Croatia Airlines (OU, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman) CEO, Krešimir Kučko, says his airline is planning to offer long haul international flights at some point in the future, though their launch contingent on the successful completion of the airline's ongoing restructuring programme.
“There are new challenges out there and there is potential for commercial cooperation. It is important that an airline considers the other side of the equation too and continues to innovate and find new revenue streams," he was quoted by EX-YU Aviation News as saying. "A sustainable future won’t happen if you concentrate on cost reduction alone. The dream is to one day add long haul flights to our network. That’s a long way off at the moment but it’s good to have something to aim for and we are building our airline to make it possible."
The Croat national carrier is set to complete its five-year long restructuring programme next year. Thus far, the programme has seen reductions in the carrier's workforce and route network leading to it generating its first profitable financial year in several years.
Zagreb is leveraging a leaned-down, more financially buoyant Croatia Airlines as means of luring in strategic investors capable of developing the carrier into a regional force akin to Etihad Airways (EY, Abu Dhabi International) which acquired a 49% stake in Jat Airways (Belgrade Nikola Tesla) last year resulting in the creation of Air Serbia (JU, Belgrade Nikola Tesla). On the back of very strong growth, the Serbian national carrier is now on track to operate its first long haul flights to the United States in late 2015/early 2016.
