CROATIA AIRLINES TO ESTABLISH FLIGHT ROUTES TO U.S.A.

ZAGREB June 11 (Hina) - The domestic airline Croatia Airlines (CTN) is planning to establish direct flight routes between Croatia and the United States as of August 1996, in co-operation with the American Delta Airlines, said CTN Director Matija Katicic. It is expected that flight routes to Australia and New Zealand will be established in 1997, and to Far East by the year 2000. Croatia Airlines and Delta Airlines will sign the contract on "code sharing" for flights to the United States and Canada by the end of June. According to the arrangement, CTN would transport passengers to a designated destination in Europe where they would transfer to a Delta airlines plane and continue the flight, but under the sign and tariffs of Croatia Airlines. Also in progress are negotiations with the Australian airline Quantas and the Air New Zealand about the same type of arrangement for overseas flights to those countries, Katicic added. Many European airlines are establishing similar cooperation with overseas partners. The German Lufthansa, for example, is co- operating with the American United Airlines, the Dutch KLM with Northwest, and Swissair with Delta Airlines. (hina) nv rm 111614 MET jun 96