New Croatia Airlines A220 diverted three times in one day

ZAGREB, Croatia - You'd think a jet that's barely two weeks old would be in pristine condition, ready to fly circles around anything else in the fleet. Not quite, apparently. Croatia Airlines' newest Airbus A220-300 turned around three times in one day last week, never quite making it to where it was supposed to go.

Three Strikes in One Day

The aircraft, registered 9A-CAU, had been in Croatia Airlines' fleet for just eleven days when things went sideways on Thursday, July 31. The trouble started on a morning departure from Split to Dublin; shortly after takeoff, the crew diverted to Zagreb. Not ideal, but diversions happen. What's more unusual is what came next. The airline tried again, loading passengers back onto the same jet for a second attempt at reaching Dublin. That lasted all of ten minutes in the air before the A220 turned back to Zagreb once more. At that point, Croatia Airlines swapped in a different aircraft and finally got passengers to Ireland. But the drama wasn't over for 9A-CAU. Later that same day, the jet was pressed into service on a Zagreb to Brussels route. Twenty minutes after takeoff, it was heading back to Zagreb yet again.

Two Days on the Ground, Then Back in Service

Passengers on all three services were told that the aircraft had experienced a minor technical problem, according to Reuters. The airline pulled the jet from the schedule for the rest of Thursday and all day Friday. The aircraft remained out of service for the rest of the day and throughout Friday, then returned to operation on Saturday and has since completed a number of flights without incident, Reuters reported. Croatia Airlines hasn't disclosed what the technical issue actually was, and it's not clear whether the three diversions stemmed from the same recurring fault or separate gremlins. What is clear: a brand new airplane managed to fail three separate departure attempts in the span of about twelve hours.

What Happened to That New-Jet Smell?

New aircraft are supposed to be the most reliable jets in the fleet. They come with fresh warranties, the latest avionics, and theoretically none of the wear-and-tear that plagues older airframes. So when a jet this young has a day like this, it raises eyebrows. It's possible the crew and maintenance teams were being extremely conservative, turning back at the first hint of trouble rather than continuing with a borderline indication. That's the right call from a safety standpoint, but it's also a sign that something wasn't quite right. Modern jets have layers of redundancy; healthy airplanes don't trigger precautionary returns three times in one day. The A220 program has faced scrutiny over engine-related availability issues at some carriers, though there's no confirmation that engines were involved here. Whatever the cause, Croatia Airlines clearly needed two full days to sort it out before trusting the jet with passengers again.

Should You Worry if You're Flying Croatia Airlines?

Probably not. One aircraft having a bad day doesn't mean the whole fleet is suspect, and the fact that the airline pulled the jet from service immediately shows they weren't taking chances. The A220 returned to flying on Saturday without further incident, suggesting the problem was identified and fixed. If you're booked on Croatia Airlines and end up on an A220, you're statistically far more likely to have a perfectly routine flight than a diversion. That said, this kind of episode is a good reminder to build buffer time into tight connections, especially on routes where the airline has limited backup aircraft. Split to Dublin isn't exactly a high-frequency corridor; if your jet turns back twice, you might be waiting a while for a replacement. For travelers heading to Dublin and looking at backup options, accommodation is relatively affordable this fall. Current rates for early September run from $91 to $211 per night, with decent mid-range hotels like The Plaza Hotel averaging around $157, according to current Google Hotels data. The Dean Docklands, a solid four-star property, goes for $211, while budget-conscious travelers can find hostel beds at Gogarty's Temple Bar for $99. The bigger question is whether this signals teething troubles with Croatia Airlines' fleet renewal. If 9A-CAU keeps having issues, or if other A220s in the fleet start acting up, that's a different story. For now, it looks like one bad day for one very young airplane.