Croatia Airlines will take delivery of an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia jet soon which is to be exclusively used on services from Osijek to Zagreb and Split. The thirty seat turboprop commuter aircraft will be taken on lease from Budapest Air Services. The aircraft features a 2+1 seat configuration and has low operating costs. The lease of the aircraft was first announced in August when Osijek Airport held talks with Croatia Airlines for flights to operate between Osijek, Zagreb and Split over the coming winter season.

The new service will give a boost to Osijek Airport which is deserted during the winter months. The flights from Osijek to Zagreb and Split are set to begin on October 29 and operate twice per week. Services are scheduled so as to connect on to the airline’s flights to Western Europe. A return ticket from Osijek to Zagreb will set passengers back approximately eighty euros. Flights will be bookable from October 1, only through the airline’s website. Up until now, Croatia Airlines has operated a seasonal service from Split to Osijek. On the 24 flights which were performed over the 2012 summer season, the national carrier welcomed 1.389 passengers on the route, with an average cabin load factor of 76%.

The addition of the Brasilia brings Croatia Airlines’ fleet number to a total of fourteen. The airline has a further four Airbus A319s on order, though their delivery has been delayed by the carrier until 2015. Consultancy firms have advised Croatia Airlines to downsize on its fleet in an attempt to save costs. They have suggested the airline should retire two Airbus A320s this winter.