June 4, 2019 – Croatia Airlines has joined the anti-plastic movement with their latest announcement – they’re trading plastic cups for paper on board all of their flights!
Namely, Croatia Airlines announced that the new measure came into force on Monday, June 3, and that plastic cups are a thing of the past for this national air carrier.
“In line with current trends and legal requirements in the area of environmental protection, Croatia Airlines is discontinuing the use of plastic cups on all flights as of today. The use of paper cups will additionally raise the quality of our services, as well as promote a positive relationship towards the environment,” the airline announced on their Facebook page.
It’s not hard to see why the company decided to make the environmentally-friendly move. Ex Yu Aviation reports that plastic cups generate about 28% more greenhouse gasses than paper cups and take up to one million years to decompose. Thus, by switching to paper cups, Croatia Airlines will remove around 26 tons of plastic waste annually.
Furthermore, Croatia Airlines expects another stellar year ahead with an anticipated 5 percent growth in passenger traffic. Last year, 2.17 million passengers were transported by the airline.
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.
To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.
