Croatia Airlines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Croatia Airlines Ltd.

Founded	7 August 1989; 35 years ago (1989-08-07) (as Zagal - Zagreb Airlines)
Hubs	Zagreb
Focus cities	Dubrovnik Split Zadar
Frequent-flyer program	Miles & More
Alliance	Star Alliance
Subsidiaries	Amadeus Croatia Obzor Holidays
Fleet size	13
Destinations	31
Headquarters	Zagreb, Croatia
Key people	Jasmin Bajić (President and CEO)
Employees	911 (2023)

Croatia Airlines Ltd. is the main airline of Croatia. It's like the country's official airline. Its main office is near Zagreb, the capital city. The airline flies to many places in Croatia and other countries, mostly in Europe.

Its main base is Zagreb International Airport. It also has important hubs in Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar. Since 2004, Croatia Airlines has been a part of Star Alliance. This is a big group of airlines that work together.

History

Early Days

Croatia Airlines started in 1991. At first, it didn't have any planes. Later that year, it rented a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 plane. This allowed it to start flying between Zagreb and Split.

Soon after, Croatia Airlines bought three Boeing 737 planes from another airline, Lufthansa. It also joined a group called the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This group helps airlines work together around the world.

On April 5, 1992, the airline made its first international flight. It flew from Zagreb to Frankfurt, Germany. This was a big step for the new country of Croatia.

Growing Up

In 1993, Croatia Airlines added two new ATR 42 planes and two more Boeing 737s. They also opened offices in many European cities. The company even bought a travel agency called Obzor. This helped them create fun travel packages for people.

By 1994, one million passengers had flown with Croatia Airlines! Later that year, even Pope John Paul II flew with the airline during his visit to Croatia.

In 1995, another ATR 42 plane joined the fleet. The airline also welcomed its two millionth passenger. In 1996, Croatia Airlines was the first airline to fly to Sarajevo after the war there.

New types of planes arrived in 1997 and 1998. The first Airbus A320 arrived in 1997. It was named Rijeka. In 1998, the first Airbus A319 joined the fleet. This plane was named Zadar. In the same year, Croatia Airlines became a member of the Association of European Airlines. By 1999, two more Airbus planes arrived. The airline also started selling its Boeing planes. By then, five million passengers had flown with them!

Modern Times

In 2000, two more Airbus planes arrived. The airline also started using an automatic system for tickets. In 2001, they got special certificates for plane maintenance from Germany. On November 18, 2004, Croatia Airlines officially joined Star Alliance.

In 2008, Croatia Airlines ordered four more Airbus A319 planes. These planes would have 132 seats. By 2009, the airline stopped using its three ATR 42 planes. They replaced them with six Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 planes. The first one arrived in May 2008.

In July 2009, Croatia Airlines carried its 20 millionth passenger! Since 2000, the airline has flown over 1 million passengers every year.

In 2011, Croatia Airlines and Lufthansa announced new, thinner seats for some of their Airbus planes. These new seats would allow more rows and more passengers.

The airline had some financial challenges for several years. In 2012, the government said it would help the airline become more profitable. They planned to reduce the number of employees and look for new investors.

In February 2020, Croatia Airlines announced new seasonal flights. These flights would go to Podgorica and Sofia. They would use the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 planes.

In October 2022, Croatia Airlines shared plans to change its fleet. They want to replace all their current planes with six new Airbus A220-300 planes by 2026. They decided on the A220 because they could use old payments from a cancelled order. In November 2022, they said they might use up to 15 A220 planes, with 9 of them being rented. In January 2023, they agreed to rent six planes. These include four A220-300s and two A220-100s.

In September 2023, Croatia Airlines sold its current Airbus planes. They then rented them back from another company. This was done before the new Airbus A220 planes arrive. In November 2023, the airline started to remove some of its older planes from service.

Corporate Affairs

Who Owns the Airline?

Croatia Airlines is a company where many people own small parts of it, called shares. Most of the company is owned by the government of Croatia.

How the Business is Doing

Here's a quick look at how Croatia Airlines has been doing over the years:

• Turnover (money earned): It has generally increased over time, reaching 252 million Euros in 2023.
• Net profit (money left after costs): The airline has had some years with losses (shown in red), but in 2023, it made a profit of 2.0 million Euros.
• Number of employees: The number of people working for the airline has stayed around 900 to 1100. In 2023, there were 911 employees.
• Number of passengers: The airline usually carries between 1.7 and 2.1 million passengers each year. During 2020-2021, passenger numbers dropped because of global events, but they are now recovering. In 2023, they carried 1.7 million passengers.
• Passenger load factor (how full planes are): This shows how many seats are filled on average. It's usually around 60-75%.
• Number of aircraft: The fleet size has been around 10-13 planes.

Destinations

Croatia Airlines flies to many different places. As of September 2023, here are some of the countries and cities they fly to:

Codeshare Agreements

Croatia Airlines works with other airlines through "codeshare agreements." This means they can sell tickets on each other's flights. It helps passengers have more choices for destinations.

Fleet

Current Fleet

As of October 2023, here are the planes Croatia Airlines uses:

Former Fleet

Croatia Airlines used to fly these types of planes:

Images for kids

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  A former Croatia Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-82 in 1991.

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  A former Croatia Airlines Boeing 737-200 in 1992.

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  A former Croatia Airlines ATR42-300 in 2006.

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  A current Croatia Airlines De Havilland Dash 8-400.

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  Croatia Airlines head office in Buzin, Zagreb.

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  Croatia Airlines aircraft hangar at Zagreb Airport.

See also

In Spanish: Croatia Airlines para niños