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| Croatia Airlines eyes 100-seater jets |
Croatia Airlines’ CEO, KreĹĄimir KuÄko, has announced plans to renew the carrier’s fleet with up to six jets. The addition of new aircraft, through an operating lease, could begin as early as this winter. Speaking in an interview to “Jutarnji list”, Mr. KuÄko says, “Our aim is to renew our fleet as soon as possible. We have given this serious consideration and could begin renewing our fleet this winter, with the addition of 100-seat jets”. He adds, “It is part our medium-term strategy and its realization does not depend on a strategic partner. However, it will impact on the pace of the acquisition”. Operating leases are short-term aircraft leases, usually no longer than ten years, which allow airlines to add jets and capacity quickly in case of a planned expansion.
Croatia Airlines currently has four Airbus A319 aircraft on order. The 175-million euro deal with the European aircraft manufacturer was made in 2008. Although the new jets were originally to be delivered by the end of 2013, the order has been put on hold. The airline has put off the aircrafts' arrival due to its financial situation. Although some have suggested the order was politically motivated at the time, Croatia Airlines has denied such claims, saying the acquisition was a sound business decision. “We are in discussions with Airbus regarding our order and I am very pleased that they have recognised the situation our company is in, as well as our demands. We are counting on and want to continue our cooperation with them. However, the delivery of these aircraft currently depends on a range of factors”, Mr. KuÄko says.
Croatia Airlines currently has twelve aircraft in its fleet - six Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s, four Airbus A319s and two A320s. “Within the next four years we will certainly add another four to six aircraft, which have the capacity to seat 100 passengers”, the CEO says. In comments made last year, Mr. KuÄko hinted at the possibility of introducing Embraer jets to the carrier’s fleet. “If Croatia Airlines were to buy more aircraft today it would choose an Embraer model, but other manufacturers will be considered when the time comes. What we are missing now is 100-seaters”, he said. The Brazilian plane manufacturer has two aircraft types that would fit Croatia Airlines’ needs. The E190 jet can seat 94 passengers in a two-class configuration, while the E195 version can welcome 106 passengers on board with a business and economy class section. Montenegro Airlines is the former Yugoslavia’s only Embraer operator, with both the E190 and E195 versions in its fleet.
This is really a laughing joke this Ceo Mr.Kucko.
ReplyDeleteWake up No business plan what so ever he is really fighting to keep is position because he knows if Croatia Airlines would be sold he would be the first to lose his job
He wants to dump more liabilities onto OU's balance sheet to make it even more unattractive to bidders.
ReplyDeleteProfitabilni su, jer su prodali pa lizovali jedan a320 i prodali tri masine. Nije lako biti Purger. Videcemo sta im donosi ova godina. Sve exYu kompanije su u problemima.
ReplyDeleteNije lako biti Purger? Purgerova slika visi u CTN-u sa natpisom "Živ ili mrtav - nagrada 1.0000.000,00 kn".
Deleteima toga i u HR, jeli?
DeleteHe is really panicking
ReplyDeleteThis is old news. Already read this on another forum a few months ago.
ReplyDeleteHe made the announcement last week in an interview.
DeleteSorry about that administration but it just sounds like something I read a few months ago
DeleteSkyGreece otvara liniju Atena - New York od 19.6.2015 a web stranica Äe biti u funkciji 3.4. 2015. Za 2016.godinu najavljuju linije za Boston, Chicago i Los Angeles.
ReplyDeleteThey should have chosen Embraer from the very beginning. Much more reliable aircraft than Dash.
ReplyDeleteProvide evidence for your claim
Delete"On 5 November 2014, Lufthansa Flight 1829, an Airbus A321 flying from Bilbao to Munich when the aircraft, on autopilot, unexpectedly lowered the nose and entered a descent reaching 4000 fpm rate of descent. The loss of altitude had been caused by two angle of attack sensors having frozen in their positions during climb at an angle, that caused the fly by wire protection to assume, the aircraft entered a stall while it climbed through FL310. The Alpha Protection activated forcing the aircraft to pitch down, which could not be corrected even by full back stick input. The crew eventually disconnected the related Air Data Units and was able to recover the aircraft. The event was also reported in the German press several days before the Germanwings crash. The German BFU (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau) reported on the incident on 17 March 2015 in a Bulletin publishing the flight data recorder and pitch control data in English and German. As a result of this incident a Airworthiness Directive made mandatory the Aircraft Flight Manual amended by the procedure the manufacturer had described in the FOT and the OEB and a subsequent information of flight crews prior to the next flight. EASA issued a similar Airworthiness Directive for the aircraft types A330/340."
