March the 13th, 2022 - The concessionaire of Zagreb International Airport (Dr. Franjo Tudjman Airport) has introduced a total ban on taking videos and/or photos at the Croatian border itself.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, the concessionaire of Zagreb International Airport, MZLZ d.d., confirmed the above for avioradar, which covers all things related to aviation in not only the Republic of Croatia but the entire wider region.

"Regarding your request [for this information], we are able to inform you that through its internal channels and to all of the necessary addresses, on Tuesday, March the 8th, 2022, Zagreb International Airport forwarded a notice prohibiting photography and filming in the border area transition at the request of the Airport Police Station.

The notice states that pursuant to Article 21 of the Ordinance on State Border Surveillance (Official Gazette/Narodne Novine, Nos. 30/14, 43/14 and 72/17) and the request of the Pleso Airport Police Station, unauthorised photography and filming is not permitted.

At this point, we can add that the authorities will define in the coming time what conditions are needed, in order to approve possible individual requests for photography and filming [at the border crossing itself at Zagreb International Airport].''

It's worth noting that despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, traffic for the Croatian capital coming in via Zagreb International Airport has recovered in a very encouraging way, and with coronavirus restrictions likely to be even further loosened up by the Croatian authorities in the coming days, a decent summer could be upon us.

For more, make sure to check out our dedicated lifestyle section.

August 17, 2021 - CO2 reduction at Zagreb Airport has been recognized with an Airport Council International level 3 certificate, confirming the management and reduction of CO2 emissions in everyday airport activities

Zagreb International Airport has received a certificate from ACI (Airport Council International) confirming level 3 of management and reduction of CO2 emissions in everyday airport activities, reports HRTurizam.

According to the classification of the global ACI ACA program (Airport Carbon Accreditation), this level is called "Optimization." Therefore, it represents a significant step towards fulfilling the commitment of Zagreb Airport to achieve zero CO2 emissions by 2050.

Based on the submitted data, the program independently assesses and recognizes the efforts of airports in managing and reducing carbon emissions. The program for measuring this level of certification also includes all stakeholders and business partners of the airport (airlines, various tenants, catering, shops, etc.), whose activities within the airport affect CO2 emissions.

Franjo Tuđman Airport is the first airport in the Republic of Croatia to reach ACI-ACA level 3, resulting from an extensive program of various activities in recent years aimed at reducing carbon emissions.

“Zagreb International Airport is committed to implementing business solutions that aim to reduce negative environmental impacts. Achieving level 3 according to the ACI-ACA classification is a significant step in these efforts. Our goal and commitment in the airport's business activities is to reach zero CO2 emissions by 2050, and we will be persistent on that path, ” said Huseyin Bahadir Bedir, President of the Management Board of MZLZ d.d.

In recent years, the airport has introduced a wide range of energy management measures that have enabled it to monitor and reduce total energy consumption, such as the installation of efficient LED lighting, reconstruction of low voltage in substation 2, boiler room reconstruction, reconstruction and modernization of heating/cooling substation in the administration building, and the production of hot water using solar collectors. Thanks to all these activities, carbon emissions at the airport were reduced by 4% between 2017 and 2019, despite a significant increase in passengers in that period.

The plan is to build a photovoltaic power plant that will directly convert solar energy into electricity and replace existing vehicles and equipment in an environmentally friendly way.

For more, follow our lifestyle section.

July 14, 2021 - Zagreb Airport flights to 46 destinations are available for passengers ahead of the peak season!

After months of falling traffic caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Franjo Tudjman Airport experienced a significant recovery in the second quarter of this year after European borders opened and COVID-19 (at least temporarily) fell into the background. As the peak of the tourist season approaches, Zagreb has once again become attractive to foreign carriers

From April to the end of June this year, air traffic in Zagreb increased by 350 percent,

The peak season at 'Franjo Tudjman' is expected at the end of this month when the low-budget carrier Ryanair will open its base and introduce a number of new lines for foreign and domestic passengers. T.portal researched where passengers can fly from Zagreb this summer and the options if you are planning a trip abroad.

Most of the traffic this summer, but also all year round in Zagreb, falls on Croatia Airlines, the national carrier that flies from Zagreb to five domestic airports - Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Brac - and maintains international routes that include Frankfurt, Vienna, Copenhagen, Munich, Zurich, London, Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Sarajevo, Skopje, Rome, and Athens.

