Croatia Airlines to begin Dash phase-out in 2024

Croatia Airlines is expected to begin phasing out its Dash 8 turboprop fleet in 2024 as it prepares to become a single-type operator of the Airbus A220 jet. The carrier has ordered six of the A220-300s and has also concluded an agreement to lease up to nine of the aircraft, which are expected to include the -100 version as well. Croatia Airlines’ existing six-member turboprop fleet is under an operational lease. The agreement was concluded in 2007 for a period of ten years. The lease was then extended for two aircraft until 2024 and for the rest until 2025. Once the leases expire, the airline does not plan to renew them in order to make way for the new A220s, which will begin entering the fleet in 2024, with deliveries to be made until 2026. The 76-seat Dash fleet has been a workhorse for the airline over the past two years, when demand for travel plummeted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the turboprops were deployed on a total of 10.885 flights compared to the Airbus jet fleet which was utilised on 5.662 flights. Furthermore, the Dash aircraft spent more time in the air than the Airbuses, with an average of seven hours and twenty minutes of flying per day. Croatia Airlines owns a total of five aircraft, including four A319s and one A320. Three of those aircraft (two A319s and one A320) act as collateral for bank loans.<br/>