Split Airport's new terminal takes shape


The construction of Split Airport's new multi million euro terminal is progressing on schedule, with the facility expected to open to the public in July 2019. "By next January we expect to move to our new offices in the new building. This will be the last year of long queues and it will be a challenging summer season but we will do our best", the General Manager of Split Airport, Lukša Novak, said. He added, "There are over four million seats on sale this year to and from Split and, as a result, we will handle over three million passengers, which is why a new terminal is necessary. This is a complex investment taking place over an area of almost 80.000 square metres, with the terminal taking up 35.000 square metres. Upon completion in 2019, the entire terminal complex will spread over 48.000 square metres, which is comparable to our counterparts in Zagreb and Dubrovnik".


The new terminal building will feature thirty check-in desks, six gates, a new automated baggage sorting facility and five carousels, while the gallery will boast restaurants, an observation deck and the business class lounge. The main floor will be circular in shape with natural sunlight coming in from glass sections of the roof. The overhaul of the existing terminal building will commence once the new one is completed and opened. The old terminal will be joined with the new facility to form a single unit and will be used by non-schengen zone passengers. Furthermore, Split Airport plans to overhaul its runway, build a parallel taxiway and expand the apron in 2019, which should reduce congestion. A new car park and bus terminal, which have the capacity to accommodate 900 vehicles over an area of 35.500 square metres, have already been completed, while an enclosed pedestrian overbridge linking the area with the terminal building over the state road is under construction. The entire investment is estimated to be worth some 59.7 million euros.


As contraction of Split's new terminal progresses, the airport will turn its attention to easing seasonality, "First and foremost we need a better product as a city in order to be of interest to tourist past the summer season because we are competing against the likes of Marseille, Nice and Barcelona. We need attractions which are not only of interest to locals, but must be competitive with European metropolises because we need to measure up to them. This is not easy or cheap and it requires time, energy and vision. There are some good developments but we have to work on creating an appealing offer for tourists to come outside of the peak season and then we will have more aircraft arriving in the winter", Split Airport's General Manager said. He added, "Carriers say they don't want to fly to a destination where they register fantastic results between April and October, which then have to cover losses generated over the winter. They want certainty and that is why there are so many airlines in Split in summer and few in winter". However, Mr Novak noted that the peak travel season has been extended at the airport and now lasts longer than before. Split welcomed 117.493 travellers during the first quarter, up 33.2% on the same period last year.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Bravo Hrvatska!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:26

      Mislis bravo Dalmacija!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:40

      Mislim da si nezreo i nadam se da imaš manje od 13 godina.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Congratulations Split. This development was long overdue. Can't wait for the finished product next year.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:08

      They should have built a second terminal years ago.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:56

      To svi znamo. Tell me something new and surprise me.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:01

      Well it was supposed to be built years ago but was always delayed. Same happened with Zagreb terminal before the French finally came. The only airport that has always been on schedule and planning ahead is Dubrovnik.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:22

      DBV has a limitation in that Dubrovnik is a dead city. Split is much more vital and vibrant through the year.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    He is right.They should focus on year-round flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      Wasn't Ryanair offering year round flights to them but SPU rejected them?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:27

      They rejected them because FR wanted to be paid for the flights during winter and summer.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:35

      And so they should. It has enough organic traffic. There is no need to pay anyone to fly there.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:06

    Is SPU now officially open 24/7?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      It is!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:42

      JU should introduce night flights, departure from BEG at 00.30 and the flight back at 05.00.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous15:27

      Agreed!

      Delete
    4. Anonymous18:47

      Very few pax travel from BEG to SPU.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous20:42

      Yeah sure, that's why Air Serbia flies this route 6 times per week and Croatia Airlines 3 times per week.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous20:45

      Who's flying on this route? I don't recall many Serbs living in Split and surroundings?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous20:47

      People go there on holiday.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous21:08

      Is Adriatic nowadays a popular destination for Serbs to go to for holidays?

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:09

    What will be the total capacity of the two terminals?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      3.5 mil

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      What??? That's just crazy. They will be operating at overcapacity probably next year already!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:14

      Yes but if this terminal can easy handle 2 mil. then new can handle 5-6 without problem. Bigest issue is rnw.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:15

      Isn't there some project to build a completely new airport for Split and surrounding areas? SPU's expansion is limited geographically.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:17

      No, thats not necessary and its just rumor. With new taxiway SPU can easy handle 5-6 mil. and there is still enough space for 3. terminal in future

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:38

      And where is that rumored new airport supposed to be?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:42

      Somewhere in 'Dalmatinska Zagora' LOL

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:37

      Somewhere behind the mountains in the valley where the motorway is. A sup*k-area. Thank goodness that plan is as dead as the area there.