ReplyDeleteYeah, but in the case of 4U9525 flight airplane had finished climb some 20 minutes before started to dive, so these sensors could not be frozen at positions inappropriate for cruising.
DeleteCTN treba da poruci 6 CS 100 i 2 CS 300 da imaju cistu Bombardier flotu.
ReplyDeleteI treba da se rese Airbus flote skroz.
INN-NS
CTN treba da poruci 6 CS 100 i 2 CS 300 da imaju cistu Bombardier flotu.
ReplyDeleteINN-NS
+1, probably the 2nd time I have to agree with you. CS are a really good option and I am sure Croatians would be able to get a decent deal.
DeleteNajbolja flota za CTN bi bila
Delete10 Q400
6 CS 100
2 CS 300
Sa slicnom flotom je Air Baltic ostvario veliki profit.Sa tom flotom bi mogli odlicno da se brane.
INN-NS
Ne, CTN ne treba viĹĄe Q400 nego da ove koji sada lete za BRU, CPH, PRN, SKP ne koristi za tu svrhu, a ĹĄto je prisiljena jer nema 100-seatere.
DeleteUz to CTN treba A319 zbog chartera ali i nekih jakih linija (SPU, DBV, LHR, FRA, TLV, jednog dana CAI, Bliski Istok...)
Idealna flota bi bila:
4 A319
6 Q400
10 E190
I agree when it comes to the fleet, spot on, but why on earth would they "brane", from whom?ASL? With two daily flights ATR flights and lets say 100 pax transfer pax both ways there is no big effect on Croatia. Plus even if ASL is "attacking" hard, Croatia is a huge market and Croatian airlines will always get a piece of cake
DeleteGospodine Purger ja mislim da gresite u vezi nabavke 10 E190 ja mislim da bi mnogo bolje bilo
Delete8 Q400
8 CS 100
4 CS 300 u mesto A319
CTN bi se vise isplatilo da ima cistu Bombardier flotu .
Prvi put kad sam pisao o idealnoj floti nisam razmisljao o jakim linijama.
INN-NS
If Croatia Airlines already fully owns any Airbus planes, then why get rid of them? That is exactly what they need, reliable and fully depreciated airplanes they can operate during the summer and park during the winter.
DeleteNew and more efficient planes can't be treated this way because they are too expensive to have sitting around idle for part of the year.
A to ste u pravu mozda da naprave Croatian Holiday Jet od tih 4 A 319 sto bi bilo jako pametno i dva da budu u SPU i dva u DBV ali od toga nema nazalost nista samo dzabe pisemo :P
DeleteINN-NS
OU needs to maintain A320 family aircraft in the fleet, its a cornerstone of the fleet, how many that is a good question.
Deletemost likely look of OU fleet around 2020,
8x A319 - 128 two class configuration or 144 seat single class configuration
6x Q400 - 78 seat configuration all one class
6x CS100 - 108 seats two class configuration.
IF Qatar airways invests in to OU next year and buys out 49% steak ($150 million) than OU might go for CS100s to join the fleet sometimes in 2018, four A319s are joining the fleet in 2017, two A320s will be sold off around 2020 as last CS100 joins the fleet. OU will maintain 20 aircraft fleet, with very little likelihood of larger fleet than that. Croatia is a small market and 20 aircraft is more than sufficient for such small market.
OU should be able to hit 3.0 million pax by 2020 and 5.0 million by 2030 with this fleet.
^ hahaahahahahaha how on earth can you predict numbers so far in advance!!!!LOL
DeleteBy that year maybe Qatar Airways or Etihad might not even exist!!? I know unlikely, but you never know so far in advance. Who the hell predicts numbers 15 years advance. War? Environmental disaster? ukraine scenario? Civil war? Economic crises?
