April the 7th, 2026 – Croatia Airlines is continuing its largest project in its history, being its fleet renewal, under mounting geopolitical pressure.
As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Croatia Airlines successfully carried more than 405,000 passengers in the first quarter of 2026, which is 22% or about 74,000 passengers more than the previous year, which is a record result in the company’s history. The current crisis caused by the war unfolding across the Middle East and the consequent sharp increase in jet fuel prices has caught the company in a phase of strong operational growth. More specifically speaking, Croatia Airlines is currently implementing the largest project in its history – total fleet renewal with brand new Airbus A220 aircraft.
In these new circumstances marked by pronounced volatility in energy prices and complex geopolitical developments on a global scale, Croatia Airlines is continuing with this massive project. It is also adjusting its operational and commercial activities in order to alleviate pressures on business as much as possible. Fuel represents one of the largest operating costs in the entire aviation industry, and recent market disruptions have led to a significant increase in prices.
Instabilities across energy markets directly affect the operations of all airlines, including Croatia Airlines, and it is expected that the current situation will have an impact on business results in the coming period. This is the case in the entire global aviation industry, which is highly dependent on energy prices and the stability and security of the international environment.
In such unfortunate circumstances, crisis management mechanisms are applied, which implies continuous activities to optimise operations, as well as the careful management of costs and revenues. All of this must be done while taking into account the maximum preservation of the stability of the flight network and the business as a whole. In addition to all of the aforementioned, geopolitical developments, along with instability in energy markets, are directly reflected in the availability and prices of spare parts for aircraft, which is particularly negatively affected by the increasing needs of the military industry.
