May 9, 2019 – In April of this year, a total of 172,758 passengers were transported by Croatia Airlines, which is a record number of passengers in April in the history of the company, the Croatian national air carrier reported on Wednesday.
Croatia Airlines thus overtook its previous record set in April 2011 when it carried 151,231 passengers. Furthermore, April 2019 is 16% better than April 2018, carrying 23,359 passengers more than last April.
From January – April 2019, Croatia Airlines achieved a growth of total passenger traffic of 3%. In that period, 518,557 passengers were transported, with the average occupancy of the passenger cabin at 69.1 percent.
Given the favorable bookings and demand, this positive travel trend is expected for the remainder of the year, especially during the tourist season in which Croatian Airlines airplanes will fly directly to 38 destinations in 24 European states.
Croatia Airlines adds that, according to existing indicators, this year expects about 5 percent more passengers compared to 2018, with a record 2,168,863 passengers being transported. The airline will even carry Zagreb Airport’s millionth passenger of 2019 on flight OU513, taking off on Sunday from Dublin.
In this year’s tourist season, as well as last year, Croatia Airlines boasts 12 aircraft in their fleet – four Airbus 319, two Airbus 320 and six Dash 8-Q400 aircraft. As in the past two years, two more aircraft will be hired for the tourist season from May to October.
The company marks its 30th anniversary this year, too. For the special occasion, the airline utilized its employees to select the best slogan to commemorate the big birthday, which is “Creating memories for 30 years!”
Along with the slogan, a unique birthday design was created, which also saw the help of its creative employees.
To mark 30 years, Croatia Airlines has chosen to enhance the visuals of its fleet. Namely, on its 12 aircraft, the “CROATIA” logo has been enlarged, making it even more noticeable. Furthermore, the checkers, as a recognizable symbol of Croatian national identity, extend to the hull of the aircraft.
The visuals on the exterior can also be noticed on the lower part (belly) of the aircraft, which is now white, giving the plane a touch of elegance. Thus, the Croatia Airlines fleet, which is usually a traveler’s first introduction to Croatia, has become even stronger and more recognizable.
To celebrate three decades, the company will also conduct several competitions this year where visitors or citizens can expect valuable prizes. The competitions will be conducted in cooperation with the media and on social networks, and surprises can also be expected on flights. All details can be found here.
The story of Croatia Airlines began on August 7, 1989, when it was registered as Zagal (formally, Zagreb Airlines). On December 23, 1990, Zagal changed its name to Croatia Airlines and became the national carrier of passengers, goods, and mail.
The first commercial flight of Croatia Airlines took off on May 5, 1991, from Zagreb to Split, while the first international flight was between Zagreb and Frankfurt on April 5, 1992.
From the very first flight to the end of February 2019, Croatia Airlines has achieved 585,500 flights and carried over 38,240,000 passengers. Of these, 11,407,500 passengers flew on Croatian flights, 24,014,500 flew on international routes, and 2,818,000 were carried on special charter flights. For the upcoming tourist season, Croatia Airlines will travel to 38 destinations in 24 countries.
It is almost essential to note that in the last 30 years, Croatia Airlines has become a member of the most important aviation associations, such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Star Alliance, the largest aviation association in the world. Today, Croatia Airlines is classified as a mid-sized European airline, recognized by passengers for flight safety, professional staff, and quality of service.
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