@The dog food guy
DeleteWell yes, we can have the end of the universe by 2022, so everything is possible, should the end be postponed for few decades, no wars and gradual and steady growth curve is maintain OU should be able to hit 5.0 million by 2030, this is only 200 000 pax increase on previous year.
I think 3,0 million for 2020 is quite likely, for airline is aiming for 2.0 million this year and if expansion as suggested does happen, than I see no problem in hitting above targets.
In the coming years Croatian Airlines will be adding more planes downsized to 100 seats while Air Serbia will be adding more planes upsized from current seat average (10 A320NEO from 2018). CASK for A320NEO will be a LOT less than for currently available E190. We'll have to see what stage length they plan with those and what RASK they'll get, but in general A320NEO is more likely to be competitive in an LCC type of environment that Ex Yu airlines will have to partially transform into if they want to survive.
DeleteAir Serbia and other carriers will be flying with the next generation of aircraft, so Croatia Airlines must look towards those if they wish to remain competitive.
DeleteRight now, airlines are going through a rather easy time because of low fuel prices, high demand for air travel, and such. What happens if in a few years fuel prices go up again, perhaps air travel stagnates. The least competitive carriers will suffer.
What all carriers in ex-you need to do is further move towards the LCC business model. This has many times been proven to be the what the consumers are looking for. What is the point of Air Serbia having a business class at all when it is rare for there to be more than 2 or 3 business passengers to ever be on board?
JU being a full service carrier is nice for prestige and all, but it's more important to think about what is sustainable in the long term. taking out those 8 recliners and putting in 12 economy seats will simplify everything and reduce costs, and most likely increase revenue during the summer when more capacity is needed.
JU could have CASMs close to that of true LCCs because of a lot of things, so they should actually capitalize on it and attract passengers by offering lower fares
-low wages in Serbia
-BEG airport offers discounts to JU for handling 500.000+ pax per year
-Serbia has lower fuel prices than some other European countries
-Joint aircraft procurement and fleet maintenence with Etihad
^ In regards to business class I disagree since it makes the airline more elegant and credible first of all plus its a nice first impression. Second its not true that those seats are always empty, at least summer time when i traveled. On the flight to and from Paris on the way to BEG it was 7/8 and back to Paris its was 4/8 which is decent I would say. As for AMS I get what you are saying since one the way there it was 1/8 and 2/8.
DeleteCan somebody share their own experience on loads in business
ĐНокŃĐ°Đ˝Đ´Đ°Ń ĐĄŃĐžŃĐ°Đ˝ĐžĐ˛Đ¸Ń you are again talking bullshit such as you did before about Atr-42. Air Serbia is not a carrier serving Serbia, but a much wider market set to only expand. As such, and as being the almost only airline in Europe to operate a true business class, certainly puts it ahead of its competitors and attracts high-yielding passengers which will help them much better to stay aflot than dumping and taking cheap pax from Zagreb to Istanbul.
Delete+1 anonymous 10:16, no need to be rude but what you said is golden!! Economically it makes more sense to have just 2-3 business pax compared to a row of low yielding economy transfer pax. Also product placement into the market is better with a good business class. Also its not 18 or 24 business seats just 8 so there is no need to make a fuss about it.Sorry Aleksandar but what you said about that part is way off track
Delete^ wow, congrats. You found something I once said that turned out to be incorrect. ATR42 isn't any cheaper to operate compared to the ATR72, I was wrong that time and I admit that.
DeletePerhaps if some other people weren't anonymous on this website, I could go back years and dig up something they once said that was wrong.
Now back to the topic of business class, has anyone perhaps considered that maybe the reason why almost no other European carrier has a dedicated business cabin for short haul traffic is because everyone else now realizes that the only major consideration when the vast majority are buying tickets is price, and nothing else. Nobody cares about how elegant and credible airlines are, or anything. If people cares, then LCCs wouldn't be ruling the European short haul market.
I would hardly call BEG-SVO, BEY, TLV, LHR, AUH short-hauls... Even maybe Paris. Those are medium-haul flights (or long-haul in the case of AUH) and no, LCCs didn't find their place in those markets with a few exceptions for carriers based in the Gulf such as Air Arabia which were already offering food for very cheap prices and besides the all-economy layout in all their services are much more reminiscent of Air France than Wizz Air.
