Dubrovnik Airport readies for major expansion


Dubrovnik Airport has this week secured finances for the second phase of its major development project, which will include apron expansion, the overhaul of its runway and taxiways, as well as the relocation of the fuel farm and enclosed facilities for maintenance, operations and ground equipment. Initially, work will begin on the construction of a multi-story parking, the addition of new air bridges and the installation of a new baggage handling system. It comes a month after Dubrovnik Airport opened its new Terminal C building, which will now be integrated into a single functioning unit with Terminal B. Dubbed as the Dubrovnik Airport 2020 reconstruction and development project, phase two is valued at 115.2 million euros. It will enable the airport to compete with others in the region, in terms of service levels, employment and growth in both inbound and outbound passenger traffic. The expansion will enhance the airport's handling capacity to some 3.98 million passengers per year by 2032.

The project, which is scheduled for completion in three years time, also includes the overhaul and lengthening of the runway, with work to begin during the 2017/18 winter season. Other airside improvements will include taxiway reconstruction and expansion (scheduled for 2018), construction of two new rapid exit taxiways, expansion of the western apron, new aprons for both commercial and general aviation, as well as the development of aircraft maintenance and operation facilities, including hangars. Furthermore, an underground fuel piping system, two internal gas stations, the installation of a solar power systems and the reconstruction of facades and a substation to attain energy-efficiency are also planned by 2020. The project is being financed mainly through European Union structural funds and local bank loans.

Dubrovnik Airport registered its busiest year on record in 2016 by handling 1.993.243 passengers, an increase of 17.7% compared to the year before. During the first quarter of 2017, the airport welcomed 75.976 travellers through its doors, a decrease of 5%. The decline was down to weaker results recorded during March. However, the airport anticipates a busy year with a number of airlines to launch new services to Dubrovnik this summer season. They include Eurowings, Jet2.com, Monarch Airlines, easyJet, Flybe, Volotea and Thomson Airways. The Croatian Prime Minister, Andrej Plenković, said Dubrovnik Airport will handle over two million passengers this year. "This airport is constantly developing and offering new services. A lot was achieved during the first phase of the project and now these 115 million euros for the second phase, which have been secured, are extremely important for Dubrovnik", Mr Plenković noted.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    Congrats Dubrovnik. Well planned and executed expansion.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:06

    So Plenkovic also started making comments about aviation? Hmm...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:07

    They always seem to be a few steps ahead of ZAG. First to get air bridges, first to get new terminal a couple of years ago, first to expand that terminal...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      And all of that without a concession...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:15

      They will also be the first with covered multi level parking and with an underground fuel pit. Zagreb was supposed to have one but the French cut that from the original project.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:17

      They are truly a national trendsetter in many different ways, not only in terms of aviation. Congratulations Dubrovnik!


      p.s. I have a feeling they will be the first to get flights to the U.S.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:20

      Me too. Next summer for sure.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:22

      I really wonder how many passengers they would have today if Dubrovnik Airline didn't go bankrupt. I am sure they would have been around 2.5 million. Such a shame!

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:29

      Perhaps a chance for some LCC to open a base in DBV.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:32

      it would have been really difficult for Dubrovnik Airlines to compete against all the LCCs and leisure airlines flying to Dubrovnik today.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:34

      Well, they have been competing quite efficiently until they got the A320s. I am sure they could have done just fine, just like Trade Air is surviving today.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:18

    Nice work DBV. Without doubt one of the best managed airports in ex-Yu.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:20

    Has anyone used the new terminal at Dubrovnik? Thoughts?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:34

      Efficient and modern. Check-in is a bit sterile and could use a few plants. When it's busy I assume this won't be noticeable. Departures are nice. Overall a very modern airport.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:59

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:21

    Is it possible that only Easter affected March numbers or is there something else?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:26

      Maybe to a small extent. I mean ZAD recorded phenomenal growth despite Easter being in April this year. No excuses.

      Also, didn't DBV host some major Mercedes event or something last year?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:29

      It did but that was either in January or February last year and this year they had a Nissan event. So it would be interesting to see why Dubrovnik, Split and Zagreb all declined in March. Dubrovnik's was by far the biggest. I think around 17%.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:33

      Yeah... that's why I immediately thought of the event because I can't see why there would be such decline. Another option is that with Turkey stabilizing maybe a part of winter tourism went there.

