Croatia Deports 36 Egyptian Nationals on Special Flight to Cairo

A special deportation flight left Zagreb for Cairo this week, carrying 36 Egyptian nationals who were staying in Croatia illegally. The Ministry of the Interior (MUP) confirmed the operation, noting that some of those deported were also subject to criminal proceedings related to human smuggling.

The flight was escorted by Croatian police officers, officials from the European border agency Frontex, and an Arabic language interpreter. The total cost of the special flight was 77,350 euros, funded through the European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF).

MUP explained that a special flight was chosen because it is cheaper and enables a faster return of a larger number of people. When deportations use regular passenger flights, security rules often require two or three police officers per person. Returning all 36 individuals that way would have cost around 144,000 euros, almost double the special flight price.

Croatian police said this method allows faster returns, lowers overall costs, and makes more efficient use of officers. The Police Directorate plans to organise similar special flights in the future, especially when a larger number of citizens from the same country need to be returned. Such flights will be arranged when they are assessed as cheaper and simpler than individual deportations.

MUP emphasised that all procedures are carried out in full respect of legal and security rules. According to MUP data, Croatia has returned 6,885 people through official return and transfer procedures this year. Under the Dublin procedure, which determines the EU country responsible for examining an asylum application, Croatia has officially accepted 1,005 migrants.