      The real limitations of SPU are/is not only the

      - insufficient terminal (space- and infrastructure-wise) but also the limit of being able to handle only a

      - relatively small number of aircraft operations per hour due to no parallel taxiways at all on both sides of the apron (it takes quite some time until a landed aircraft has turned around and has taxied back and finally reached the apron/left the runway; same for departures taxiing onto the runway midway, backtrack the runway onto the turnpad, turn around and line up and only then begin the departure roll), and furthermore it is also limited by

      - the small apron itself, which had already been enlarged few years ago, but was not enlarged enough as it is already getting too small again.

      - Finally, another limitation is the runway which cannot handle wide bodies at Max TOW as it is not long enough. Otherwise a natural solution would be to operate with a larger plane (wide body) instead of 2x daily.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:10

    They will have over 3 million passengers for sure. Anyone know why they had such strong growth during the first quarter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      some extra EW year round flights

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      That's it. Forgot about EW.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:19

      With a few more year round flights they will probably become no. 1 in Croatia, which is interesting and would be a well deserved achievement.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:35

      I think it will be future number one in all of ex-Yu. Not in the immediate future but it will happen. It already is the busiest in July/August.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:39

      Just in July, not August.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:49

      But this year, August will be busiest too ;)

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:08

      Doubt it.

      July:
      BEG: 630.107
      SPU: 641.371

      August:
      BEG: 657.056
      SPU: 593.709

      BEG will come close to 700.000 in both July and August so SPU will need to grow a lot despite capacity constraints.

      SPU should first on becoming Croatia's number one before taking aim at BEG. ;)

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:13

      For such a "small" city, SPU can be more than satisfied. Definitely the star of Ex-Yu airports, last year and this year!

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:16

      aha the BEG comparison again.....

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:22

      I wouldn't be too happy as SPU handles less passengers than Corfu which has 30.000 people living there.

      Split needs to attract more tourists that arrive by plane.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous10:32

      I agree but it won't be possible until a completely new airport is built.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous11:23

      Whats this Corfu comparison? CFU can be reached by air only from Europe, whereas many Austrians, Bavarians, Swiss, Italians Slovenians, Slovaks, Hungarians or Serbs etc. come by car, bus or ferry- but they ALL would fly to Corfu. Ever wondered why Serbians come to Croatia by car or bus, but would FLY to Corfu. Can someone find me any holiday offer from the mentioned states to Corfu by any other transport means than planes? Same goes for MLA, LCA or for that matter the UK- which has the largest plane traffic- because it is an island.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous11:50

      If you were making a valid argument then Wizz Air would have kept their Belgrade-Corfu flights.

      Many Serbs take the car or bus to Corfu. Once they reach the coast they board a ferry that takes them to the island. Anyway, in summer BEG doesn't have that many flights to Corfu. Like I said, most take the bus or car.

      If you don't like that number then take Girona which has almost 2 million passengers and is right next to Barcelona.

      Here are some other examples:

      Thessaloniki: 6.3 million
      Burgas: 2.9 million
      Varna: 1.9 million

      These are all tourist airports that can be reached both by air and land.

      Finally Dubrovnik is not really close for someone who lives in northern Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Spain ... yet the airport handles less than 3 million passengers. Seems like Croatia needs to work on its offer a bit more to attract better paying customers who would actually fly in in stead of taking their car/minivan/bus.

      Delete
    14. Anonymous14:30

      Corfu has RYANAIR, which is its largest operator. DBV and SPU should have them too. they would bring 2 million additional pax.

      Delete
    15. Anonymous15:20

      Not to mention that ZAG should have them too. Let's hope they keep on expanding in Zadar.

