Croatia Airlines, which is in the process of selecting new aircraft for the future structure of its fleet as part of its post-Covid strategy, has said it still hasn’t decided on which type it will choose. The carrier is being courted by Airbus, Boeing and Embraer. The airline told the “Avio Radar” portal, “Croatia Airlines is currently conducting aircraft market research on possible fleet renewal, as envisaged in the post-covid strategy. In this context, potential options with multiple aircraft manufacturers are being considered and possible fleet renewal scenarios are being developed, which will begin when the necessary conditions are created”. It did not specify which conditions must be met.
The airline had previously said the Airbus 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”.
As the airline ponders its fleet options, it is beginning to make adjustments to its 2022 summer network, which it has said will revolve around flexible planning in line with the ongoing Covid pandemic. As a result, the airline will delay the planned resumption of its flights between Zagreb and Barcelona, originally announced for March 27. Services will now commence on June 2. Furthermore, the carrier is discontinuing its flights between Split and Prague which were launched last summer season, however, it will restore operations between Croatia’s second largest city and Athens after over two years. Services between the two will run once per week, each Sunday, from May 28. They were suspended at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Wow... so this is far from a sure thing :(
ReplyDeleteOf course. Croatia Airlines itself said before Covid that the only way they can renew their fleet if if they get a strategic partner. They said that alternatively they can renew the fleet on their own but it would take years years. Nothing has really changed since then. If nothing, their financial situation has only become worse.
DeleteIt's almost February, this is the time when people are starting to book their summer holidays especially if they are doing it through tour operators. It's not uncommon to see early bird deals all over Europe right now.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, if they are undecided when it comes to their fleet and if they plan on being flexible about their summer plans, it can only mean they are clueless about what they want to do this year. In other words, summer 2022 is already wasted for them.
Finalizing your network in April or May means that you will rely on leftovers, crumbs left by your competition.
+1
DeleteCannot agree with you. Most bookings are last minute because people fear that their flights are gonna be cancelled. This is why you have so many unstable flight schedules and general poor load factors. This is also why it is a great moment to focus more on charters rather than future bookings.
DeleteYou are right, people are booking last minute but agencies and airlines are making plans in advance. People might be booking later than they did before but plans are still made much earlier.
DeleteLook at the Belgrade Tourism Fair that is taking place in March. All agencies that are going to be there will be presenting their finalized offers. They are not going to offer Palma and only then start making arrangements.
If OU doesn't know what the summer will look like then it can mean that tour operators are making summer plans without them. If they were making them with OU then we would be reading how this year they are going to put a greater focus on charters and flying from the coast.
Without any clear strategy. Airlines left and right are launching new routes and they delay Barcelona of all routes.
ReplyDelete"possible fleet renewal", "potential options", "possible fleet renewal scenarios", "when the necessary conditions are created". Basically this ain't happening.
ReplyDeleteThere is simply no money for it.
DeleteNo vision more like it.
DeleteLike with the numerous privatization advisors which have been paid over the last 5 years, it seems that BCG advisor was just another one of those where Croatia Airlines or the Croatian government gives numerous amounts of money for absolutely nothing. It would have been better spent on improving the network or improving on board service.
ReplyDeleteCroatian Government is led by the Party which is by final verdict of Croatian Supreme Court proclaimed criminal organisation, guilty of several criminal offences. Generally, that Party, and all satellites around are not political, but interest organisation, created only to fulfill enormous individual appetites of its members for more and more money. Entire country functions that way and Croatia Airlines is no exception. The same way they pay double lease for Q400 to mediator company tied to ex CEO family, the same is the contract with BCG which was just a source of income for few members of the Cartel. BCG probably did the job, maybe even a good job, but the results of their job are irrelevant, as we can all see. The results of that job is not why OU hired them. It was just the possibility to grab some more money.
DeleteBla bla bla... as always... consistent in raging...
DeleteConsistent in speaking truth. The same as you are consistent in advocating criminal organisation which ripped off, emptied and destroyed the country
DeleteI have lost all hope
ReplyDeleteSame :(
DeleteUnfortunate. So much potential, so little has been done. Looks to me there won't be any new routes this summer either.
ReplyDeleteAnd almost a year after FR entered Zagreb, no response from Croatia Airlines whatsoever. As if nothing is happening.
