Croatia Airlines dd : is the first airline in the world to receive a White Flag for its contribution to the protection and conservation of purity of water areas

Zagreb, November 12, 2015

At a ceremony organized at Zagreb International Airport, Croatia Airlines received the internationally-recognized White Flag award given out by the Global Underwater Awareness Association (GUWAA). The Croatian national carrier and Star Alliance member is the first airline in the world to win an award for the preservation of purity of water areas and long-time environmental awareness in all business segments.

White Flag is a symbol of environmentally-clean water areas - the seas, rivers and lakes, and is awarded to companies and organizations that have made an extraordinary commitment to their protection and conservation and contributed to the raising of awareness on the global problem of seabed pollution. The criteria for the White Flag award include: implementation of the most appropriate ecological methods of cleaning underwater areas, organization of resources for recycling and proper management of collected waste, sharing experiences with other environmental organizations, education and raising public awareness, and continuous maintenance of water areas.

Croatia Airlines received the White Flag award for cleaning the seabed in the Žaborić Beach area near Šibenik, which was cleaned this summer by professional divers from the GUWAA. At the same time, Croatia Airlines aircraft began running a White Flag promotional film in order to spread public awareness of this praiseworthy project.

At the awards ceremony, the attendants were addressed by Kresimir Kučko, CEO and President of the Management Board of Croatia Airlines, and Doris Pinčić Rogoznica, Ambassador of the Global Underwater Awareness Association (GUWAA), the organization which launched the White flag project together with the Prince Albert II Foundation.

- I am pleased that we support and promote this environmental project. For 25 years, Croatia Airlines has been continuously investing in the protection and preservation of the ecosystem by promoting environmentally-friendly activities, as well as with the introduction of many technical and technological improvements in its business operations. I am happy that we have contributed to the preservation of our natural beauties for future generations and therefore, I am especially proud that, today, we are a holder of the White Flag award, said Krešimir Kučko, CEO and President of the Management Board of Croatia Airlines.

In addition to showing promotional films on our aircraft to advocate for the protection of Croatia's natural beauties, our company continuously raises the bar in terms of environmentally-sound operations. Even before Croatia's accession to the European Union, Croatia Airlines was obliged to participate in the monitoring and reporting of CO2 emissions, and because of the excellence of its independently-developed system, the company has become a model for others in the European Union.