British Airways will help kick off the start of summer on Friday, June 21, with the launch of its brand new service between London City Airport and Split. Recall, the new service to Split will operate three times a week from June 21 to September 30 and use the Embraer E190 jet which boasts 98 seats, reports Ex Yu Aviation on June 20, 2019.

This is also the first time British Airways has operated flights from London City Airport to Croatia. The new service will enhance the already established service from London Heathrow Airport, which has boosted operations this year to run seven flights per week instead of last year's five. The connection from Heathrow runs through October. 

The Mirror published on Thursday that you can find return fares on the British Airways website from London City at £201 if you opt for the hand baggage only ticket option.

“Croatia is a new destination for us and one which our customers have told us they want from London City. It is one of the fastest growing holiday destinations and we are delighted to offer new direct flights for the summer,” said Luke Hayhoe, British Airways’ Commercial General Manager at London City Airport. 

"The new seasonal service to Split in Croatia epitomises how our home carrier, British Airways, is broadening our offer of leisure routes from London City Airport. It’s the latest in a stellar selection of holiday getaway options that our passengers will love, as we prepare for our busiest summer yet. Using the city’s most central airport, sun-seeking Londoners can reach the idyllic Dalmatian coast conveniently and quickly, to discover its culture, food, stunning beaches, or as the gateway to Croatia’s islands,” London City Airport's Aviation Director, Peter Downes, added. 

Aviation 24.be and Breaking Travel News report that the new service corresponds with the start Yacht Week, which is held in Croatia for 13 weeks over the summer. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

After the weird weather in May dimmed our hopes of summer making it to Split this year at all, we can officially say that the sun is out, we’re sweating, and summer is here. And boy, is it busy. 

June 15th officially marks the start to the season, and it was welcomed in Croatia this year no differently than most others - with crowds. Recall, the Croatian Tourist Board flocked to the busiest border crossings in Croatia on Saturday to distribute 50,000 water bottles to tourists, as a “welcome to Croatia” gesture. Though 50,000 water bottles barely made a dent.

Back on the coast, the tourist season is heating up, too, and the figures revealed that 140,000 passengers would travel through the Split airport and ferry port this weekend, reports Splitski Dnevnik on June 15, 2019. 

Namely, this weekend, a total of 184 aircraft will take off and land at Split Airport, which translates into 45,000 passengers.

Mate Melvan of the Split Airport told Hina that only 104 aircraft with 25,000 passengers in both directions were announced on Saturday, while 80 aircraft and 20,000 passengers are expected on Sunday.

"In the first five months of this year, 588,012 passengers passed through our airport, which is an increase of eight percent over the same period last year," Melvan said.

But traffic is no less impressive at the Split ferry port, where 95,000 passengers and more than 7,000 vehicles will travel from Friday to Sunday. The interest for travel is so great, that on Saturday they introduced an extra line for Supetar on the island Brač.

“There are still no ‘big’ crowds and all of our lines have sailed on schedule since Friday; this is usual for this time of the year,” said Jelena Ivuljić of Jadrolinija.

Recall, the new one-way traffic regulation will be implemented at the ferry port from Monday, June 17, and the new city 'metro' from Kopilica to the ferry port is in full swing. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

With the ongoing news about Croatia’s new metro and soon-to-be one-way traffic regulation at the ferry port, we’ve nearly forgotten about the second-largest investment project in Dalmatia next to the Pelješac bridge - the new (and highly anticipated) terminal at Split Airport. 

While we've reported over the last six months that the new terminal is scheduled to open in June, with Croatia’s Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković confirming in March that the more than 450 million kuna terminal and its additional facilities were progressing faster than planned, today we finally have a more concrete answer on the official opening date of the ‘new’ Split Airport - and it is in approximately two weeks. 

Namely, Ex Yu Aviation reports that Split Airport's new passenger terminal is set to open on schedule, and in approximately two weeks, though the exact date is still unknown. Technical checks are currently underway at the site, after which the Croatian Ministry for Construction and Spatial Planning will issue an operating permit. 

