Croatia Airlines became the official carrier of the Croatian Football Federation
3rd September 2018, Zagreb
Today, a business collaboration agreement between Croatia Airlines and the Croatian Football Federation (CFF) was signed in Zagreb, with which the Croatian national carrier became the official carrier of CFF during the next two year period. The agreement is effective from 1st September this year, and was signed by Davor Šuker, President of the Croatian Football Federation, and Jasmin Bajić, President and CEO of Croatia Airlines.
– I’m very pleased that the Croatian national football team will from now on travel with Croatia Airlines. I believe it to be natural for the national team and the national airline company to collaborate in this way, and I believe that this is the beginning of a very successful and, I hope, long partnership. In a way, this collaboration started with an unforgettable flight from Moscow to Zagreb after the World Cup finals, and I also hope that there’ll be many big wins we’ll be celebrating aboard Croatia Airlines flights. Both organisations are committed to excellence and the promotion of Croatia, and I’m pleased that we’ve found a model of collaboration to the satisfaction of both parties – said Davor Šuker, President of the Croatian Football Federation.
– Croatia Airlines has been following Croatia’s Vatreni for years. Both in that famous year of 1998 and this year when our footballers achieved the greatest success in the history of Croatian football, we had the honour of flying our heroes back home aboard Croatia Airlines flights. Today’s signing of a business collaboration agreement is confirmation of a bond between the Croatian national carrier and the Croatian national football team. We’re exceptionally proud of the fact that we’ll support our national football team during upcoming European championships and world cups, and that we’ll partner them in promoting Croatia in the world – said Jasmin Bajić, President and CEO of Croatia Airlines.
It is worth recalling that the Croatian national football team returned to Croatia on 16th July aboard a special Croatia Airlines flight from Moscow to Zagreb after having won the silver medal at the FIFA World Cup in Russia. Given the brilliant success of the Croatian national football team, Croatia Airlines had an Airbus 319 aircraft specially decorated for the occasion with the inscription that read “Well done, Vatreni!” and a photograph of a football.
The tradition of flying the Croatian national football team home from major competitions began twenty years ago, in July 1998, when the then Croatian national football team flew home aboard a Croatia Airlines flight carrying the bronze medal that they won at the FIFA World Cup in France.