The operation took place on 4 November and involved individuals who had been residing in Croatia without legal authorisation, including some who had faced criminal proceedings for people smuggling. The deportation was carried out under the escort of Croatian police officers, Frontex officials and an Arabic-language interpreter.
The flight was arranged with Egypt’s national airline and cost €77,350, with the expenses covered by the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). According to Croatia’s Ministry of the Interior, using a charter flight was both financially and operationally more efficient than returning the individuals separately on regular commercial services.
The ministry estimated that individual deportations of all 36 people would have cost approximately €144,000, as each person would typically require an escort of two to three police officers.
Croatia’s Police Directorate plans to organise further charter flights when larger groups of foreign nationals of the same nationality need to be returned and the arrangement is considered more cost-effective than individual removals. The ministry said all operations would continue to comply with legal requirements and security standards.
According to official figures, Croatia has returned 6,885 people to other countries through return and transfer procedures since the beginning of 2026. During the same period, it accepted 1,005 people under the Dublin Regulation, which determines which European country is responsible for examining an asylum application.