      Delete
    16. Anonymous16:30

      And, speaking of Zadar:

      March 2017 / 2018
      8.187 / 11.019
      +34,59%
      +2.832


      YTD 2017 / 2018
      10.725 / 15.071
      +40,52%
      +4.346

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:11

    Congrats, Split! Keep up the good work!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous09:18

    I am certain Split has potential to get seasonal TATL flights. Do they have any plans to attract flights from say US and Canada?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:21

      Novak said a few months ago they don't want long haul flights.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:21

      SPU does not need TATL flights. The runways is too short to depart a wide body full and the extension of the runway is limited in both directions.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:22

      There is a better chance of DBV getting them. I'm certain it will happen soon.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:22

      runway is too short, just 2.500 meters. Can not support wide-body.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:24

      Yep, few hundred metres more would be needed.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:29

      We need to focus on more flights with MUC, FRA, CDG, AMS and LGW. No need to bother with TATL flights.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous09:32

      They need to extend runway up to 3049 at least to accept widebodyes. And there is posibilty to do that on both sides of rwy

      Delete
    8. Anonymous10:14

      They can accept wide bodies, but those cannot depart with a full load due to runway restrictions.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous10:24

      A few years ago HiFly used to operate A330-200 to Split for Norwegian.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous10:30

      Yes but A330s operating within Europe are much lighter than those flying TATL service.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous16:22

      Totally agreed that on both side of the runway a few hundred metres are possible!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:24

    Any render how the new terminal will look like?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:31

      https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NsiflBrru3U/WkP30Gsd9GI/AAAAAAAAhlc/M6LumwIjyzAKOf7-CowjDywqFTgxeZasgCLcBGAs/s1600/9343931.jpg

      https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bQwjeLzxObc/WZ8iF-WnJRI/AAAAAAAAfeo/l2s1V6waZ5wqKB1YEmD5hs5L2gAye7JvwCLcBGAs/s1600/splitairport.jpg

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9nPXhWKKITE/WVVbxj7JAhI/AAAAAAAAen4/FHiNmXcSo64y0TAO9FNosmkmmobHWhayQCLcBGAs/s1600/splitariprot3.jpg

      https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--KqA6n6opCs/WVVfG3Cal9I/AAAAAAAAeoU/dk3TYyfr4pc-29Y1ZPgKIiy2mPzRhwBPQCLcBGAs/s1600/picture6.jpg

      https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5AMiyxQsWn4/WVV3gNGyNBI/AAAAAAAAeo4/TjXdbuAp6aMCRdhJOMU6y-Nk71B7oudFQCLcBGAs/s1600/picture7.jpg

      https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--BbB288zt4E/WVV3geuyiOI/AAAAAAAAeo8/x2FOZcKZOfktprpKM35Uec9yD62khU3cgCLcBGAs/s1600/picture8.jpg

      https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Q8tllOO2dN4/WE4-nHKCrEI/AAAAAAAAa2E/md4FUOJWQlgjh1urZCbAJjwTkmMQLJa8QCLcB/s1600/splitairport2.jpg

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:45

      Wow thanks! Looking beautiful!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:04

      Looks amazing, especially interior.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:37

    Brac is benefiting from Split congestion this summer. TUI is flying some routes to BWK because it can't get slots in Split.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      Are they coordinating already?

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:42

    The way the results are going they will need a new terminal again in a few years.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      haha I agree. This should have been completed several years ago. But better late then never.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:25

      One must hope that they planned an easy extension/enlargement of the new terminal facility once the need for that arrives (which will be 2020 the latest already).

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:48

    I still think SPU will not stand a chance vs DBV as DBV has much more potential, especially going long-haul. I am not saying SPU will not grow, but DBV really remains the best.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:03

      DBV is the best airport in Croatia in my opinion. But I think it will be difficult to overtake Split unless expansion limitations there give Dubrovnik a chance.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:04

      Don't think so. Split is serving a much bigger area. Long haul? Rekla kazala.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:55

      Well DBV CEO said they plan to get flights to US and South Korea.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:00

      Actually as per recent article here on ex-Yu he said that those two markets have the most potential but that flights are not on the horizon at the moment.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:49

      DBV-JFK would fit nicely with Norwegian.
      Or Jinair to triangle route SEL-ZAG-DBV

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:27

      Depends also if central and southern dalmatia will wake up economically, not just tourism related. Once dalmatia booms (or at least wakes up) in a general business sense, Split will for sure benefit a lot more than DBV ever could.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:48

    It will be one tough summer at SPU this year with so much traffic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:54

      If they managed with overcapacity all these years they can push through one more summer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:39

      Hope so. If you look at just the first three months it indicates it will be busier than ever.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:02

