CROATIA AIRLINES FLIGHTS TEMPORARILY RESCHEDULED

ZAGREB, March 25 (Hina) - Croatia Airlines has temporarily changed its timetable due to the closure of air space over Croatia. Croatia Airlines flights for London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich and Berlin will be taking off of Maribor airport, Slovenia. Croatia's air space was closed at 6 pm on Wednesday due to a NATO operation against Yugoslavia. Passengers will be taken to Maribor by Croatia Airlines buses leaving from Zagreb airport. Passengers arriving in Maribor from the above-mentioned cities, will be transported to Zagreb by buses as well, representatives of Croatian Airlines told reporters on Thursday. Buses will also be used in transporting passengers travelling from Zagreb to the Adriatic coast. The opening of Croatia's air space will depend on a permission by NATO and Eurocontrol in Brussels. Croatia, its Flight Control Directorate and diplomats are doing all in their power to see that Zagreb is excluded from the no-fly zone. On Wednesday night it was announced that air space over Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Albania, as well as air space 40 miles from the border with Yugoslavia, including parts of Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, has been closed. Should air space over Croatia be closed on Friday as well, planes will fly from Maribor for Amsterdam and Frankfurt in the morning and in the afternoon for London and Frankfurt. As soon as air space over Croatia is opened, Croatia Airlines flights will resume according to the timetable. Croatia Airlines representatives also said the latest events would cause an increase in flight costs by 50 per cent. This will also have an effect on tourism, they said, adding it was too early to speak about possible damage claims to NATO, which had been done by some countries during the Iraqi crisis. The majority owner of Croatia Airlines - the Government - will adopt appropriate decisions depending on how the situation develops, the said. Croatia Airlines representatives also said there has been no considerable decrease of interest in flying with Croatia Airlines planes. Some 200 passengers have booked flights for different European destinations, they added. (hina) jn rml