Croatia Airlines has appointed AVIAREPS as its Cargo General Sales Agent (GSA) in the United Kingdom, covering sales, reservations, administration, account management and market development for UK-origin cargo moving to Croatia and the wider Balkan region via Zagreb.

Croatia Airlines is the national carrier of Croatia, headquartered in Zagreb and 97.66% state-owned, operating more than three decades of European scheduled services. For FY2025, Croatia Airlines carried 2,042,993 passengers, up 11%, with total revenues up 6% and positive EBITDA of €9 million, while absorbing €21.2 million in fleet transition costs as it replaces its entire fleet with Airbus A220 aircraft.

AVIAREPS is a Munich-headquartered global aviation and travel industry representation company operating in more than 70 countries, acting as GSA for airlines, tourism boards and hospitality brands, with an established UK cargo team covering freight forwarder and cargo agent relationships.

The structural driver for the UK logistics market is access to Zagreb as a cargo hub for Balkan distribution. Croatia Airlines' network through Zagreb provides UK freight forwarders with a viable routing option for high-value, time-sensitive shipments, aerospace components, pharmaceuticals, precision equipment, to Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia and wider Southeast European destinations where direct belly-hold capacity from UK airports is limited. 

AVIAREPS's appointment consolidates that routing option behind a dedicated UK sales and reservations function, giving forwarders a single point of contact for rate queries, booking, documentation and compliance rather than managing the airline directly from Zagreb.

For Croatia Airlines, the GSA model converts UK cargo market access from a fixed overhead cost into a variable commission structure, commercially rational during a period when €86 million in state recapitalisation is being directed toward fleet investment rather than market development infrastructure.

For the sector, the AVIAREPS appointment is a practical illustration of how mid-sized European carriers maintain commercially active cargo positions in secondary markets without the headcount and fixed cost of direct representation, a model that becomes increasingly relevant as cargo demand grows on underserved European regional trade lanes.

Source: aviareps.com / aircargoweek.com / croatiaweek.com / flightglobal.com