Croatia Airlines will begin returning its DHC 8-400 aircraft to lessors early next year, officially retiring this type from its fleet, as it was confirmed for AvioRadar. The first two of six aircraft are set to leave Zagreb in the first part of 2025, as the airline moves forward with fleet renewal, introducing new Airbus A220s.
We reviewed European operators currently flying various versions of the DHC 8 series in civil service. Data from the Airfleets.net database reflects the status as of early November 2024. Aircraft listed as “stored”—those not flown for at least 20 days—were not included.
The Norwegian airline group Wideroe, Norway’s oldest, leads with the largest active Dash fleet. They operate 22 of the 8-100 model, ideal for routes to Norway’s smaller airports, three 8-200s, three 8-300s, and 16 8-400s. Given its national and geographic significance, Wideroe plays a vital role in connecting remote coastal and rural Norwegian areas, for which the Dash series is particularly well-suited.
The Luxembourg national carrier, Luxair, operates 11 DHC 8-400 aircraft, making it the second-largest operator of the DHC 8 in Europe. This past summer, Luxair seasonally connected Luxembourg with Dubrovnik, Zadar, and Brač using this aircraft.
SkyAlps, an Italian airline based in Bolzano, operates a fleet of eight DHC 8-400s. Three of these are owned by the airline, with an order for four more, while five are leased from the private carrier LuxWing. In summer 2024, SkyAlps linked Verona to Zadar and Brač, as well as Bolzano to Brač, and also ran charter flights between Brač, Košice, and Bratislava.
Portugal’s regional airline, SATA Air Açores, operates five DHC 8-400s and two smaller-capacity DHC 8-200s. These aircraft play an essential role in connecting the Azores islands, performing frequent, relatively short flights.
Icelandair owns three DHC 8-200s and three DHC 8-400s, used for regional flights within Iceland and routes between Iceland and Greenland.
Air Greenland operates a fleet of eight DHC 8-200s, used to connect various Greenlandic airports and link Greenland with Iceland. Additionally, Universal Air flies three DHC 8-400s, Avanti Air operates two, and Olympic Air has one DHC 8-100.
As a historical note, the DHC 8-400 joined the Croatia Airlines fleet in 2008, with aircraft 9A-CQA (“Slavonija”) and 9A-CQB (“Lika”) replacing the ATR 42s previously used. In 2009, aircraft 9A-CQC (“Istra”) and 9A-CQD (“Dalmatia”) were added, followed by 9A-CQE (“Zagorje”) and 9A-CQF (“Primorje”) in 2010, both of which arrived in the then-new NextGen design.