ReplyDeleteWhat can they realistically do? What routes could they start where they could compete against FR?
DeleteFrom a realistic point of view there isn't much they can do since they lack competent management that can reform their business strategy. They need to undergo a thorough re-evaluation process, similar to what happened at JU back in 2013.
DeleteSince they don't have an adequate management there is no point in elaborating what in theory they could do. At the end of the day, they made it obvious to all of us that they are sitting quietly waiting for their (now) inevitable demise.
If they eventually do decide to renew their fleet it will be with Airbus. They have several million euros locked up with them, BCG clients have mostly opted for Airbus orders and politically it will look good for them.
ReplyDeleteThe A320neo production line is booked for years in advance. The only way to get them earlier, would be to lease them from one of the leasing companies, which have booked slots, which... wouldn't be cheap.
DeleteI don't think they will go for neo considering they cancelled theit neo order just last year.
DeleteI guess getting some gas-guzzling ceos will help them be very competitive in the following years, when the competition is going for MAX/neo.
DeleteI was holding out for some surprise, that OU will give us new routes and planes this summer but these latest quotes from the airline are really discouraging. "Flexible network planning" seems to have resulted in Barcelona being delayed by 3 months and routes being shuffled around. Grand fleet renewal has come down to OU still unsure if it will renew the fleet and so on...
ReplyDeleteAt this point I would offer OU to any European airline for EUR1 with a guarantee from the owner that they won't shut it down. I really don't see any solution for them.
ReplyDeleteWhy would anyone take a regional airline that's saddled with debt, has with virtually no assets, no strategy, a small domestic market share and no real plans for the future? Even at €1 it would be too expensive.
DeleteI guess ZAG decided to find a new partner in Ryanair on time. Doesn't seem nothing will come of OU.
ReplyDeleteThey could at least try to restore some of their pre-Covid routes. The longer they wait the more chance another airline will take it over, as was the example with TAP taking over Lisbon on Finnair Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteThis explanation from them that they will consider fleet expansion when conditions are met translates to "Koliko para, toliko muzike".
ReplyDeleteOr "odsvirali su svoje"
DeleteA kako su svirali bolje i da nisu
DeletePoor form
ReplyDeleteAs expected, nothing will come of this.
ReplyDeleteCroatia, especially Zagreb, is a difficult market. Croatians travel relatively little by plane compared to others in Western Europe.
ReplyDeleteRyanair confirmed this again in an interview: "As many as 90% of our passengers to Zagreb are incoming passengers."
Finally SPU-ATH is back !!
ReplyDeleteAnd Prague is terminated. Amazing strategy.
DeleteJust another year of doing nothing and losing money. Expected.
ReplyDeleteHey at least they joined another Lufthansa initiative to show their utmost loyalty and earn salaries for another year.
DeleteThis fleet renewal has become a new saga.
ReplyDeleteSequal to the A320 order, which turned into an A320neo order, which has no turned into this.
DeleteSomeone really needs to turn this airline around.
ReplyDeleteIt had already happened. In the beginning, OU had excellent strategy, and had good people ready to "die" for the airline. Spirit of all people in the company and around company was amazing. Then, convicted criminal organisation slowly killed the spirit, filled the company with uhljebs and decided to serve as a feeder on expense of tax payers and the financial benefits of their own and the Cartel. So turn around already happened. Don't see will happen once again, other way round.
DeleteHope something will happen
ReplyDeleteMax is to big and a220 is risky. From my point of view a E2 would be a perfect match.
ReplyDeleteAgree 100% but due to political reasons I think it is the least likely option.
DeleteTrue. They fill the gap on the market between regional and mainline aircraft. They are efficient and have improved aerodynamics. Also they are capable of achieving similar costs per seat of larger narrowbody aircraft, with significantly lower costs per trip. So this creates new opportunities for lower risk development of new markets, which is important for OU.
DeleteNema nista od ovoga
ReplyDeleteThey have made so many statements about fleet expansion that their fleet should have been double the size it is now.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a movie title - "Much ado about nothing" !
ReplyDeleteOU are gold medalists in the art of talking and issuing press releases and absolutely last place in actioning anything
+1
DeleteAnd World's Champion in missed opportunities and lost chances
Delete