Following the acknowledgment by Ivan Mišetić, the head of Croatia Airlines, that the national airline can only be saved from bankruptcy through a sale, experts believe that the most likely buyer is its long-time partner Lufthansa, which has managed the crisis better than any other major company. Unlike the Serbian JAT, CA has a much better chance of being sold as it is not such a bulky and oversized system that needs to be completely overhauled to become profitable.
– We tried not to disturb CA in the domestic market, which was already dominated by Lufthansa, as we knew that, given the state support, we would face problems. This year they also took our route from Milan to Split. The state has provided CA with guarantees for the purchase of aircraft, and someone needs to repay those loans – comments Mihajlo Cvijin, owner of the private Trade Air, which operates in other markets; one of his aircraft is currently in Libya. Dubrovnik Airlines is also seeking new markets for survival and will soon open a new company, Mont Air, in Macedonia. – CA is in a much better situation than JAT, which is organized like a ‘dinosaur’ from past times, but if it goes into privatization, new owners will certainly seek significant cuts. We are looking for new markets, we have projects on the horizon. The good news is that a market recovery of five to six percent is being felt – comments Zeno Singer, co-owner of Dubrovnik Airlines. (Ž. L.)