Recall, the new terminal will spread across 50,000 square meters, which is a significant improvement compared to the current 14,000. The will be 30 check-in counters, 6 exits, 5 luggage carousels, a new sorting facility, parking for 900 cars, a station for 49 buses, and a 120-meter-long air-conditioned pedestrian bridge that connects it all. There will also be a lounge for business class passengers, an observation deck, and more restaurants. You can see the progress of the airport back in March here. 

“This additional space will enable us to handle 2,500 passengers per hour instead of the current 2,000. That totals 40,000 travelers per day,” said Lukša Novak, Split Airport’s general manager. 

"On an annual basis, the extra capacity will enable us to handle an additional one million passengers. Depending on tourism industry trends, this terminal should cater to our needs over the next fifteen years. We expect new routes to be launched once the new terminal opens. Each year we expand with some five or six new destinations. We are currently linked with around 100 cities or some fifty countries. We expect for this trend to continue in the coming years,” added Novak. 

Split Airport expects to see 5-10% growth in passengers this year. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

May 26, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Split and Dubrovnik.

AvioRadar reports that from 2020, British low-cost airline Jet2 will boost traffic on the line between Split and East Midlands airport, located in central England near Nottingham and Derby. 

Recall, last year, Jet2 operated two flights during the week between Split and East Midlands, on Wednesdays and Sundays. This year, flights were canceled on Wednesdays, resulting in a reduction of traffic to one flight weekly,  on Sundays. However, based on the 2020 summer schedule, Jet2 has re-introduced the flight on Wednesdays.

Jet2 will operate a Boeing 737-800 on this route. 

In other news, AvioRadar reports that the French subsidiary of the TUI group significantly reduced traffic on routes to Croatia this year. Namely, of the 10 lines operating last year, only two remain. 

One of the remaining routes runs to Brač airport. Thus, the only line between France and Brač will continue operating this year, as traffic from Deauville will work to the island airport once a week, on Saturdays, with the Embraer ERJ-190 aircraft. 

To Split, only one of the five lines remain. The Paris line from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport to Split will run once a week, on Sundays, instead of Mondays like it did last year, using the Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The lines from Lille, Lyon, Nantes, and Toulouse have been canceled. 

TUI has no operations to Dubrovnik from France this year. Namely, last year’s flights from Deauville Lyon, Nantes and Paris have all been canceled. The TUI Airlines Belgium aircraft flew on all lines between France and Croatia. 

All package deals from these destinations, apart from Lille, remain on offer at TUI this year, though air travel for these tourist arrangements is planned by the regular lines of Volotea or the charter flights of ASL Airlines France.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Just last week, TCN announced a new catamaran connection between Split Airport and Bol on the island of Brač, but did you know you could travel to Stari Grad on Hvar, too? Meet Split Express.

Namely, from June 1 this year, travelers will be transported between the Split Airport and the islands of Brač (Bol) and Hvar (Stari Grad), and the city of Split with a new fast catamaran line branded as Split Express (splitexpress.com), reports HRTurizam on May 24, 2019. 

This new service will significantly shorten the voyage to the islands of Brač and Hvar from the Split Airport concerning the trip so far available with public transport.

This direct connection from Split Airport to the islands via catamaran is years in the making, and it’s safe to say no one is complaining.

"When we first had the chance at the beginning of this year to buy the right catamaran, we decided to launch this unique service," says Alan Klanac, one of the founders of Adriatic Fast Ferries Inc., a shipping company behind Splitexpress.com.

“Opening this line is a remarkable addition to the close opening of the new passenger terminal building at the Split Airport. The ‘new’ airport's increased capacity, coupled with an efficient and fast trip by sea to faraway destinations, will enhance the overall experience for all travelers visiting the area of Split and the islands this year and over the coming years,“ said Klanac.

