Zagreb numbers continue to decline

Weaker February at Zagreb Airport

Zagreb Airport has seen a third consecutive month of declining passenger numbers. In February, Croatia’s busiest airport handled 117.725 passengers, a decrease of 6.6% compared to the same month last year when it welcomed 125.978 passengers through its doors. The number of flights operating to and from the airport significantly decreased, by 9.4%. However, Zagreb, like other airports in the former Yugoslavia wasn’t immune to the snowstorms and bad weather conditions. Many domestic flights were cancelled in February due to the closure of the country’s coastal airports. Furthermore, other carriers such as Turkish Airlines were also forced to cancel flights due to snow in Istanbul.

Last year, Zagreb Airport handled a record number of passengers. However, figures started to decline in December 2011. In the first two months of 2012, the airport welcomed 5.9% less passengers then the same period last year. Other airports in the country also experienced a decline in traffic, details which will be published at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, Croatia Airlines also saw a setback this week. It has been revealed that one of the airline’s Dash 8 jets was dropped while being lifted during maintenance. Consequently, the aircraft has been damaged as it sustained a puncture on the fuselage. It occurred during the March 8 industrial action at the airline which saw mechanics walk off the job as well.