    Since they don't plan to shut down the old terminal, I wonder why Zagreb closed its old terminal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:34

      Because it is more expensive to operate two terminals and the French came to make money. They reduced staff numbers so they can't handle some types of planes during the night just to make an extra penny.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:41

      Actually, there is more staff working now, and they are taking even more people for new season

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:59

      ZAG doesn't need the old one, the new one is big enough. But in SPU the new one wouldn't be big enough in just a few years, they need the old one to have enough capacity.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:21

      And the old Split terminal will be fully incorporated into the new one once it is completed while in Zagreb the two terminals are few kilometers apart. Turning the old ZAG building into the cargo terminal makes more sense.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous10:02

    Bravo SPU!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous10:05

    So we have ZAG and DBV with new terminals and soon SPU. Any other Croatian airport with plans to build a new terminal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:09

      Pula

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:11

      Is there an actual project or is this your guess?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:30

      Interesting. Didn't know that

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:53

      It should be Brac though :D

      Delete
  17. Anonymous10:08

    Sorry but Split comparable to Barcelona??? No offence but reality check Mr Novak.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:12

      He says its a competitor. And it is. He does not in any way compare the two. No offence but you should read and interpret more carefully ;)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:46

      SPU might see BCN as competition but BCN doesn't even notice SPU.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:04

      Well any of the tourist that arrives at SPU might potentially have gone to BCN as well. So it is a competitor.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:31

      lol seriously?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:40

      Hm. Not really because SPU as a product is far inferior to BCN as a product. Barcelona is a brand, Split is not.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:30

      For many from Central, Northern Europe the beaches next to BCN are as much an option for a summer holiday as the region and seaside resorts around Split. Same for beach destinations in Greece, Italy and so on.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous10:31

    Capacity constraints are becoming a real problem at the airport now because at peak times there isn't enough space for planes to park and airlines are being denied slot requests. Thank god they expanded the apron a few years ago. So this new terminal is much welcomed news and it looks great.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous10:32

    Who is funding this? Bank loans, Croatian government or EU funds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:43

      Loan from Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Government had exempt the airport from paying taxes.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous16:31

      Incredible that EU is not funding SPU but DBV airport. Seems quite one-sided and irrational.

      Delete
    3. I think there are rules and restrictions on how much funding can be spent where so Split missed out. Maybe Dubrovnik got in earlier.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous10:45

    They seem to be completing it quite quickly. It wasn't that long ago that construction started.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:01

      Well construction started just over a year ago so I think 2 and a half years for a project of this size is normal no?

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:47

    The growth in SPU is fantastic. Good to know that we will have three representative airports in Croatia soon - ZAG, DBV and SPU.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:52

      Pula and Zadar are pretty good too.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:46

      And dont forget BWK, so happy to see real jets there this season

      Delete
  22. Anonymous11:01

    Pity the new terminal won’t have air bridges.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:45

      Yes, very pity and big fail if you ask me!
      Almost every village has airbridges. New terminal in 2019, does not... shame!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:40

      If DBV can have them then why not SPU!

      Delete
    3. No room. The area they have to work with is very limited and airbridgers would take up too much if that space plus you can turn a plane around quicker without air bridges. They need to get the planes in and out as quick as possible during the summer and air bridges would slow this down.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:05

      I don't get this obsession with air bridges? They actually slow things down.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous16:33

      They slow down a lot of operational processes, most of all of course both boarding and deboarding and SPU would lose more apron space if jetways would have been built. They are simply not needed and not necessary as 80% of the planes park literally 10 metres in front of the airport.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous13:34

    These are actually photos of the bus terminal across the road. Looking good nevertheless.

    ReplyDelete
  24. "facility expected to open to the public in July 2019"

    Do you guys find this a bit funny. To have the opening right smack in the middle of the by far the busiest time period for them?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:57

      My guess is they probably can't open it before and they decided that it is better at least to ease part of the season by opening the new terminal during the season. Split Airport is absolute chaos in the summer.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:06

      The terminal will be open before that date for sure. That will be celebration date.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:17

      Yes, it is quite normal. July is the busiest month and therefore, more capacity will be needed....

      Delete
    4. They do need more capacity but ideally you'd love to have soft lunch of your systems and processes (eg new bag handling system)

      Delete
  25. Anonymous21:20

    Is there any plan or blueprint for how the apron and taxiway extension will look like?

    ReplyDelete

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