DeleteAleksandar I get what you are trying to say but then again there are a lot of people who are payed to travel in business class by companies. I know a couple of people who work in Gulf for oil companies and hospitals and who are payed twice per year a business class ticket back home. Also one more thing is that the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. So there are more rich and more poor people, yet fewer middle class. So we could argued this point in either direction but I personally think that business class with 8 seats is not economically unfavorable for the company. It would of course be another story if it was 16 or more seats.
Deletebtw I dont know anything about the atr thing, I was just referring to the business class point you made
Yes, let's talk about irrelevant definitions of short haul vs medium hall instead of sticking to my real argument which is that JU would be more sustainable and profitable as a LCC without business class.
DeleteThe only reason why foreigners fly with Air Serbia (other than the insignificant number of airline travel enthusiasts) is because of the price. Business class, when averaged over the entire network (not just cherry picking a few select routes) has a very poor load factor, and these yields are not even that great.
So everyone arguing against me can take a few different possible positions,
-JU business class is profitable
-JU business class is not profitable, but the costs are justified because of added prestige.
-Aleksandar is talking bullshit, he was wrong once about ATR 42s and now his credibility is destroyed evermore.
So which argument do you choose, or perhaps something I didn't forgot to mention?
ASL na nekim linijama u business class t´zaradjuje lepe pare.
DeleteJa licno nebi voleo da ASL promeni koncept poslovanja u LCC posto bi imali problema sa letovima za USA koji ce ako bude sve uredu poceti za nekoliko meseci .
Gospodine Aleksandre ne nervirajte se sta vam popuje neki Anonymous posto oni ne znaju sami mnogo toga inace bi se potpisali.
INN-NS
INN which lines are those?
DeleteNecu reci sve CDG-ZRH i jos ih ima nekoliko.
DeleteINN-NS
INN, I am not frustrated, if you can see from my writing, I do not insult, or put others down, I merely write precicely. It is easy to read it as frustration.
DeleteAnd yet, nobody has any clear argument for business class. There is talks of several routes being filled, yet I never denied such. I only said, overall, across the entire network, the business class is very poorly filled. I assert this only from my own knowledge, since I cannot name my source. Because of this, to respond to me, someone must only give the same amount of evidence that I present, which is nothing. Does anyone here claim that JU's business class, when taking into consideration the entire network, not just ZRH, CDG, and SVO, is filled enough to make it profitable?
Aleksandar, No argument intended just curious if you could provide us with average load factor in business class or at least tell us what routes are doing bad.
DeleteSorry, cannot provide the average load factor, since I only have select data, often in the form of 10-20 flights per day. Out of respect for the individual who gives me these glimpses of information, I would rather not provide any information.
DeleteNa nekima je LF u business class jako dobar u nekima nije ali ASL opet kazem ako bude sve po planu i krene sa letovima za USA mora imati full service . Slazem se jedino da na regionalnim linijama ne treba business klasa.
DeleteINN-NS
Wait, you do understand Air Serbia always can seat in those 8 places economy pax who were overbooked (if it;s empty) and still sell those places? So what you are saying, is that Air Serbia will get more money by adding 4 economy seats in those rows, that with a random number of pax using the business class product and everything that goes with it? Sorry, but you are clearly 'a cote de la plaque'.
DeleteAnonymous at 12:22 AM
DeleteTo je njegovo misljenje a ne morate vredjati ovde.
Problem bi bio kad ASL krene sa letovima za USA ako bude sve uredu a da nema business klasu na Evropskim Destinacijama:
INN-NS
INN-shut up. No one called you in-here.
Delete12:22,
DeleteYou do understand that a more typical config for a a319 when business class is eliminated is to seat 144-156 depending on pitch and how many galleys and toilets are removed? With 150 seats, which isn't too cramped, this is a increase of 22 seats.
The funny thing is that you say I am "a cote de la plaque", which means I have no clue. Too bad you haven't noticed that Air France, Lufthansa, and British Airways have all removed dedicated business class products from their narrow body fleet, with the exception of British Airways having some A321 with recliners, mainly for routes outside of the EU. I certainly have a clue of what is happening in the industry.
