Croatia Airlines is the new operator of the Airbus A220. The Eastern European country’s flag carrier took delivery of the first A220-300 on July 29, lessor Air Lease Corporation (ALC) said.
The aircraft, registered 9A-CAE and named “Zagreb,” was scheduled for a shuttle flight from Montreal to Copenhagen at 4:00 p.m. local time.
The two carriers have agreed to a six-aircraft lease in November 2022 after Croatia Airlines also evaluated the Embraer E2.
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Croatia intends to operate only A220 aircraft, combining its fleet with 15 of the 149-seat jets.
The second plane is expected at the end of 2024, with six more in 2025, four in 2026 and three in 2027. Currently the fleet of the airline founded in 1989 consists of seven A320 family jets with an average age of more than 22 years, as well as six Dash 8-400 turboprops.
“Air Lease Corporation is honored to have been selected by Croatia Airlines as the first Lessor to introduce the A220 to the airline and support Croatia’s major fleet modernization program,” said Steven F. Udvar-házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “This milestone first of six new A220 deliveries is a wonderful achievement that begins the fleet transformation at Croatia Airlines.”
“This day will go down in history as the beginning of a new era in the history of Croatia Airlines, in the history of Croatian aviation and the Croatian state, and all our employees and passengers,” said Jasmin Bajić, President and CEO of Croatia Airlines.