Bol on the island of Brač will be connected five times a day, while Stari Grad on the island of Hvar and Split town will be connected thanks to the new catamaran line two or three times a day.

Ticket prices range from 199 kuna for the Split - Bol connection, 99 kuna between Split Airport and Split town, and 199 kuna between Split Airport and Stari Grad on Hvar.

For more information, visit Split Express at https://splitexpress.com

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Ex Yu Aviation writes on May 21, 2019, that the highly anticipated rail project connecting Split Airport with the Split ferry port should commence in June. 

"Our goal is to connect the ferry port with the airport. We are aware that traffic has doubled in the past ten years. We are working on the project connecting the city to the airport and we hope to begin the design and realization process in the next few years. It will involve the construction of a seven to nine kilometer railway,” said Nino Vela, Split’s Deputy Mayor. 

Recall, just last week, Vela also announced new traffic regulations for vehicles at Split’s busy city harbor from June 1, which will push all traffic one-way around the port.

Furthermore, Vela, announced that on June 9, the highly anticipated city rail project would begin. 

With this news comes a series of projects that plan to reduce the traffic problems of the city and its surroundings this year and next.

“The new traffic regulations in the city harbor begins with the realization of the public city rail project. We are enhancing public transport, especially in the most heavily loaded parts of the city such as the city harbor and Kopilica. With the new traffic regulations, the current two-way traffic in the city harbor will be reversed to one-way, which will increase the flow of traffic by two and a half times,” said Vela. 

“The many new bus lines that will drive through the harbor will experience wait times 5-6 times shorter. Namely, they will not be waiting at the traffic lights as they have been. The bus station will change the direction of its platforms and the site of the current roundabout in the city harbor will be a bus stop of great capacity where, at the same time, there will be two articulated buses, all for better public transport services. This will increase the current capacity of 15,000 people through the city port on buses to 45,000,” Vela added.

Vela says that there will be four new parking spaces for people with disabilities and a dozen new parking spaces for taxis. However, the biggest news is about the two new trains that will drive from the city harbor to Kopilica every 15 minutes, and will take just 4 minutes getting from point A to B. 

“We work on intermodal traffic so that air, sea, road and rail traffic are viewed as a whole. Soon there will be a train and bus connection. I'm just driving to Zagreb where I will coordinate the tickets at the Ministry and Croatian Railways with representatives of Split Traffic, after which its price will be known. In short, the traveler will be able to use the same ticket with the transport of buses and trains. The popular "metro" will be in the exclusive function of public transport. We are the first in Croatia. The idea of a city train was launched because we want to use the resources we have in Split. The railway in the town is almost dead. First, we will put in place what we have, and in parallel, we are launching projects for the construction of new traffic, i.e., roads and railroad tracks,” announced the Split deputy mayor.

And what’s going on at Kopilica today?

“At Kopilica, works on the main railway station are nearing the end and the station will be ready by the end of May. Works on the new bus parking area, with 48 new parking spaces, are underway and will be completed by the end of May. All this is part of the city rail service within the project that launched last year.”

Vela continued:

“Our goal is to connect the city's ferry port and airport. We know that traffic has doubled in the last ten years. The project connecting the city and the airport is underway. We hope to begin designing and realizing it in the next few years. A new 7 to 10 kilometers of new railways will be built.”

And in other Split traffic news:

“We all know that the getting into Split is always a problem. To our encouragement, Croatian Roads started work on the Dugopolje junction at the entrance to Split and these works should be completed by the end of June. Work is underway at the intersection of Poljička and Ul. Zbora narodne garde where the ramps are working, and works should be completed by the end of the year, which will improve the flow of traffic into Split. It is known that during the season there is congestion on the highway itself, which is very dangerous, but also congestion at the entrance to Poljička and Domovinskog rata. This ramp will use the upper-level detour and facilitate the flow in the lower level, thereby improving the flow of traffic. These things are now visible.”

A new passenger terminal is currently under construction at Split Airport, with plans to open this summer.

