Croatian airports did not slow down even in February when they continued recording stellar results.

TCN continues looking at the plans and expectations of Croatian airports in 2019, with updates from Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar, thanks to AvioRadar. 

Are the seaplanes stopping the recently announced Split Airport catamaran from moving forward?

February 14, 2019 - Fantastic news for tourists to Dalmatia this summer with the announcement of a new catamaran service from Split Airport to Split.

Yet more great news for connectivity for the city of Split as it prepares for yet another bumper tourist season. 

With the new airport terminal set to open on schedule in July (read the latest progress report here) and the dual carriageway to the city finally opened, a new transport option which is sure to prove VERY popular - a 15-minute catamaran ride from a bay in Resnik, some 500 metres from the airport, into the heart of downtown Split. 

Central Dalmatia Tourist Board director announced the new service, which will run from May to October, with 8 trips a day, increasing to 10 daily in peak season. These will take place every 90 minutes, with the last one at 21:30 - great news for those on late flights and hoping to make the last ferry to Brac, for example. 

The catamaran will have capacity for 145 passengers and tickets will cost 100 kuna per person (to put it into cost perspective, the bus is currently 30 kuna and can take up to an hour, a taxi 250 to 300 kuna). Kids under 7 will be free.

Resnik is no stranger to providing quick transfers. It was the base of the ill-fated seaplane operation of European Coastal Airlines, which briefly transported passengers to places like Jelsa on Hvar in 15 minutes (and occasionally to downtown Split in 4 minutes). Let's hope the new service lasts a little longer... 

The rise in popularity of Split Airport has put a strain on the infrastructure in recent years, but the new terminal, road and now catamaran service should provide a fitting, trouble-free first impression that this quality destination deserves. 

Want to learn more about Split? Here are 25 things to know. 

For more on this story, here is the original from Slobodna Dalmacija.

February 2, 2019 - The new Split airport, namely, the new terminal, is 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, most likely in June. 

After we looked at the plans for Split Airport after the terminal is completed, T.portal met with Split Airport's assistant director Pero Bilas to check out the interior of the new building, which is currently the most significant investment in Dalmatia after the Pelješac Bridge.

Last year, 3.12 million passengers traveled through Split Airport, which is only 200,000 fewer than Zagreb. While Split’s numbers continue to catch Zagreb each season, it is realistic to expect that they will soon be equal. 

At Split Airport, however, the statistical race is not as important. What is important is that the project of the decade, the new terminal, is almost finished. Only the walls and the furniture remain. 

The most impressive is, of course, the main hall which is a circular shape and 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.

Split Airport has significantly higher profits than its competitors, which last year amounted to roughly 150 million kuna, allowing it to fund its expansion after several years of excellent business. Along with the old terminal, which is about 11,000 square meters, the new one will be around 36,000 square meters. After this summer, the old terminal will also get an upgrade, and the buildings will be connected in a complex that will meet the needs of passengers for at least ten to fifteen years. For this investment, a loan from the Croatian Bank for Reconstruction and Development (HBOR) has been partially taken, but only to ensure payment for contractors. It will be repaid very soon, however, and the airport will again become one of the few without debt. 

As we’ve already mentioned, 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. 

“In general, all terminal equipment is set, tested and ready to use, and only a final dust cleaning should be performed. 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 points 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. 

"Passengers talk, but suitcases do not, so it was imperative for us to know where and where to find them," explains Bilas.

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 adds. 

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. 

“The current growth rates of 15 or 20 percent a year are not realistic, and we should expect them to return to the usual five to ten percent in the coming years. We will be ready for all options, and in our plans, we will look to the business's viability first,” explains Bilas.

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. 

Due to record numbers that continue to emphasize the importance of Split Airport's development, works on the construction and reconstruction of Split Airport officially began two years ago. 

The Split Airport project is currently one of the most critical construction projects in the county. Upon completion of the works, the passenger terminal will boast 35,000 square meters, thus increasing the total capacity of the terminal to 3,000 passengers during the peak hours. 3.5 million passengers will be able to pass through Split Airport annually.

Drivers rumored the news that the 900-car parking lot was already built, along with a station for a dozen buses, and a bridge over the Kaštela road which is 120-meters long, connecting the car park and the new terminal.

Dalmacija Danas interviewed Split Airport’s assistant director, Pero Bilas, on January 30, 2019, to find out more. 

“The long-term development of the airport depends on the dynamics of further growth in passenger traffic, and it implies the need to purchase land outside the border of the airport. This moment would not be opportune to go to the public with the details of that plan,” said Bilas, who then gave an overview of the further development plan for the airport.

When will the runway be renovated?

“The renovation of the runway is the next project after the reconstruction and extension of the passenger terminal is completed. 

Does the renovation and reconstruction include lighting?

“Yes, the reconstruction of the take-off runway includes lighting on the runway.”

When does the construction of parallel runways begin?

“After the reconstruction of the take-off and landing runway.”

Are there plans to expand the apron?

“Yes, after the reconstruction of the take-off and landing runway, and as part of the construction phase for the parallel track.

What stage would you say you are at for purchasing the required land for the construction of the above items? 

“Purchasing more land is a continuous activity of the Split Airport in the past twenty years. The lack of parcels and the unresolved property and legal relations make this process difficult.”

Is there a theoretical possibility of upgrading the air-bridges to the new terminal, provided that in the future the apron is expanded sufficiently and with its capacity can enable push-back operations?

