On the 7th of August, 2024, Croatia Airlines flew its new Airbus A220-300 from Zagreb – Frankfurt to celebrate its 35th anniversary. Croatia Airlines operated its first international commercial flight in 1990 and its first Zagreb – Frankfurt flight in April 1992.
Croatia Airlines at 35: How it All Started
The airline formerly known as Zagreb Airlines d.d, was inaugurated on the 7th of August 1989 in Zagreb. In 1990, the airline’s name was changed to Croatia Airlines d.d. Making the airline the national carrier for the Croatian people as well as becoming an asset to the transport and logistics industry of the country.
A year later, Croatia Airlines operated its first commercial flight which took the route from Zagreb – Split. In 1991 the national carrier took on their first international flight which took the Zagreb – Frankfurt route. Since then the airlines have become a staple in Croatia. With more than 700,000 flights operated while being the flight carrier of over 45 million passengers. Croatia Airlines has since become a member of the Star Alliance group as well as a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Future of Croatian Airlines
The future of the airlines looks to be in good hands. The airlines had recently announced a mega project in a total renewal of the existing fleet to the new generation aircraft. The airline recently announced a project with Airbus which will see the delivery of 15 aircraft to the national airlines by the year 2027. As of August 2024, one of the Airbus A220-300 has been delivered and the company awaits delivery for the second Airbus A220-300 in the final quarter of this year.
On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the company, the Commercial Division Director at Croatia Airlines, Slaven Žabo, had this to say:
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. 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
Let us know what you think of Croatia Airlines’ fleet. Have you flown the airline in its 35 years of operation? What was your experience with them like?
