The privatization of Croatia Airlines (OU, Zagreb Franjo Tuđman) has attracted interest from Korean Air (KE, Seoul Incheon) as well as EVA Air (BR, Taipei Taoyuan) EX-YU Aviation News has reported. Quoting the local Večernji list newspaper, the blog states the two carriers have expressed a keen interest in acquiring a stake in the Croatian national carrier which government is once more attempting to privatize.
With the focus on Asian investors, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanović held talks with executives from JAL - Japan Airlines (JL, Tokyo Haneda) in Tokyo earlier this year wherein he pitched Croatia Airlines as a possible investment opportunity.
Zagreb has been working hand in hand with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in attempting to find a suitable strategic partner for the carrier. While Garuda Indonesia (GA, Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta) and Hainan Airlines (HU, Haikou) have in the past expressed an interest in the airline, neither eventually committed to anything.
Last year, Croatian Minister for Sea, Transport and Infrastructure, Siniša Hajdaš Dončić, said that while government would not allow the airline to be sold to a predatory international carrier, it may, if conditions are right, be willing to dispose of a 49% stake while enacting legislation to expedite the sale.
