Croatia Airlines plans to introduce more long-distance destinations, rather than operate long-haul flights with its incoming A220 fleet, the carrier’s Chief Commercial Officer, Slaven Žabo said. Long-distance flights would usually be defined as medium-haul routes, lasting between three and six hours. Speaking at the Istanbul Airshow, where the airline had its A220-300 jet on display, Mr Žabo told the “HavaSosyalMedya” portal, “At the moment Croatia Airlines is not considering operating long-haul flights with the Airbus A220 but what we plan to do with this aircraft type is long-distance flights. Because of its efficiency and range possibilities, we will be able to launch new routes that we are currently not operating”.
Croatia Airlines previously said most of the new routes it plans to introduce over the next three years will be in Europe and the Mediterranean region. However, with plans to commence new intercontinental operations as well, north Africa and the Middle East are likely options for its future network growth. Furthermore, the carrier will put an emphasis on year-round connectivity to reduce its high summer seasonality. Croatia Airlines plans to add new routes as more A220s join the fleet. With one unit currently in operation and a second due to arrive by the end of the year, the airline is likely to unveil its first batch of new routes for the summer of 2025. It will take delivery of a further five A220s next year.
Mr Žabo noted the Croatian flag carrier is not concerned over ongoing durability issues affecting some Pratt & Whitney engines on A220 aircraft. “We are very confident in Pratt & Whitney engines because they are our long-lasting partner. Pratt & Whitney are not just powering our A220s but also a part of our existing fleet and we strongly believe they will be able to overcome existing problems”. Commenting on the airline’s new seasonal service between Split and Istanbul, launched earlier this year, Mr Žabo said the airline is “strongly working and believing” it can extend the operation to year-round.
Doesn't the A320 also allow flights up to 6 hours?
ReplyDeleteIt can, but the A220 is more efficient and has lower capacity, meaning thinner routes can be operated
DeleteFor how long can A220 operate with a full load? I mean how many hours?
Delete@9.09
DeleteBut the leasing price is so much higher that I'm not sure they will be able to make a profit in the end even with the fuel efficient A220.
"Anonymous09:07
DeleteFor how long can A220 operate with a full load? I mean how many hours?"
A 220 300 has a range fully fuelled with 125 pax, of around 6000km, theoretically aircraft can fly for 6 hours, which will give it range of around 5000km, but it is very inefficient for these aircraft to fly such long distances. OU is very likely to lease A321 XLR at some point in future, for north American market, this is after 2030, I don't expect them to start intercontinental flights before 2030.
Bravo Croatia Airlines, long haul with a220. Amazing 🤩, bravo definitely bravo plus a321xlr in future! Croatia Airlines management is doing wonders!
Delete^ if you at least read the headline, you would know they don't plan long haul
DeleteHe is "confident" and he "believes" those are the best strategies.
DeleteDon't forget articles about Croatia being in talks with Boeing regarding MAX order just months before they signed Airbus MoU for A220.
DeleteThat means no need to fully trust statements about XLR for the very distant future. All A220s are arriving by 2027 and that's the time OU will need XLRs. They won't be able to get large order of 321XLRs delivered by then, but they only need a couple and could lease them with one or two arriving in 2027 or 2028.
They actually were in talks with Boeing. They were with Embraer too. It is logical when you are getting a new aircraft type for your fleet.
DeleteAnd regarding XLR they just said they were looking into it, nothing more.
DeleteThat's what they said. What they didn't say is once all or almost all A220s are in the fleet, their aspirations of growing Croatia Airlines into long-haul airline would need introduction of A321XLR. They want to use A220 fleet as a feed for long haul, and would use long-haul as a tool against seasonality of Croatian aviation market. No point in having bunch of new A220 waiting 5-10 years before getting A321XLR. They will want them by 2028 or earlier.
DeleteChanges regarding Croatia Airlines done by Plenkovic administration is stunning, A220’s plus opening of new markets. Just stunning!
Delete^ Croatia airlines has not opened a single new market since Plenkovic came to power except Split-Istanbul summer seasonal. In fact it has withdrawn from many markets since he came to power.
DeleteI'm really interested to see what they launch. I highly doubt anything in the Middle East is on the cards but let's see
ReplyDeleteNot at the same cost.
Delete^ sorry my above comment was meant as a response to the first comment under the article.
Delete9.02
DeleteNot a lot of options in the Middle East. No use in starting Dubai since it is already covered by Flydubai and potentially Emirates comes back one day but maybe they could go for Abu Dhabi.
Abu Dhabi with Etihad code share year round could work.
DeleteDoubt they will go beyond Turkey.
DeleteCanary Islands for sure
ReplyDeleteThey really need to add more routes in Spain.
DeleteThey can't make Barcelona work year round from ZAG so I would not hold ny breath.
DeleteThey should expand to Portugal before Ryanair starts it. There is no hope for Spain anymore since Ryanair has taken that market.
DeleteRyanair will launch OPO next year. Mark my words.
DeleteThat could capture a lot of the Slovenian leisure traffic of they were smart
ReplyDeleteI am sure our carrier will take most of slovenian market if we play smart. We could go to Cape verde or Canary island, get Iceland or UK/Ireland tourists to Dalmatia. Everyone wants to see our Dalamatia.
DeleteIt's interesting how OU and JU have two completely different approaches to network expansion.
ReplyDeleteAnd we see who make a profit and who make a loss.
DeleteGood to hear they are not worried about P&W engine issues I guess.
ReplyDeleteWhat else can they reply?
DeleteWe were stupid enough to buy / lease the product that might show some problems. Anyhow, we hope it won't happen to us.
But they bought it when issues were already known. And they bough 35 of them.
Delete35? I think up to 15
DeleteJust leased.
