease. In 2024, the Dash 8s were used on 57.8% of the company’s scheduled flights. The average age of Croatia Airlines’ turboprop fleet is just over fifteen years. The phase-out of the second Dash 8 aircraft will result in the airline reducing frequencies on select services after the Easter holidays.
Croatia Airlines plans to select a wet-lease capacity provider for turboprop planes by the end of the year, with the aircraft expected to enter service on behalf of the Croatian carrier in 2026. The airline previously confirmed it would wet-lease turboprops for regional routes to replace its existing Dash 8s. “What we plan to do next is find a partner for 2026 that will operate on our behalf on shorter routes through a wet-lease arrangement. That will involve the partner airline’s crew and aircraft. Austrian Airlines currently has the same agreement with Braathens. These aircraft will be used on shorter routes such as Sarajevo, Vienna, and Osijek”, Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, previously said.
The Croatian carrier will take delivery of another eleven A220-300s by 2027, with the capacity to seat 149 passengers, and two A220-100s with 127 seats, the latter effectively becoming the smallest aircraft in its fleet. Its third A220-300, named “Dubrovnik”, is now expected to be delivered before the peak summer travel period, while the first A220-100 is anticipated before the start of the winter season in late October. In total, five A220 jets are due to be delivered this year. “This will not only enable our growth but also make us more competitive and sustainable, which fits our business plans perfectly”, Mr Bajić noted.
Bravo OU!
ReplyDeleteBravo OU 🇭🇷 🇭🇷 🇭🇷
DeleteI somehow think that this wet lease will be trade air
DeleteIt's gonna be a lucrative deal..
I'm surprised that over half of all flights were operated by the Q400s.
ReplyDeleteWith tremendous LF. It is not easy to copy their cunning business plan.
DeleteI still don't get this strategy when you have a 65% load factor across network.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine the load factor when the A220 starts operating some SJJ flights as planned this summer.
DeleteThey're going to have to work extra hard to boost that load factor this year
DeleteTheir ridiculous high fares are not helping with LF. I would understand if they are making a killing with their profit and that justified the high fares but they are chronically loss making.
DeleteTheir Airfares are lower then 30 years ago.
DeleteAll air fares are lower than 30 years ago. That's not something to brag about.
DeleteThey are old planes. Time to go.
ReplyDeleteI'm all for them retiring these older birds but their long-term plans is just to wet lease turboprops?
DeleteIt feels like a temporary fix to me.
DeleteThese planes had lots of technical glitches and the cabins are now really showing their age. So I agree it is time for them to leave.
DeleteGood decision.
ReplyDeleteReally?
DeleteThird A220 was meant to arrive in March but seems to be delayed like the other two.
ReplyDeleteBut why not keep existing fleet flying?
DeleteBecause these planes need to go for an expensive D check.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeletePuno previse prebravo!
Deleteprekul :D
DeleteFarewell to the Dash 8s!
ReplyDeleteHow much will wet leasing turboprops cost on top of the A220 payments?
ReplyDeleteIt won't be cheap
DeleteBut it will be cheaper and that is the point.
DeleteWe have been hearing a lot how everything will be cheaper with A220 but so far their costs have exploded.
Delete^^^ Source? Trust me bro.
Delete^
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2025/03/croatia-airlines-grapples-with-costly.html
It's not the point to be cheaper...
DeleteI don’t really believe that 5 A220s will be delivered this year. More realistic is 3.
ReplyDeleteSame. It seems the original timeline keeps slipping.
DeleteThat is Airbuses fault, not OU's
DeleteI wonder why they didn’t consider buying smaller regional jets or turboprops?
ReplyDeleteMe too, considering their performance.
DeleteWell the plan is to improve so they will have more passengers and bigger load factor.
DeleteThey didn't decide anything.
DeleteThey are nobodies. Pawns.
They don't own the company, they are not managers, they are apparatchiks
It would have been nice to see Croatia Airlines invest in something like the ATR 72 for their regional operations.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteOU can’t invest in anything. They are loss making company. Only taxpayers may invest on top of those 15 new Airbuses
DeleteATR cannot be used to OMO and A220 is too big. Who can fill those seats?
DeleteGood point. What will they do with Mostar
DeleteSo who is going to be the wet lease operator? Any idea?
ReplyDeleteMaybe Trade Air gets turboprops and starts operating for OU.
DeleteIs there any LH group carrier with turboprops?
DeleteNone have turboprops to lease to someone else.
DeleteBraathens is a possible option for wet-lease partner. However, it is questionable if they have enough ATR's since they already lease them to Austrian and SAS.
DeleteLet's see if they go for ATR or Dashes again.
DeleteHope it will be ATRs
DeleteBarely no airline operates Dash Q400 in Europe anymore.
DeleteGood luck
ReplyDeleteDon't get this strategy.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThe routing for 9A-CQA: Zagreb-Brussels-Glasgow-Reykjavik-Narsarsuaq -Nuuk-Goose Bay-Montreal
ReplyDeletewow
DeleteHere it is at Nuuk!
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2NXM2qHg8A
Amazing find
DeleteHow many A320-family planes have they retired so far since fleet transition began?
ReplyDeleteOne, 9A-CTI was retired. In total 3 aircraft have already been retired.
DeleteOne, in total three. Which one is it then, one or three??
DeleteHe meant 1 A319 and along with 2 Dashes that is three retired aircraft.
DeleteI wonder if this plane will get a new operator or it will be scrapped?
ReplyDeleteNew customer in Australia.
DeleteCool, thanks
Delete@09:43 Do you come from the land down under?
DeleteYou better run, better take cover
DeleteAny idea on how many aircraft they will wet lease? 6 to replace all 6 Dash 8s?
ReplyDeleteLess than 6 since they want to replace Q400 on routes such as Zurich and Brussels. For Sarajevo, Vienna, Pula, Zadar, etc they need maximum 3 aircraft.
Delete2 aircraft would be optional.
DeleteBut those 6 Q400s operated over 50% of all their flights yet LF was 65% And now they will use larger A220s...
DeleteLow LF was because expensive tickets, bad flight times, lack of connections, etc.
DeletePhasing out the Dash 8s is understandable, but what about the gap until 2026 when the wet-leased turboprops come into play. The company's load factor will be interesting to watch this year.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the strategy exactly? They are getting rid of planes they obviously need in favor of planes that are too large for many routes so they are going to wet lease turboprops until when? 5 years? 10 year? 20 years?
ReplyDeleteSimply cut nonsensical routes. Like who tf even needs flight to Vienna???
DeleteVienna is a nonsensical route?
DeleteVienna is an important route as VIE is big hub for connections.
DeleteZAG-VIE numbers have been falling as have frequencies. It seems its being replaced as a transfer point from Zagreb by AMS
DeleteThey will need turboprops mostly in the winter
ReplyDeleteFor some routes they need them year round.
Delete* for more than 50% of routes they need them year round.
DeleteThis whole fleet transition does not seem very well thought through.
ReplyDeleteWhen is the next PSO tender in Croatia due? Would be interesting to see for what will OU apply with their new fleet.
ReplyDeleteIt is supposed to be next year but who knows. Government delayed the last one by many years.
DeleteGood riddance!
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDeleteEven the A220-100 is too big for the routes that used to operate with the Dash.
ReplyDelete