Croatia Airlines, the national airline of Croatia, has announced extensive changes to its route network from Split Airport for the upcoming summer season. The airline is permanently discontinuing two seasonal routes: the routes from Split to Bucharest and Amsterdam will be removed from the flight schedule.
Both routes were launched in 2022, but apparently couldn’t withstand strong competition or fluctuating demand. While the airline flew to Bucharest unchallenged, it faced fierce price competition from KLM, Transavia, and EasyJet on the Amsterdam route. Industry experts interpret this move as a consolidation of operational resources to free up capacity for more profitable routes.
Despite the reductions, Croatia Airlines is experiencing significant growth in available seat capacity. Thanks to the increased deployment of its new Airbus A220 fleet, capacity from Split is rising by seven percent to a total of over 746.000 seats, even though the number of flight movements is decreasing by approximately three percent. A key component of the new strategy is the launch of a seasonal route from Split to Nantes, France, which will operate twice weekly starting May 5. This route puts Croatia Airlines in direct competition with the low-cost carrier Volotea. Additionally, the flight period for connections to Istanbul is being extended, while frequencies to Vienna and Berlin are being significantly reduced due to fleet changes.
Across its entire operations, the Croatian flag carrier is planning a record offering of 2,39 million seats for summer 2026, representing a nine percent increase compared to the previous year. This growth is primarily driven by its Zagreb hub, from where additional frequencies and extended operating hours are planned for seasonal routes. A total of 32 international destinations in Europe will be served directly. The modernization of the fleet with the Airbus A220 plays a key role in this, as this model offers greater efficiency and extended range. This move is the airline’s response to the growing tourism sector in Croatia and the competition from low-cost carriers at coastal destinations.
Financial analysts are critically monitoring Croatia Airlines’ performance, as the airline must defend its market share against the expansion of Ryanair and Eurowings in the Adriatic region. The strategic realignment towards more modern aircraft types and the optimization of the network from Zagreb are intended to secure long-term competitiveness. However, for passengers from German-speaking countries, the reduction in frequencies to Vienna and Berlin means less flexibility, while at the same time new transit options via the Zagreb hub are being created. The focus will increasingly be on markets with high purchasing power and stable booking figures throughout the summer season. The route cancellations were first reported by the portal Ex-Yu-Aviation.com.