Delete35 engines
DeleteTrue that, sorry
DeleteAre they adding any new route this winter?
ReplyDeleteDoes not seem like it. It's already October. They would have announced something by now.
DeleteDisappointing they didn't extend any of the new/restored Zagreb seasonal routes.
DeleteThey still don't have enough aircraft to start new routes this winter.
DeleteWhen is the next A320 family aircraft leaving the fleet?
DeleteAt least they finally have some ambitions and goals.
ReplyDeleteIt's still all talk. Let's actually see what happens...
DeleteTrue
DeleteThey should look into increasing frequencies on many routes and retiming them for better transfer connectivity through ZAG.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteExactly. They should first fix their European network and the way many European destinations miss regional connections.
DeleteWe call it pain in the willy, pardon my French. They just don't care.
DeleteThis is really their only hope. They actually have a pretty decent airport at Zagreb which has plenty of room for development and improvements. They should work towards a transfer model with Zagreb airport. I am sure the airport would support them in this.
DeleteBut I have always felt that the managers real goal is to keep the airline out of the spotlight and loss making so that state money can be funneled into who knows whos pockets. I can not see any other real explanation here.
I really hope they try to explore some new regions before Ryanair does.
ReplyDeleteFinally they might add something from Zagreb. Knowing them it will probably be 2 weekly, while they will reduce something else in order to launch it.
ReplyDeleteHope they try out Cairo
ReplyDeleteDubai makes sanse now with the new equipment, If emirates could fill 777, Craria can certainly do A220.
ReplyDeleteEmirates had a network behind it to fill it up. Not sure OU can be compared. But like I just wrote before Abu Dhabi could be an option in order to avoid direct competition with FZ.
DeleteThey should launch Split-Dubai in summer. It would be full.
DeleteToo early.
DeleteThey could go for leisure routes like Sharm el Sheikh, Hurghada or Monastir. They operated charters to Monastir this summer.
ReplyDeleteYes. Good routes that could cater for both Croatian and Slovenian travelers.
DeleteThey missed an opportunity to capture Slovenian market when Adria went bust.
DeleteI mean they should have established a base in LJU.
DeleteThe airline should be privatized. With the right management they actually could succeed.
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteIn the end it will be purchased by pension fund most probably.
DeleteMy mom gets part of her pension from that fund, don't do it please.
DeleteIs this pension fund private or state owned?
DeleteOnce privatized, they will end up like Adria. State owned for now is not a bad thing as long as the intentions are good and positive which clearly is not the case with OU.
Deletetime to spread their wings!
ReplyDeleteThe new aircraft looks very sleek
ReplyDeleteBoth inside and out :)
DeleteIt is but I would not want to be stuck on it for 5 hours.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteNot the best utilization of A220 in my opinion. But they allowed Ryan to take so much so fast they have no other option. One can build some strategy around this but I'm 100% sure this OU management is not that one.
ReplyDeleteLong distance means Lisbon, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki and Tel Aviv for OU. Don't dream of Dubai or anything further away from the above listed ones.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably right unfortunately.
DeleteSounds OK distance to me. YU, W6 and FR fly these routes on their narrow-bodies casually.
DeleteWhat is OU's longest scheduled route at the moment?
DeleteSad to say it's London
DeleteSad indeed
DeleteI have never seen an airline think that a new aircraft type is the solution for all of their multiple problems.
ReplyDeleteBecause the solution is management change and of course they don't want to admit that so now they found a solution to sell to the state and give a bunch of promises.
Delete+1000
DeleteI'm afraid it's not just management which makes the whole situation dire. To me it looks like the owner at some point abstained from the right to run this company as an independent business.
DeleteThe government doesn't care but they know that OU going bankrupt would be bad optics for them so they keep pumping money.
DeleteOU are a bunch of jokers ............... no brains not understanding airline economics ............
ReplyDeleteIf OU new what they were doing they would not be every year in the red ........
ReplyDeleteIceland would certainly be a nice addition. One can hope 🤞
ReplyDeleteI think Play will beat then to it
Delete*them
DeleteWell Play has already launched Reykjavik-Split and are starting Reykjavik-Pula next year.
DeleteThey also have some charter to ZAG in January for the handball championships.
DeleteAnyone knows the longest A220 flights operated by airlines?
ReplyDeleteI believe Air Baltic flights to Dubai are among the longest.
Delete
Delete2,948 nm (4,745km)
Tampere to Tenerife South
airBaltic 7h
Mistake: Air Baltic 2.948 statute miles or 4.745 kilometers sorry
DeleteThanks :)
DeleteCan the same crew fly TMP-TFS out and back, or do they have to change crew?
DeleteThere are different rules for working times; I might be wrong but if they put third pilot or double crew (2 active + 2 DHC) than it might be possible for dhc crew on first leg to return airplane back and first crew goes back as DHC (dead-head crew /non working)
DeleteWith longer flights I also hope they will improve service
ReplyDeleteEspecially in business class
DeleteGood luck Croatia Airlines! Exciting times ahead
ReplyDeleteWhat Croatia Airlines needs is a plane to fly NYC to Split or Zagreb and I assume that’s the A321XLR. We had the direct flight many years ago and now it would serve diaspora and all the Americans looking to go to Croatia.
ReplyDeleteHonestly with Plenkovic in the US I was hoping he would mention something about flights, but nothing
DeleteIt would work in high season; when fall hits flight would not work until around Christmas; than again june or something….
DeleteCroatia Airlines should improve attention and service on board and not just serve a glass of water to its passengers in economy, where is the attention and service of years ago? If Croatia Airlines continues to offer only a glass of water to its passengers, I see no future for long-haul flights.
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDelete