Croatia Airlines generated a loss of 114.9 million kuna (€15.1 million) in the first quarter of 2022, which is 19% more than in the same period of 2021, mostly due to the rise in fuel prices, the national flag carrier said a financial statement on Thursday.

Total revenue reached 213 million kuna (€28.1 million), increasing by 88% from Q1 2021, while expenditure rose by 56% to 328 million kuna (€43.3 million).

Compared with Q1 2021, the company flew 200,721 passengers, which is an increase of 178%. The number of flights rose by 113% and the number of passengers went up by 122% in domestic transport and by 214% in international transport. The passenger load factor increased by 6.6 percentage points to 51.4%.

Sales tripled compared with Q1 2021, and booking for May to October was 2.3 times the figures recorded last year, but still 54% below booking for the summer of 2019.

This summer, Croatia Airlines will connect Croatia with 22 European airports and will operate 41 international routes. The summer flight schedule will be expanded to include five more international routes from Split to Amsterdam, Bucharest, Dublin, Milan and Stockholm.

(€1 = 7.5 kuna)