To read more about lifestyle in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

Something new is on the cards for the very beginning of next month in time for the height of the tourist season for those wanting a direct line from Split Airport to Bol on the nearby island of Brač, the third largest island in Croatia.

As Morski writes on the 17th of May, 2019, as of the 1st of June 2019 to the 15th of September 2019, the new fast-freight company Adriatic Fast Ferries d.o.o. will introduce a fast-freight line four times a day from Split Airport to Bol on the central Dalmatian island of Brač. There will be two direct connections and two lines which will head to Bol via Split's busy ferry port.

The direct connection will take one hour from Split Airport to Bol, and the line which will stop at Split's ferry port will take an hour and twenty minutes. There will be three lines in place from Bol to Split per day, according to a report from the local portal Bol info.

Unlike for other ferries and connections, tickets for this new line can only be purchased online at the ship's website.

The catamaran for this line was built back in 1999 at the FBM Marine Ltd shipyard and was purchased from the English company Red Jet. The catamaran is 33 metres long and has a capacity of 190 passengers.

Make sure to follow our dedicated lifestyle and travel pages for much more.

You’re all pretty familiar with the construction going on at Split Airport by now, which has seen an investment of more than 450 million kuna go into a new terminal and additional facilities. It is only necessary, because more than three million passengers traveled through Split Airport last year alone. 

It is known that the project is progressing faster than planned and that the end of works, instead of the previously announced September, could be in June, that is, three months earlier. On Tuesday, the Minister of Sea, Transport and Infrastructure Oleg Butković and his associates came to see the project for themselves and stated that this is an investment of strategic importance for Split-Dalmatia County and the city of Split, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on March 19, 2019. 

Among other things, the media was interested in the name of the 'new airport', with one reporter asking the minister whether it would be named after Oliver Dragojević, with all due respect to the deceased music legend. Butković asked a question in return: "Don’t you think the new airport should be named "Airport Kaštela", since 95% of the space in which the airport operates and is located in the town of Kaštela?

At this point I have no answer to that question, it is a job for a broader debate at the local level, and after the debate is over, the proposal goes to the ministry,” Minister Oleg Butković answered, expressing satisfaction with the works that have been done so far.

The construction site the minister visited includes a 35,000 square meter passenger terminal, a 120-meter pedestrian bridge, a bus terminal for 50 buses and a parking lot with a capacity of 900 vehicles, as well as the reconstruction work of the existing terminal.

“The project is of strategic importance to Split-Dalmatia County and the city of Split, and its realization will enable the passenger terminal capacity to be matched with expected traffic demand, achieving a high level of safety and quality of service at the airport and meeting the EU standards for the international border crossing at Split Airport,” added Butković. The first man at Split Airport, Lukša Novak, added that this season expects an increase in the number of passengers by seven percent, which means nearly four million passengers.

Split-Dalmatia County prefect Blaženko Boban, who visited the airport with the mayor of Kaštela Denis Ivanović and Split Andro Krstulović Opara, said that the meeting with the minister was constructive and added that the dynamics of the deadlines and traffic plans of the agglomeration of Split goes according to previous arrangements.

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page. 

March 6, 2019 - The latest news from around Croatia’s airports for new flights to Croatia with updates from Split and Zadar. 

Austrian low-cost airline Laudamotion will now fly to Split throughout the year! Namely, in addition to the new Split-Stuttgart line which will begin traffic on March 31 this year, the airline has also announced a new winter flight, set launch for the 2019/2020 season. Laudamotion will thus operate between Split in Stuttgart this winter from October 27, 2019, to March 28, 2020, reports AvioRadar. 

In the summer, Split and Stuttgart will be connected three times a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Sundays. In the winter, Laudamotion will continue operating three times a week, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. All Laudamotion tickets are sold via Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair.

 It is also interesting to note that the competing low-cost carrier German Wings operates between Split and Stuttgart in the winter. 

