Croatian Airports Record Highest Number of Passengers in History Due to Economic Growth, with 4.4 Million in the First Seven Months

Croatian airports are recording the highest number of passengers in history, with nearly 1.5 million passengers passing through the airports of Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar, Pula, Zagreb, Osijek, Rijeka, Brač, and Mali Lošinj in July, and around 4.4 million passengers in the first seven months, which is 12.4 percent more than in the same period last year, reported the Croatian Chamber of Economy (HGK) on Tuesday.

The most influential factor in the increase in demand for air transport is the growth of economies, stated Tonči Peović, president of the Air Transport Association at HGK, in a press release.

“In addition to the fact that most EU countries, from where our passengers come, have experienced GDP growth, and thus an increase in the purchasing power of the population, we can say that many other factors have contributed to the increase in air traffic in Croatian airspace. One of them is the increased tourist demand for Croatian resorts, as a result of reduced travel to some traditional European and North African destinations such as Turkey, Tunisia, and Greece due to insecurity,” emphasized Peović.

He also noted that airlines have partially reduced average ticket prices in air transport, which is a consequence of the decrease in the prices of oil derivatives on the world market.

The increase in air traffic in Croatia has also been influenced by the shortened stay of tourists at certain destinations, approximately two to three days, thanks to online booking systems, said Peović.

These systems, as he stated, along with the use of low-cost carriers, which are significantly present at Croatian airports in Zagreb, Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Rijeka, and Osijek, have enabled more frequent exchanges of tourists in equal capacities, which increases passenger traffic with existing capacities.

Ljubica Herceg, director of the Transport and Communications Sector at HGK, pointed out that most EU countries, just like Croatia, are trying to respond to the challenges of building the necessary capacities for this trend of growth in air traffic.

Therefore, in the coming years, the main challenge for Croatian airports will be how to respond to the additional demand for peak capacities, taking into account the development of tourism.

Zagreb and Dubrovnik airports are nearing the completion of construction and reconstruction, and work is also expected soon at Split Airport, Herceg stated, noting that along with increasing capacity and modernizing the largest Croatian airports, all international airports are paying great attention to improving the business processes of passenger and luggage handling.

According to HGK, in the first six months of this year, Croatian airports recorded an increase in the number of passengers compared to the same period last year – Zagreb by 10.4 percent, Split by 25.41 percent, Dubrovnik by 16.46 percent, Pula by 34.15 percent, Zadar by 15.3 percent, Brač by 89.97 percent, Osijek by 7.85 percent, and Rijeka by 7.46 percent.

European airports, on the other hand, are recording stable and strong growth, averaging 6.2 percent in passenger traffic. For example, Berlin-Schönefeld Airport recorded a growth of 39.4 percent, Cologne-Bonn by 19.8 percent, and Bucharest by 16.5 percent.