Airports across the former Yugoslavia handled a record 27 million passengers in 2018. For the first time, ten airports managed to welcome over one million travellers with Sarajevo joining the list. Split added the most new passengers for a second year running, while Skopje saw the biggest percentage growth among capital city airports, boosting its numbers by over 15% on the year before. For the first time, three airports handled over three million travellers in a single year and six over two million. Compared to 2017, Banja Luka overtook Brač, Mostar and Portorož, while Brač itself raced ahead of both Mostar and Portorož.
| Airport | Passengers 2018 | Passengers 2017 | Change (%) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgrade | 5.641.105 | 5.343.420 | ▲ 5.6 | + 297.685 |
| Zagreb | 3.336.310 | 3.092.047 | ▲ 7.9 | + 244.263 |
| Split | 3.124.067 | 2.818.176 | ▲ 10.9 | + 305.891 |
| Dubrovnik | 2.539.412 | 2.323.065 | ▲ 9.3 | + 216.347 |
| Pristina | 2.165.749 | 1.889.659 | ▲ 14.6 | + 276.090 |
| Skopje | 2.158.258 | 1.868.272 | ▲ 15.5 | + 289.986 |
| Ljubljana | 1.812.411 | 1.683.045 | ▲ 7.7 | + 129.366 |
| Tivat | 1.245.999 | 1.129.720 | ▲ 10.3 | + 116.279 |
| Podgorica | 1.208.525 | 1.055.142 | ▲ 14.5 | + 153.383 |
| Sarajevo | 1.046.635 | 957.698 | ▲ 9.3 | + 88.937 |
Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport maintained its position as the busiest in the former Yugoslavia, welcoming over 5.6 million passengers. On the other hand, Croatia cemented its lead as the busiest overall market with over 10.5 million travellers handled at nine commercial airports. Zagreb registered over three million passengers for the second time, while Split added over 300.000 passengers when compared to the year before. In another first, Skopje Airport surpassed the two million mark. Furthermore, it inched closer to its traditionally busier counterpart in Pristina, with only 7.491 travellers setting the two apart, compared to 21.387 in 2017. Macedonia's busiest airport is expected to continue on its growth trajectory in 2019 with four new routes to be launched by its busiest carrier, Wizz Air, and a fifth aircraft to be based in the city.
| Airport | Passengers 2018 | Passengers 2017 | Change (%) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pula | 718.187 | 595.812 | ▲ 20.5 | + 122.375 |
| Zadar | 603.819 | 589.841 | ▲ 2.4 | + 13.978 |
| Tuzla | 584.589 | 535.834 | ▲ 9.1 | + 48.755 |
| Niš | 351.582 | 331.582 | ▲ 6.0 | + 20.000 |
| Ohrid | 184.283 | 159.072 | ▲ 15.8 | + 25.211 |
| Rijeka | 183.606 | 142.111 | ▲ 29.2 | + 41.495 |
| Osijek | 67.235 | 43.373 | ▲ 55.0 | + 23.862 |
| Banja Luka | 36.180 | 20.867 | ▲ 73.4 | + 15.313 |
| Brač | 30.170 | 21.596 | ▲ 39.7 | + 8.574 |
| Mostar | 28.463 | 43.118 | ▼ 34.0 | - 14.655 |
| Portorož | 24.840 | 25.450 | ▼ 2.4 | - 610 |
| Mali Lošinj | 6.939 | 6.042 | ▲ 14.8 | + 897 |
Podgorica Airport continued to post strong figures, fuelled by the introduction of new routes from a mix of legacy and low cost airlines, while national carrier Montenegro Airlines also posted record numbers. In total, Podgorica Airport saw 594.292 arrivals and 614.233 departures. For the first time in its 49-year history, Sarajevo Airport managed to surpass the one million passenger mark in a single year. The figure represents overall growth of 9.3% on 2017, or an additional 88.937 travellers. Meanwhile, Banja Luka's strong growth was fuelled by Europe's largest airline, Ryanair, which introduced flights to the city during the fourth quarter. Despite having no commercial flights, Portorož Airport welcomed almost 25.000 primarily leisure travellers visiting the city and its surroundings.
Comments
RHO in 2018: 5,567,748
On average, that's only 1.33 million passengers per each of 8 airports in Croatia. Just above Montenegro and Macedonia, but below Kosovo and Serbia averages.
Lord...