Another domestic carrier, Trade Air, connects Zagreb and Osijek.

The biggest expectations from this season are set for Ryanair, currently flying from Zagreb to Charleroi Airport near Brussels and Bergamo near Milan.

When the Irish carrier opens its base on July 23, as previously announced, Zagreb will be connected to as many as twelve new destinations. These are Ciampino (near Rome), Dortmund, Gothenburg, Podgorica, Sofia, Beauvais Tille near Paris, Karlsruhe, Memmingen (south of Germany), Hahn (near Frankfurt), Malmö, Weeze (near Duisburg) and Torp Sandefjord (south of Oslo). 

Of the destinations within the EU, 'Franjo Tudjman' currently connects Lufthansa with Munich, Austrian flies to Vienna, Air France to Paris, KLM to Amsterdam, Eurowings flies to Cologne and Stuttgart, TAP to Lisbon, Iberia to Madrid, British Airways to London, Vueling to Barcelona, and LOT to Warsaw.

The Airport reveals that Eurowings flights to Düsseldorf, Nordwind Airlines to Moscow, EL AL, and Croatia Airlines to Tel Aviv have been announced for the season, while Aegean Airlines will fly to Athens during the peak season.

The offer of destinations outside the European Union is quite modest, with only five offered. Turkish Airlines can take you to Istanbul, Windrose Airlines to Kyiv, Aeroflot to Moscow, Air Serbia to Belgrade, and, finally, Qatar Airways to Doha.

Follow the latest on flights to Croatia HERE and the latest travel updates and COVID-19 news from Croatia HERE.

For more on travel in Croatia, follow TCN's dedicated page.

March 1, 2021 – In the category of two to five million passengers a year, Zagreb Airport rated best in Europe in 2020, according to the passenger satisfaction survey.

As Zagreb International Airport reports, despite challenging times reflected in a significant reduction in passenger numbers and air operations, passengers and users of Franjo Tuđman Airport services awarded the airport with high marks for the third consecutive year. Through a regular survey of the quality of ACI/ASQ (Airports Council International/Airport Service Quality) services, Zagreb Airport was named the best airport in Europe in the group of airports of two to five million passengers per year (Best Airport in Europe by Size and Region) in 2020.

'Significant efforts in these demanding circumstances have been recognized'

This recognition comes from a survey of the airport services quality conducted in 2020, which will remain recorded as the most difficult and demanding year in the history of aviation. This year was also challenging for Zagreb Airport due to the earthquakes in Zagreb and Banovina. Zagreb Airport says that they are incredibly proud of this recognition.

"We can rightly consider that this recognition for 2020 has an added value that is reflected in the special and increased responsibility towards the work obligations of all workers and service providers at the airport in new and unexpected circumstances," Zagreb Airport points out.

ACI announced the winners of the ASQ Awards today at its headquarters in Montreal, Canada. The awards are given for contributions to the promotion and enhancement of the user experience of airport services. The ACI/ASQ program recognizes airports around the world that, according to passengers' opinion, provide the best airport services and travel experience.

In addition to being named the best airport in Europe for two to five million passengers for the third consecutive year (2018, 2019, and 2020), shortly after its opening in 2017, Zagreb Airport also received recognition for the greatest improvement in Europe. Thus, Franjo Tuđman Airport has been awarded for the fourth consecutive year.

"We are delighted that our significant efforts to ensure the best possible service in these demanding circumstances have been recognized, primarily taking into account the protection of health and safety of our passengers, workers, and business partners," said Zagreb International Airport Management Board president Huseyin Bahadir Bedi.

He also announces the imminent start of the summer flight schedule and hopes for a gradual recovery in traffic and the resumption of normal business activities.

The categorization of airports by passenger numbers has not changed despite fewer passengers

The Airport Service Quality (ASQ) is the world's leading program for assessing the level of passenger satisfaction with airport services.

The field program is conducted throughout the year by certified ASQ agents, interviewing passengers at airports through a single ACI/ASQ questionnaire. Slightly fewer passengers were surveyed in the second quarter of 2020, while in the first, third and, fourth quarters, the same number of passengers was surveyed as in 2019.

