With the end of the winter flight schedule in late March 2026, operations on domestic PSO routes previously maintained by Trade Air have been suspended. The reason lies in the expiration of the existing contract, while a new tender for the upcoming period has not yet been issued, leaving operations currently on hold.
These routes had, throughout the year, connected Osijek with Zagreb, Pula, Split, Rijeka and Dubrovnik, alongside an additional seasonal service to Zadar during the summer schedule. They played a crucial role in maintaining connectivity, particularly for eastern Croatia, as well as for smaller coastal airports during the winter months.
With their suspension, Osijek Airport has been left with almost no regular traffic. At present, operations are reduced to a very limited number of flights, representing a significant decline compared to the previous period and further underlining the importance of the PSO model for the functioning of such airports.
Additionally, the aircraft used on these routes, a turboprop Saab 340A(QC) registered YL-RAL and owned by the Latvian company RAF-Avia, was returned to its owner on March 31, operating a flight from Osijek to Riga. This effectively concludes the operational segment of these routes for the time being.
Ticket sales for future flights have been suspended, while Trade Air has indicated that more information regarding a potential resumption of operations could be available by mid-April. Until then, further developments will depend on the launch of a new tender and the definition of the future PSO programme framework.