“The theoretical possibility of upgrading the air-bridges exists. Its realization will depend on the nature of traffic and the needs of air carriers and the possibilities of expanding operational areas.”

How much will these procedures increase the capacity of the airport and what is the value of the investment? 

After the reconstruction and extension project of the passenger terminal is completed, the capacity of the airport will increase to 3,000 passengers in the peak hours. The total value of the investment is 450 million kuna. 

Within the Split agglomeration, there is a lot of talk about a railway connection between the Split airport and the ferry port. How much would that mean to the airport and its passengers? 

“Establishing another mode of transport at the airport is certainly a useful initiative that would significantly contribute to the quality and diversity of land transport, at the same time, it would relieve the roads to the City of Split.”

Recall, some of the new terminal's perks include 30 check-in desks, five new baggage carousels and a modern baggage handling system, an observation deck, a car park, observation deck and business class lounge for the elite travelers. 

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

Split is a hit, once again, as confirmed by Ex-Yu Aviation who reported on Thursday, January 17, 2019, that the Dalmatian airport was the fastest growing airport in the former Yugoslavia last year! 

Namely, Split Airport welcomed 3,124,067 passengers in 2018,  which is an increase of 10.9% from the year before and is an additional 305,891 passengers compared to 2017. The General Manager of Split Airport Lukša Novak claims that catching up to the capital city is not so far out of reach anymore, and in 2018, Split was ahead of Zagreb Airport for half of the year. 

"Almost half of our annual traffic is achieved during July and August. During the four summer months, we have the most passenger traffic in the country. We are extremely seasonal in character, but when looking at it on an annual level, we are in second place and have never been closer to Zagreb. In the aviation sector, 5% - 7% passenger growth on an annual basis is the norm. If you are lucky enough, you can double your numbers in about fifteen years. We have managed to achieve that in just six years, and that is a truly amazing feat,” Novak said.

But that’s not all. 

Ex-Yu Aviation also reported that Split Airport is still Croatia's most profitable airport. 

"The substantial passenger growth and the control of our expenditures have resulted in this level of profitability. We have not altered our fees over the past ten years as we do not want to jeopardize our growth with our pricing. I think this has proved worthwhile,” Novak added.

Novak also believes fighting seasonality in Split is vital. 

"We need attractions which are not only of interest to locals, but must be competitive with European metropolises because we need to measure up to them. This is not easy or cheap and it requires time, energy and vision. There are some good developments, but we have to work on creating an appealing offer for tourists to come outside of the peak season and then we will have more aircraft arriving in the winter. Carriers say they don't want to fly to a destination where they register fantastic results between April and October, which then have to cover losses generated over the winter. They want certainty and that is why there are so many airlines in Split in summer and few in winter,” Novak said.

Perhaps the best news of all, however, is that Split Airport is currently undergoing the construction of the new (and highly anticipated) terminal, which will be ready this July. 

Some of the perks include 30 check-in desks, five new baggage carousels and a modern baggage handling system, an observation deck, a car park, observation deck and business class lounge for the elite travelers. 

"This is a complex investment taking place over an area of almost 80.000 square meters, with the terminal taking up 35.000 square meters. Upon completion, the entire terminal complex will spread over 48.000 square meters, which is comparable to our counterparts in Zagreb and Dubrovnik,” said the airport's Assistant Director, Pero Bilas. 

Split, along with Zagreb and Dubrovnik airports, welcomed a record 8,999,789 passengers last year, which is an additional 766,501 on 2017. 

To find the latest on flights to Split (and Croatia), follow TCN’s travel section. 

Will Split really have a new metro from next summer?

After the low-cost Hungarian carrier Wizz Air announced their difficulties in expanding operations in Croatia due to seasonality and high costs, Israel’s second-largest airline isn't intimidated by traveling to Split. 

As Ryanair announces flights to Split and Dubrovnik, it appears that neither destination airport got the memo.

As we reported recently, the largest European low-cost airline, Ryanair, announced that it will launch flights from Dublin to Split and Dubrovnik as of next summer, but it seems nobody at either Split or Dubrovnik airport knows much about it.

As Josip Bohutinski/VL/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 4th of December, 2018, more strangely still, Ireland's popular Ryanair has already begun selling tickets for these flights which will commence on June the 1st, and be in operation until the 25th and 26th of October, 2019, starting at just 9.99 euros.

"Ryanair is pleased to announce the introduction of its new route from Dublin to Dubrovnik and Split, which will operate twice a week from June," Robin Kiely of Ryanair said.

Vincent Harrison, the director of Dublin Airport, said that he was glad to hear that Ryanair was expanding its route network by adding Dubrovnik and Split. Depite this, the director of Split Airport, Lukša Novak, says he cannot confirm that these flights will be realised at all.

Josip Paljetak from Dubrovnik Airport has said that they have had no official information from Ryanair at all. He pointed out that the company hasn't even contacted the airport this year.

"We were very surprised to see that they'd announced flights from Dublin, and it's very strange that they've started selling tickets for flights which they never agreed upon with the airport. We don't even know if we can accept their planes for when they say they want the flights,'' Paljetak said.

In Croatia, Ryanair already flies to Zadar, Rijeka, and Pula.

Ryanair offered no response when requested to explain the announcement of their 2019 summer flights to Split and Dubrovnik.

Make sure to stay up to date with our news and travel pages for much more.

Click here for the original article by Josip Bohutinski/VL on Poslovni Dnevnik