ACI (Airport Council International) has not changed the categorization of airports by the number of passengers, even though in all airports in 2020, there was a significant reduction in passengers' number due to the coronavirus pandemic.

To further improve business at Zagreb Airport, this program will provide additional insight into implementing pandemic protection measures during 2021.

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January the 21st, 2021 - Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman Airport has placed its signature on an important document which says a lot about the international airport's relationship to protecting the environment.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Zagreb's International Airport (MZLZ), known simply as Franjo Tudjman Airport, along with 22 other airports from around the world, including all those which operate within the Aeroports de Paris Group (ADP), signed the "Airports we trust" charter, announcing cooperation in building a sustainable and responsible future and placing a special emphasis on one of the most important topics of the modern day - environmental protection.

This topic was reported on this week by the Ministry of Science, Education and Sport, of which one of the partners, ie the concessionaire, is the ADP Group, and in addition to them, the charter was signed by several partner companies of the group - TAV Airports, Airports International Group the ports of Liège, Nuevo Pudahuel (Santiago de Chile) and Ravinala (Madagascar).

All of the signatories to the “Airports we trust” charter are committed to directing their operations towards zero-impact operations, in order to achieve a significant reduction / zero CO2 emissions at all airports by the year 2030, as well as to actively participate in the transition to more environmentally friendly energy use in the aviation sector as a whole and, if applicable, apply this mantra in all airport operations.

Airports, including Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman Airport are also committed to promoting the integration of each airport into the local resource system, reducing the overall environmental impact in airport planning and development projects, working with local communities and stakeholders, and strengthening innovation and reducing noise exposure and more.

By signing this charter, these airports confirm that their social and environmental responsibility is not limited to their employees and service users (passengers, customers, suppliers and other participants in the aviation industry), but that it also applies to all stakeholders in the countries where the group is present.

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ZAGREB, Dec 13, 2020 - Croatian airports have reported sharp declines in the numbers of passengers and flights and the amounts of cargo handled in the first 11 months of 2020 as a result of the negative impact of the coronavirus pandemic, related travel restrictions and lower demand for air travel.

Statistics posted on the airports' websites show that all the airports have been in the red since March, with slightly higher turnovers from June to the end of September, but still considerably lower than in the same months of 2019.

The country's largest airport, Zagreb's Franjo Tudjman Airport, registered 883,300 passengers in the first 11 months of 2020, compared with 3.4 million in the same period of 2019, and operated 20,100 flights, against 45,000 last year.

In November 2020 alone, Zagreb Airport was used by 42,700 passengers, or 83% fewer than in November 2019, the number of flights was halved, to slightly over 1,500, and 857 tonnes of cargo was handled, compared with 1,000 tonnes in November 2019.

Split Airport recorded 665,700 passengers in the January-November period of this year, compared with 3.3 million in the corresponding period of last year. In November alone, slightly over 8,000 passengers used this airport, a decrease of 82% in relation to the same month of 2019.

Split Airport's website, as well as that of Dubrovnik Airport, did not provide data on flights and cargo. Dubrovnik Airport served 325,800 passengers in the first 11 months of this year, down from 2.9 million in the same period of last year. In November alone, it registered slightly over 4,000 passengers, compared with 57,000 in November 2019.

Zadar Airport logged 119,800 passengers in January-November 2020, compared with 798,700 in the same period of 2019. In November alone, it recorded 417 passengers, or 89.2% fewer than in November last year. Just like in November 2019, this November the airport did not handle any cargo and operated 79 aircraft, a decrease of 65.3%.

Rijeka Airport stood out from other airports in that it operated 53.8% more aircraft this November than last year, or 200 against 130 in November 2019. In the 11 months of this year their number was 3,200, or 1,700 fewer than in the corresponding period of 2019.

The three remaining airports - Osijek, Pula and Brac - did not provide relevant data on their websites.

Despite the airport's record breaking results, a minus of as much as 54 million kuna remains...

An unexpected visitor for Zagreb Airport.

Flying anywhere on Wednesday? Have your wits about you, warns Zagreb Airport.

While there has been a lot of talk about Dalmatia’s booming airports, we must not forget about all that is thriving in our capital city - and yes, Franjo Tuđman Airport in Zagreb is one of the big ones.