by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 6:30 AM ET, Fri February 16, 2018
Thomas Cook is already gearing up for summer.
The company announced it will increase flight capacity for the upcoming season by 10 percent, adding more than 70 new routes, including now flying to Rijeka and Zadar on Croatia's Adriatic coast from Germany.
The move comes on the heels of Thomas Cook's acquisition of Air Berlin assets and the launch of its new Palma-based airline, Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics.
The two new platforms will support the addition of 10 aircraft for Thomas Cook Group Airlines, according to a statement on the company website.
German aviation authorities recently granted an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) for Air Berlin Aviation GmbH, the company Thomas Cook acquired at the start of January. The new AOC will allow Thomas Cook's German airline, Condor, to fly six additional aircraft from that country. The company intends to increase short- and medium-haul flights offered by Condor.
Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics will additionally operate five aircraft based on demand.
Thomas Cook Airlines UK meanwhile, will operate one additional aircraft for Summer 2018, focusing its growth on short- and medium-haul destinations.
In addition to the new routes from Germany to Croatia's Rijeka and Zadar, and new flights to Dubrovnik from the UK, the company is planning a further expansion of its U.S. program. There are plans for flights from Manchester, England to Seattle, Washington and also from Frankfurt, Germany to Phoenix, Arizona.
One last silver lining tied to the new flights is that they will lead to the creation of more than 500 new jobs across flight operations in the UK, Germany, and Palma, the company said.
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