Croatia Airlines’ Airbus A220 aircraft, the newest addition to the national carrier’s fleet, bring a new level of onboard connectivity – free Wi-Fi for all passengers, made possible through a partnership with Hrvatski Telekom. This is a temporary benefit available until the end of the year, after which access will be charged according to the standard price list, with a free 10-minute messaging option remaining available.
Free internet access is obtained through the Moj Telekom HR app and its Magenta Moments rewards program, regardless of the passenger’s mobile operator. After registering and completing their profile, users need to collect 500 “hearts” – the equivalent cost of a coupon for seven days of in-flight internet access. It is best to activate the coupon before boarding and make sure to save the code, as it cannot be retrieved in the air without internet access.
Once the aircraft reaches cruising altitude and the Wi-Fi availability sign lights up, passengers should select CroatiaAirlinesWiFi under available networks. The Croatia Airlines in-flight portal will open automatically; by clicking on “Internet is available,” passengers can choose their access option. Selecting the Sky Premium option and entering the code from the app connects them automatically – no credit card details required – and the connection remains active throughout the flight.
During our test, the connection proved stable and surprisingly fast for an in-flight network. We recorded download speeds of 11–12 Mbps with a ping of around 731 ms – typical for satellite-based systems. The server provider was Panasonic Avionics Corporation, one of the world’s leading suppliers of aircraft internet systems (used by Lufthansa, Emirates, Qatar Airways, United, and others). Although a ping above 700 milliseconds means noticeable signal delay, this is normal for geostationary satellites orbiting about 36,000 kilometers away.
Despite a cabin load of over 80%, the Wi-Fi allowed for messaging, social media browsing, and even light streaming such as Spotify or YouTube in 480p. Compared with similar systems, the A220’s internet performance places Croatia Airlines in the upper range of Panasonic’s offering – typically 10–15 Mbps per user with ping between 600–800 ms.
For comparison, Viasat systems (used by Delta, JetBlue, and SAS) offer 20–40 Mbps, while Inmarsat GX (used by parts of the Lufthansa, British Airways, and Qatar fleets) generally delivers 5–20 Mbps. The new Starlink Aviation, now entering the market, achieves significantly higher speeds (40–200 Mbps) and much lower latency (20–60 ms), though it is still available on a limited number of aircraft.
In addition to connectivity, the in-flight entertainment (IFE) system offers other engaging features: live flight tracking (distance, altitude, remaining time), promotional videos by Croatia Airlines and the Croatian National Tourist Board, digital issues of Croatia magazine, and, notably, destination exploration content. Passengers can read about destinations and tourist attractions, all stored locally on the aircraft and accessible without an internet connection. If we had to find a flaw — which is truly difficult in such a quantum leap in service compared to the old fleet — it might be the absence of a moving map option, that is, the ability to track the aircraft’s position on a map. Some airlines offer this feature, and it gives avgeek passengers a special kind of enjoyment.
Overall, with the A220, Croatia Airlines introduces a modern and genuinely useful enhancement to the passenger experience. The Wi-Fi is easy to activate, performance is solid, and integration with the rich IFE platform makes the flight both informative and pleasant – and, at least until the end of the year, completely free of charge.