AvioRadar also reports that Aigle Azur will be a new name among carriers to Zadar this year. Namely, the French airline will operate on the new Lyon-Zadar charter line. The route will run once a week in August, from August 4 to September 1, 2019, and will work in the evenings on Saturdays. 

The French regional air carrier HOP! has already flown this charter line for two years with the Canadair CRJ-1000. Thus, the announcement of Aigle Azur means that the capacity has increased on this route. 

Aigle Azur is little-known to Croatian airports. In the early years, the airline was used mainly for charter flights between France and Dubrovnik. The company was founded as Société Aigle Azur Transports Aériens as the first private airline after World War II in France, in 1946. 

At present, Aigle Azur has nine Airbus 320 aircraft and two Airbus 330-200 aircraft for intercontinental lines. The majority owner is the Chinese HNA group, which is the owner of Hainan Airlines. 

To read more about travel in Croatia, follow TCN’s dedicated page.

March 5, 2019 - The new Split airport, or the new terminal, will be four times bigger than the previous one, and worth 450 million kuna. To everyone’s excitement, its doors will open just before the tourist season, in June. 

Split Airport's assistant director Pero Bilas revealed the details of the new building at the beginning in February, which is currently the most significant investment in Dalmatia after the Pelješac Bridge. The new terminal will spread across an enormous 36,000 square meters and feature the most modern airport infrastructure. In short, the new terminal will feature 30 check-in counters, 6 exits, 5 luggage carousels, a new sorting facility, parking for 900 cars, a station for 49 buses, and an air-conditioned pedestrian bridge that connects it all.

Split photographer Goran Leš took his lens inside the new terminal to show us where the construction lies today. You can read his story on Dalmacija Danas. 

To give you an idea of the new terminal's layout, the main hall boasts a radius of almost fifty meters. From the hall, passengers will have a view of one-on-one check-in counters, a collection of catering facilities, and the observation deck on the upper floor. 

According to the idea of the architect Ivo Vulić, above the passengers is a dome with a wooden structure and, by its complexity, can be regarded as a sculpture. 

Although spacious, the new Split terminal will be very compact and logical, and from the observation deck, passengers will be able to view takeoffs and landings.

The passenger experience at the ’new’ airport will include a large parking lot with a capacity of 900 vehicles and a bus terminal with 49 spaces. Rental car agencies will make up the interior, along with various offices and catering facilities, and a 120-meter-long closed bridge will connect the buildings, with traffic in both directions.  At the other end of the bridge (or tunnel), passengers will enter the main area where all the roads cross - on the right for check-in, up for departures, left for arrivals. Thirty counters are already fully equipped; they only need to be dressed up. 

“Our capacity will be around 3,000 passengers per hour so that we will serve at least five million a year without any problems,” said Pero Bilas.

The most important part of the entire facility - the baggage handling system, is the heart of each airport. Split Airport invested 55 million kuna in this part of the project, which they have bought from reputable Dutch companies, with two powerful X-rays produced by the United States. 

The trip of a single suitcase is impressive. As Bilas pointed out, the whole process is automated, with a few extra points to check the baggage that X-rays mark as suspicious. From the check-in, the luggage will travel for a kilometer and is automatically deployed to the location of the aircraft, and in the opposite direction, the luggage automatically meets five large carousels for passengers. 

On the top floor for departures, there are seven new lines for security, also automated with many cool details that should make the process move much faster and easier.

"And here, in the main area along the gates to the airplanes, there should no longer be those crowds, even in the heart of the summer,” Bilas added. 

Namely, there will be a total of 1,200 seating spaces with six exits, and with another five hundred in various catering facilities, which will be more than enough for the hordes of passengers traveling through Split every year. Duty-free stores will be exactly four times bigger than in the past and will be filled with at least 50% Croatian products. 

Over fifty airlines will fly to Split this summer on regular routes to over a hundred destinations. 

To read more about Split, follow TCN’s dedicated page.