      Russians and Israelis are returning to Turkey this year, I am sure others will follow.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:42

      Could be. What's also interesting is that this year DBV had Turkish Airlines flights to Istanbul and Croatia Airlines flights to Frankfurt all winter. But I heard that the TK flights did really poorly this winter and that it is unlikely they will keep them next winter season.

      Delete
    5. Nemjee10:58

      Didn't the visa regime kill Turkish tourism into Dubrovnik? I remember the numbers plummeted after Croatia joined the EU.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:01

      I don't think Turks were the target customers for those flights.

      Delete
    7. Nemjee11:03

      I wouldn't be surprised if they were, especially since we all remember how many used to visit DBV.
      I am sure TK hoped they could fill their flights with a combination of both O&D and transfers.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:10

      Winter tourism in March?
      Easter was March 25th-28th last year. So inbound traffic started on March 18th, 2016.
      2017 is for sure another picture with very late Easter (April 14th-17th).
      So please analyze the traffic data March-April together Y2Y to eliminate the seasonal effects.
      Is this so difficult to understand or are these comments every day just childish and provocative?

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:23

      Why would someone find it provocative? We are discussing airport numbers not national identity.

      Delete
    10. Nemjee11:44

      Well, summer timetable starts on 27.03 so we can consider March as winter tourism. It's quite big in many countries around the world, especially as far as the Nordic market goes.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous12:19

      SUTT starts always on the last Sunday in March, whenever Easter is...
      Nemjee, tell us the traffic stats of Greece Islands in March please comparing to 2016.
      Is winter tourism in Greece/Cypria lower in 2017?

      Delete
    12. Nemjee12:35

      Well, both Cyprus and Greece will see a boom in Russian tourists. They are already reporting a 400% increase in early bookings.

      As we speak there are five aircraft in the air flying between Cyprus and Russia with Rossiya's B744 currently on the ground in LCA. Another three will arrive later on in the afternoon. Norwegian has three flights today, all from the Nordic region and so on.

      Overall I think April will be really strong. Cyprus has been investing a lot of money in promoting itself as a year-round destination and so far it seems like they succeeded in it.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous12:39

      Is Russia's economic condition improved so much that they started traveling abroad again in such massive numbers?

      Delete
    14. Nemjee12:45

      Russians are back in Turkey, that's for sure.
      In February, the number of Russian tourists in Turkey increased by 95% while in March their numbers in Antalya grew by 816%.

      Spain, Greece and Cyprus were extremely popular last year and it seems the trend will continue this year as well.

      Given the drop of bookings from Germany and the Netherlands to Turkey, it will be interesting to see where these guys will end up going. My guess is Spain.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous12:49

      Russians are also coming back to Pula, it was always popular with them.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous12:51

      Isn't some Russian aitline sending B777 this summer to Pula?

      Delete
    17. Anonymous12:54

      Yes, VIM Airlines. This is nothing new. Transaero's B744 was a regular visitor here.

      Delete
    18. Anonymous19:32

      Nemjee, I asked you for March figures of Cyprus/Greece.
      I thought you are a professional in aviation business - or not after all?

      Delete
    19. Nemjee20:53

      Haha well, you can always use Google if my replies are not up to your standards.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous10:49

    3.98 million by 2032 seems too little. I think they will be handling much more passenger by then.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:49

      *passengers, sorry

      Delete
  9. Nemjee10:56

    OT

    BEG-DOH on QR's 320 is overbooked today. Nice to see them reach this stage after carrying 30 passengers per flight just two years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:06

      Yesterday OS735 VIE-BEG DH8 overbooked by 6, 250€, hotel and flight with ASL was offered

      Delete
    2. Nemjee11:41

      I am really wondering where is all this demand coming from.
      A friend of mine came from CPH on the A320 yesterday and he said it was full to the last seat.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:42

      Week before Easter? People have started travelling. In some countries school holidays have begun.

      Delete
    4. Nemjee11:47

      Thanks. I assumed it was still a bit too early for Easter passengers.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:50

      If I was on that overbooked flight, would sue their incompetent asses for big buck.
      my day in ME is much experiencer than lousy 250 EUR

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:59

      I think they will get €600 compensation for denied boarding.

