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Carrier General Manager Jasmin Bajić and Director of its Commercial Division, Slaven Žabo, met with Albania's Ambassador to Croatia Riza Poda to discuss future service.
"The two sides agreed that talks between Croatian Airlines and the relevant authorities in Albania should begin immediately so that this important project can be realized as soon as possible," the Albanian Embassy in Zagreb said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Croatian Airlines confirmed that plans to expand its network and fleet in 2020, as well as increase capacity on some existing routes.
Croatian Airlines operated with flights between Zagreb and Tirana some decades ago, however, there have been no services between the two capitals over the last years. In 2016, Croatia Airlines announced plans to establish a base in Tirana, along with several other cities in the region, but the strategy has never been materialized. In 2017, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the country's newly established national airline, Air Albania, would launch operations to Croatia, though flights have not started yet after three years. Over the past years, an average of 24,000 Albanian passport holders have visited Croatia each year. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković will visit Tirana in May and will be accompanied by a large delegation of Croatian investors.
Croatian Airlines is seeking to establish a larger presence in the region following the bankruptcy of Adria Airways, which had a well-developed regional network, including nonstop flights from Tirana to Germany. Its bankruptcy has opened up opportunities in some markets where the Slovenian carrier had previously flown. In September last year, Croatia Airlines said it would be a "good thing to expand" after the Adria bankruptcy, but noted that it was too early to react at that point of the time.
Croatian Airlines and other operators have benefited from a greater number of Slovenian passengers using its services since Adria's closure. On January 13, Nomogo, Slovenia's largest travel provider, began twice-daily bus trips between Ljubljana and Zagreb Airport.