_________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Trade
Air
Across the aviation industry, growth is a balancing act. Airlines juggle rising fuel costs, global disruptions, supply chain headaches, and shifting passenger demand, all while trying to secure enough capacity for the next busy season. In today’ s market, buying an aircraft isn’ t the hard part. Making sure it has work lined up is. Timing really is everything.
Few leaders understand this better than Marko Cvijin. As Managing Director of Croatian carrier Trade Air, he has spent the last several years guiding the company through one of aviation’ s most unpredictable eras. While some parts of the market shrank, Trade Air increased its Airbus A320 fleet, entered new markets, and boosted its ACMI and charter business. Still, Marko stays cautious about growing just for the sake of it.
“ As a small company, we can’ t just buy an aircraft, and hope business follows. We must put it to work right away. The worst thing is investing heavily in extra aircraft only to find there’ s no work for them. That puts huge pressure on your finances, and if you run out of money, it’ s game over. I take a conservative approach. I’ d rather hold back than make a costly mistake,” Marko explains.
That caution has not stopped Trade Air from growing. It has just changed how growth happens. Founded in 1994 and based in Velika Gorica, Trade Air has grown from a regional charter operator into a partner for airlines, tour operators, and aviation companies across Europe and beyond. Today, Trade Air blends ACMI services, passenger charters, cargo flights, dangerous goods transport and scheduled domestic routes under Croatia’ s Public Service Obligation program.
Many operators feel forced to choose between specialization and scale, but Trade
As a small company, we can’ t just buy an aircraft, and hope business follows
Air takes a different path. The company’ s real strength is keeping multiple business options open and staying nimble as market conditions shift.
The strategy proved especially valuable during the pandemic recovery. With uncertainty everywhere, the recovery became a turning point for Trade Air.“ We slowly increased our fleet. In 2020, we had only two Airbuses, and now, five to six years later, we have five. We seized the opportunity when lessors and aircraft owners wanted to get rid of their planes on favorable terms. So, we acquired some units at favorable costs with favorable financing.”
Acquiring those extra planes changed everything for a company of Trade Air’ s size. The larger fleet helped the airline pursue new business, better support current customers, and strengthen its ACMI services at a time when airlines everywhere were scrambling for planes.
The expansion wasn’ t opportunistic. It was calculated. He didn’ t jump in just because aircraft were available. He made the move because the numbers made sense. At Trade Air, expansion starts with demand, not with adding planes. When Slovenia’ s national carrier, Adria Airways, collapsed, the team saw an opening. Demand didn’ t go away; customers still needed capacity, and Trade Air quickly set up a base in Ljubljana.“ We seized the opportunity, talked to their clients, and placed our aircraft there to take over the charter market,” Marko recalls.
That base is now a key part of Trade Air’ s network, linking Slovenia with Greece, Turkey, and Egypt. More importantly, it shows how Trade Air grows: by identifying a market gap, understanding demand, and committing resources only when the business case is clear.
The same principle applies closer to
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