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Credit: Airbus
Croatia Airlines has reached a major milestone in its plans to completely change the composition of its fleet by operating the first international commercial flight with its new Airbus A220.
The service—on the Zagreb-Frankfurt route—marked the 35th anniversary of Croatia’s flag-carrier. It is the same route on which Croatia Airlines operated its first international flight in 1992.
Croatia Airlines currently has a fleet of four A319s, three A320s and six De Havilland Canada Dash-8s. The intention is to have a complete equipment rollover, with 13 A220-300s and two smaller -100 models replacing the existing aircraft.
Delivery of the second A220 is expected by the end of 2024, followed by six in 2025, four in 2026 and three in 2027.
Initial destinations from Zagreb’s Franjo Tuđman International Airport for the A220 will include Berlin, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle and Skopje, Macedonia. The flag-carrier also intends to use the aircraft from Split, Croatia, to Frankfurt and Paris, as well as from Dubrovnik to the French capital.
“We are proud and happy that today, as we celebrate Croatia Airlines’ 35th anniversary, we have provided our international passengers with a first-class flying experience in our new aircraft,” says Croatia Airlines’ commercial division director, Slaven Žabo.
“We are particularly pleased that the first international flight that our new Airbus A220 operated was on the Zagreb-Frankfurt route, which is very symbolic considering that this route saw the first international flight in our company’s history in 1992,” he adds.
Fraport’s head of traffic development, Alexandra Ulm, echoed Žabo’s sentiments: “We are very proud that Croatia Airlines has chosen Frankfurt as its first international destination for their very new aircraft.”
The carrier’s new beginning on the equipment side has been accompanied by a refreshed visual identity. The design of the logomark has been brought closer to the design of the aircraft’s tail of the aircraft.