Croatia Airlines has begun preparations to introduce its first Airbus A220 aircraft, which are scheduled to arrive soon.
According to the flag carrier of Croatia, it has “employed 11 pilots for the preparation and introduction of the new type of A220 aircraft in the fleet, the increased need for pilots during the summer season and as a replacement for the pilots who left the company”.
“During 2023, activities related to the procurement and acceptance of the first new A220 aircraft into the fleet from 2024 will take place intensively, in accordance with the “Post Covid” strategy of Croatia Airlines,” the carrier’s H1 2023 report read.
The first Airbus A220 aircraft should arrive at the Croatian airline in early 2024, with the initial six units coming on lease from Air Lease Corporation (ALC) and the lessor’s order book.
In June 2023, Croatia Airlines signed two agreements related to its upcoming Airbus A220 fleet. Pratt & Whitney will cover the maintenance and after-market support of the aircraft’s engines, the PW1100G. The agreement includes “maintenance, visits to workshops within the Pratt & Whitney network, purchase of spare engines, procurement of engine parts”.
The other contract was signed with Swiss Aviation Software, a subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik. The Swiss company will be providing its AMOS software. According to Croatian Airlines, AMOS will help it with the “strategic renewal of the fleet into a completely new A220 fleet, offering advanced capabilities for the gradual introduction and retirement of aircraft from operations”.
In total, Croatia Airlines plans to operate 15 Airbus A220 aircraft, both the -100 and -300 models, by 2027. Currently, its fleet consists of five Airbus A319, two A320, and six De Havilland Canada DHC Dash 8-400 aircraft, according to ch-aviation.com data.
Latvia’s airBaltic has followed a similar strategy, switching to an all-Airbus A220 fleet in 2020. It began redelivering its remaining DHC Dash 8-400s in July 2022, finishing the process in February 2023.
In H1 2023, Croatia Airlines earned €112.8 million ($124.5 million) in revenue, ending the period with a net profit of €1.6 million ($1.7 million). The carrier’s operating profit, which excludes financing expenses, was €2.6 million ($2.8 million).