ZAGREB, Aug 14, 2020 - Croatian airports in June this year handled 83,045 passengers, a 94.7% drop from the same period of 2019, and the number of passengers saw a double-digit drop in the first six months of the year as well, statistics from the national statistical office (DZS) indicate.

The drop in the number of passengers at Croatian airports is a direct result of the situation caused by the coronavirus disease, the DZS says.

Zagreb Airport saw the largest number of passengers, 43,000, which is a drop of 87% compared to June 2019, when it handled 333,000 passengers. It is followed by Split Airport, which saw 25,000 passengers, a drop of 95.1% compared to June 2019, when it handled 510,000 passengers, and Dubrovnik Airport with 10,000 passengers, 97.6% down from 414,000 passengers in June 2019.

Zadar Airport handled only 1,858 passengers, 98.5% down from June 2019, Rijeka Airport saw 1,483 passengers, a decrease of 95.1%, while Pula Airport saw only 976 passengers, an annual drop of 99.3%.

Of foreign passengers, the most numerous ones in June this year were Germans, accounting for 27,705 arrivals or 91.1% down compared to June 2019. They were followed by the Dutch, who accounted for 6,503 arrivals, a drop of 87.8%, and the Swiss, who accounted for 5,311 arrivals, a drop of 86.6%. There were only 1,770 tourists from Great Britain, which is a 99.4% drop compared to June 2019.

Croatian airports also saw a drop in cargo handled, with 432 tonnes, a drop of 57.1% compared to June 2019, when they handled 1,006 tonnes of cargo.

In the first six months of this year, 749,000 passengers passed through Croatian airports, which is an 82.5% drop from the same period of last year; the cargo handled was down by 31.6% to 3,782 tonnes, while the number of flights was down 67.4% to 17,474.