Perhaps you haven't noticed that all European carriers are rapidly back pedaling on costs in a attempt to remain competitive with LCCs, which are now the market leaders in short haul traffic.
And to INN, I never said anything about long haul traffic. I doubt JU or anybody can sustain long haul service without some premium product. Even Norwegian Airlines offers something.
Ok to conclude and I hope everyone agrees on this one:
Delete1) There is absolutely no need for business class on routes in the region and ex yu
2) There is a need for business class to medium haul routes such as Moscow, London, Paris, etc.
3) For the long haul there must be some kind of premium product ( small business class and maybe premium eco)
Not sure how you think there is a "need" for business class in medium haul, considering that carriers based in incomparably more wealthy countries have eliminated a dedicated business class cabin. If Swiss, Lufthansa, Air France, British Airways, and almost every other European carrier has deemed that business class on inter-Europe traffic is not profitable/worth it, then I really don't know what an airline from one of the poorest countries in Europe has in mind with Business class.
DeleteVaske, here is my amended list:
1) there is a need for 80-100 euro return fares in the region and ex-yu
2) there is a need for 120-250 euro return trip fares for inter-Europe travel
3) there is a need for 800-1200 euro return trip fares for traffic between West Coast North America and South-East Europe
4) There is a need for a competitive premium product for inter continental traffic.
Now consider how many people (non aviation enthusiasts) even know or care about seat pitch, pillows in economy, or anything. People when buying tickets search for their destination and then sort the tickets by cost, and perhaps also take into consideration schedule and convince. They have no idea what plane they are flying on either.
Aleksandar I respect your opinion and I agree with almost all your points especially the part that price is almost always the key when people buy tickets ( also applies to myself). The only reason why I think that on medium haul flights business class should be left is because of business travelers who are payed by their company to travel in biz class+ "elegance and show off". Do you think ASL should implement LH model, so have a "business class" with economy seats or completely eliminate the idea of business class? What is your view on transfer pax when it comes to ASL?
DeleteBusiness travelers who have fares in Business bought by their employers certainly exist, yet these are rare, even in much more wealthy countries. The facts are, JU has a very poor load factor in Business, despite everything.
DeleteShould they have an LH "business class"? Depends solely if there is a demand for it. If enough people are wiling to pay extra for it, and some profit can be made, then it is worth it.
Adding extra products such as business class and premium economy and what not is hard because it adds a whole different level of complexity. LCCs quickly found out that eliminating these things meant fewer staff, fewer flight attendant, quicker turn arounds, and less things that could go wrong in day to day operations.
My view on transfer passengers is that they are absolutely necessary, but should not be given priority compared to O/D passengers. Overall, I think JU should completely redesign the pricing model to be more like LCCs, where flights aren't advertised as return trips, but a return trip is the sum of two one way fares. A transfer passenger should never have a cheaper fare than an O/D passenger because that makes passengers upset, in other words, ZAG-BEG-SVO should never be less expensive than BEG-SVO.
On a side note, my father is an electrical engineer. For about a decade, he worked in an industry that meant he had to travel on multiple flights per month. He was a specialist, in that he had a particular set of skills that were rather valuable to his employers. Because of this and his seniority, he was at one time the highest paid employee in the entire company of nearly 100 people. He even earned more than the managers of the company. Despite all of this, he never was put in business class once.
No one liked bulgarian Boing in JAT. When you open your company you can play in it with Purger. Your father was just underappreciated in his company, it is not just money you take home.
DeleteThe only thing i agree-on is the return class fares. Often, one-way tickets on Air Serbia (on which we never see promotions btw.) are the same or more expensive than return price tickets, i wrote about it recently. So only because of that, they lost at least 5 tickets with me only for the past few months, the most recent case being few days ago. With the rest i don't agree. Precisely because they eliminated the business class in most of Europe, there is place for one small company to have those. Also Aeroflot is an European company.
DeleteAleksandar I share the same opinion as you do when it comes to transfer pax. I will never understand how can a passenger travelling on ASL from AMS to TLV pay close to 100 euros less than a passenger from BEG to TLV. On route such as TLV transfer pax are vital but at the same time that does not mean that since transfer pax are paying low prices we should rip off BEG passengers.