      Delete
    7. On april 5th, I flew BNX-BEG on Boeing 737 YU-AND...aircraft in very very good condition and confortable. Enjoyed a lot although a very short flight. Onboard were 15 pax. Hope it's not like that all the time. Sector BEG-BNX was couple of days before on ATR and it was almost complitely full.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous12:14

      There we go again with our favourite "OT"s related to BEG. Epic.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:24

      Well, they stimulate the most discussion so what's the problem Anon 12.14?

      Unknown, average LF on BEG-BNX in winter is close to 60%, summer close to 100%.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous15:39

      The article is related to DBV and not BEG.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous16:25

      Deal with it.

      Delete
    12. Danas sam bio na aerodromu Nikola Tesla, bas u periodu chek ina putnika za DOhu, Dubai, Njujork, Minhen, Abu Dhabi, i mogu vam reci da sam jako prijatno iznenadjen. Aerodrom je bio krcat... jako puno Arapa, Azijata i ljudi sa dalekog istoka... tako da me ovo ne cudi. PS: a tek koliko Turskih turista svakodnevno stize u Beograd....

      Delete
    13. Anonymous22:19

      Hhahah BEG again :) as if the rest of ex-YU are not receiving foreigners worldwide. Please, burst the bubble you´re living in.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous23:12

      You are more than welcome to share with us some other examples. It's better to share that than spread your hate and intolerance towards BEG :)

      Delete
  10. Anonymous11:02

    Amazing how Dubrovnik Airport has developed over the last ten years. Well done.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:08

    The new baggage handling system which is mentioned in the article will include the reconstruction of Terminal A which was shut down in February after Terminal C opened. It will become a baggage sorting facility.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous11:21

    Admin, do you have some more info about the runway extension and plans for the new runway/taxiway system + new aprons?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:39

      True. Some of the important information is not very detailed. New runway length, handling capabilities e.g. of new aprons and position of new high speed turnoffs would be interesting. Maybe also the new airport diagram, if possible. Perhaps the admin could add these infos should they be available.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:09

      New rwy lenght? 3,300m not enough?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:48

      Safetywise it is still advisable -
      Particularly considering the airports exposed and dangerous location.
      Yesterday OS731 vie dbv went around twice and landed safely but bumpily on the third attempt. Friend of mine was onboard saying it appeared either very gusty or thermally very rocky during final vertically with feeling constantly quite some G force up and down. Many people were sick when they finally touched down. Cpt announced third will be last try otherwise they'd fly to SPU.
      There needs to be room for landings in bad conditions.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:54

      Your friend is a LIAR. OS731 on April 7 went go around once. Reason is that Cpt. was waiting to establish ILS on Rwy that has no ILS....RWY30! There were no "bad conditions" at the time. There is report of event in Crocontrol. So tell your friend not to exaggerate and to avoid flying. Flight is visible on FR24 playback https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/os731/#cfb8788 .
      Furthermore ...3300m rwy is more then enough lenght. You land or not!

      Delete
  13. Anonymous11:21

    Will there be JAL charters to Dubrovnik this year again?

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:35

    Well done Dubrovnik. Nice to read positive news from the region :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous11:36

    Impressive

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous12:13

    DBV can soon be the next Norwegian long haul destination. Maybe DBV-NYC or LAX/SFO?

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous16:25

    Since I live in Dubrovnik, I can say the city is packed with Koreans all year round, don't understand why there are no charter flights from South Korea to Dubrovnik?

    ReplyDelete
  18. Dubrovnik is such an amazing success story. At every level. A city with a population of 40,000 having 2 miilion air traffic passengers and a million tourists last year. They are also pushing the film production industry, which all started with Game of Thrones. Well done!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous06:28

      GOT, Star Wars, this year Robin Hood..
      The mayor also mentioned James Bond as a possibility

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:49

      Dubrovnik (and Istra) have always been a few steps ahead of the rest of the country so it's not surprising.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous08:39

      and Zagorje!

      Delete

Post a Comment

EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. A full list of comment guidelines can be found here. Thank you for your cooperation.