Croatian airports to hit 11 million passengers in 2019

Croatia’s nine commercial airports are gearing up for a busy summer season which should result in a record eleven million passengers being handled in 2019 following last year's 10.5 million. Zagreb Airport anticipates registering a 5% increase in passenger numbers this year, while aircraft movements are estimated to grow 3%. "We are in talks with a number of airlines over the introduction of new routes, however, as the negotiations are ongoing and confidential, we are unable to provide further information at this time. This summer season, several carriers, including Iberia, Vueling, LOT Polish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Eurowings, will boost capacity on their flights to Zagreb, while a number of other airlines will increase their frequencies.

Split Airport is eyeing another record year, although the pace of growth is expected to slow. "The 15% to 20% annual growth we have witnessed are unlikely to continue in the coming years and we expect the usual 5% to 10% increase in passenger numbers. First and foremost we are looking out for the sustainability of the business", Deputy General Manager, Pero Bilas, said. Split Airport will be served by some fifty airlines this summer season. A number of new carriers will introduce flights to Croatia's second largest city this year, including Air France, British Airways, Luxair, Ryanair and Laudamotion.

Croatian airports, JAN - FEB

Airport	PAX	Change (%)
Zagreb	371.351	▲ 2.9
Split	71.185	▲ 10.7
Dubrovnik	60.088	▲ 29.6
Osijek	5.163	▼ 12.5
Zadar	3.833	▼ 5.4
Rijeka	3.425	▲ 73.5
Pula	1.756	▼ 41.8
Lošinj	24	▼ 44.2
Brač	20	▲ 25.0

Dubrovnik Airport anticipates for its passenger numbers to increase some 5% this year following on from a record 2018. "In 2019, we estimate passenger growth of 4.59%. The biggest increase in travellers is expected from the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic", the airport said. During the summer season, some 65 to seventy airlines will maintain operations to the city. "After 28 years, Croatia will be linked with the United States thanks to American Airlines' service between Philadelphia and Dubrovnik. During the summer, Flydubai will continue to run services from Dubai while the world's largest low cost airline, Ryanair, will launch flights to our airport", General Manager Frano Luetić noted. He added, "A significant increase in traffic is expected from cities such as London, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin".

Pula Airport is targeting growth of 7% this year, after it broke its all-time record in 2018. It is expected the airport will handle some 750.000 travellers over the course of the year on 11.000 flights. easyJet, Laudamotion, TUI Airways, Jet2 and Condor will introduce new services to the seaside city over the coming months. The airport noted it is monitoring developments with Brexit and its impact on air travel, since British travellers make up 32% of all passengers passing through Pula.

Zadar Airport anticipates strong growth this year with Ryanair to launch eight new routes from the city despite the closure of its base. Furthermore, easyJet will introduce two new routes, while Iberia Express, Air Serbia, Transavia, Laudamotion and Condor will all commence seasonal flights to Zadar this summer. A total of sixteen airlines will maintain 51 scheduled flights to 31 destinations in sixteen European countries. As a result, the airport expects to welcome an additional 100.000 passengers this year. In 2018 it handled a record 603.819 travellers through its doors. Ryanair accounts for the bulk of the airport's annual traffic with a passenger share of 60%.

Rijeka Airport will welcome four new carriers this year including Lufthansa, Air Serbia, TUI Airways and Volotea. It anticipates growing its passenger numbers by 16% to 197.000, while aircraft movements should improve 6% to 5.800. In addition to the new arrivals, a number of carriers will boost their services to city. Notably, Transavia will increase its flight offering by 300% compared to last year. Similarly, Osijek Airport forecasts its passenger growth at 11%, with 74.300 travellers expected. This summer, Wizz Air will add an extra weekly flight on its Basel - Osijek service, for a total of three per week, while Eurowings will bring forward the resumption of its seasonal flights from Cologne by forty days.

Brač Airport expects similar figures to those achieved last year. "In 2019, our plan is to maintain similar passenger numbers to last year's - around 31.000 travellers. We will focus the rest of our energy on expanding the runway and terminal. This year we plan to obtain all necessary permits with work to begin in late 2020. The new airport will be in operation in May 2021", General Manager Tonči Peović said. On the other hand, Lošinj Airport will continue to be served by Silver Air, which will maintain flights from Zagreb and Lugano, however, its services to Pula will be discontinued. Instead, the Czech carrier will introduce a new two weekly operation to Venice, with further details available here. All flights will operate between June and September.

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