DeleteChange is definitely needed in their pricing department
Kad budete shvatili da taj ne bi leteo ams tlv sa asl da nije 100 jura manje i da bi bez njega i vama bilo skuplje javite se ponovo.
Deletewhy is the price not the same then smartass? How on earth can you justify that BEG pax have to pay 100 euro more to get to TLV then AMS pax who will transit via BEG. Make the price the same then for god sakes.
DeleteSukhoi Super Jet 100!
ReplyDeleteMost stupid sentance on this blog. SSJ in Croatia. Maybe in Serbia but not here. Russian product during NATO "intervention" in Ukraine and EU sanctions? Congretulation.
DeleteAnonymus 4.05, sense the irony ;-)
Delete@AnonymousMarch 25, 2015 at 3:21 PM
DeleteIrkut MC-21, no doubt OU needs these, 20 of them. i am being sarcastic just in case someone didn't get that.
Semi-european product, idiots, european export agensies gives guaranties for SSJ.
DeleteDanas i sutra zadnji put leti OS operated by Tyrolean sutra ce biti predstavljen novi Austrian i dobice novi livery.
ReplyDeleteI nazalost u INN ostaje samo Tehnika posto upravna zgrada je vec prazna skoro.
INN-NS
Does anything chance passenger wise? Any new changes in the region frequency wise?
DeleteLetece sa E195 umesto sa Fokerrima imace neka nova tarifa koja je jeftina navodno.
DeleteINN-NS
Kucko opet prica bajke. On se vozi sa Airbusom u Amsterdam, anek ide Dashom. Nije normalan, kad Dash ide do Kopenhagena ili Brisela. Ajd razumijem da ide do Zadra, Pule i Splita Dash, ali do Kopenhagea? Recimo zadnji put je bio poluprazan sa CDG Airbus, sto nije stavio da vozi ove iz Pariza u kantama od Dasha, da im malo vibrira ispod sica i da se sve trese ,i mozda da nabace one radnicke slusalice za zastitu usiju od jakog zvuka...
ReplyDeleteCan somebody please explain this to me:
ReplyDeleteI searched for flights RUH-----> BEG
Cheapest price is 600 euro which is decent for July and August, but listen to this sweet yet weird thing
My friend is going from RUH-AUH-LHR-BEG
I am stunned! Why on earth would somebody even sell this tickets? Too bad I am not travelling :( , since as aviation enthusiast is a DREAM!!!!
The option to go via BEG and direct is like 200 euros more expansive? So can somebody explain how is this economically possible?
via AUH I mean and then direct to BEG
DeleteHave you got more details of his itinerary... is it with EY?
DeleteHe told me about it so I had to search it up. I used the cheapoair on the following dates 6Jul and 2 Aug and got outbound flight to BEG via AUH only but the inbound flight was via LHR and via AUH. So one flight is "direct" option while the other one is backtracking. I suppose that is what he got also, I didn't ask for any other details.
DeleteEtihad Airways
ReplyDeleteFlight 316 332
more Riyadh (RUH)
Abu Dhabi (AUH)04:00am - 06Jul,Mon
07:05am - 06Jul,Mon Nonstop
Coach Etihad Airways
Flight 5995 319
more Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Belgrade (BEG)08:35am - 06Jul,Mon
12:15pm - 06Jul,Mon Nonstop
Coach
Operated by Air Serbia
Flight Duration : 7hr 45minLayover Duration : 1hr 30minTotal Trip Time : 9hr 15minSelect this Departure Etihad Airways
Flight 6022 319
more Belgrade (BEG)
London Heathrow (LHR)10:25am - 02Aug,Sun
12:25pm - 02Aug,Sun Nonstop
Coach
Operated by Air Serbia
Etihad Airways
Flight 20 388
more London Heathrow (LHR)
Abu Dhabi (AUH)03:05pm - 02Aug,Sun
01:00am - 03Aug,Mon Nonstop
Coach Etihad Airways
Flight 315 332
more Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Riyadh (RUH)02:05am - 03Aug,Mon
02:55am - 03Aug,Mon Nonstop
I have a job for Kucko......go work in a circus as a clown!!!
ReplyDeleteThis is really crap what he is telling.
Total panicking!