Croatia Airlines is due to take delivery of its first 127-seat Airbus A220-100 aircraft in October. As the carrier continues its transition to an all A220 fleet, the jet will become the smallest aircraft in its fleet, which will be dominated by the slightly larger A220-300s. Starting October 26, the airline plans to deploy the aircraft exclusively between Zagreb and Brussels. It will replace the 76-seat Dash 8 turboprop which was primarily utilised on the service the previous winter season. At this point, between late October 2025 and late March 2026, the aircraft will not be used on any other route, however, this is subject to change at this early stage.

From the start of the 2026 summer season, in late March of next year, the airline will gradually roll out the introduction of the A220-100 on a select number of other routes. From April, the aircraft will operate the most rotations on the Zagreb - Split - Rome service, followed by Zagreb - Brussels. Other routes that will see the aircraft type during that month include services from the Croatian capital to Dubrovnik (five flights), Skopje (three flights), Munich and Frankfurt (one flight each), as well as between Dubrovnik and Athens (one flight). In June, Zurich will be added to the list of destinations, with the aircraft used between Split and the Swiss city.

Croatia Airlines plans to have a total of two A220-100s in its fleet by 2027. “According to the current delivery situation, the next two A220[-300s] should be delivered by the end of June, and the remaining two aircraft are expected by the end of this year. The transition period for the aircraft fleet replacement is very challenging. Our fleet replacement plan includes the flexibility to retire existing aircraft in multiple scenarios. The same approach applies to pilot training planning as well”, the carrier said in a statement. Croatia Airlines has already retired two Dash 8s so far this year, with an A320 to be removed from the fleet by the end of 2025.

Source: www.exyuaviation.com