In nine Croatian airports, traffic is growing at double-digit rates

In nine Croatian airports in 2017, there were a total of more than 9.5 million passengers, which is almost 18 percent more than the year before, and cargo traffic also increased at double-digit rates, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS).

In addition to the number of passengers, airports had a total of 7.1 percent more aircraft operations last year, totaling nearly 116,000. Cargo traffic reached a total of 10,000 tons at airports last year, marking an increase of 21.4 percent compared to 2016.

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When viewed by airport, Zagreb had the highest number of passengers in 2017, accounting for 32.6 percent of the total number across all airports or more than 3 million, which is an increase of 12 percent compared to 2016. Split is in second place with 2.8 million passengers at its airport, which is 23.4 percent more than in 2016, and the third is Dubrovnik Airport with 2.3 million passengers or 17 percent more.

Rijeka and Mali Lošinj are the only ones with a decline in passenger numbers

Pula Airport had 580.4 thousand passengers last year, an increase of 37 percent, while Zadar Airport had slightly fewer passengers at 573.5 thousand, which means an increase of 14.3 percent.

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Among all airports, the largest increases in passenger numbers last year, although from a somewhat lower base, were recorded by Osijek and Brač airports, with increases of 42 and 70.5 percent, with 43 thousand and 20.3 thousand passengers, respectively. The only airports that had fewer passengers in 2017 than in 2016 were Rijeka and Mali Lošinj.

In Rijeka, there were 136.7 thousand ‘air’ passengers, which is 3.3 percent less, and in Lošinj around three thousand passengers or 27.6 percent less, noting that Lošinj Airport is the smallest among all airports and the only one that actually receives only smaller, sports, or private planes with fewer passengers.