The latest on the new Split Airport terminal construction.
Since January of last year, when the construction of Split Airport’s new terminal officially began, just under half of the work, or about 45 percent of the work, has been completed to date, reports Slobodna Dalmacija on April 16, 2018.
This news was confirmed by Pero Bilas, the Assistant Director of Split Airport, at the construction site where workers are in full swing. To put things into perspective, the project to extend and reconstruct the Split Airport in Kaštela, along with the Čiovo Bridge, is currently one of the most significant construction projects in Split-Dalmatia County. Fortunately, according to Bilas, everything is going according to the established plan.
“As you can see, everything around us is a big construction site, and once everything is finished, the passenger terminal will receive new floors and will be 35,000 square meters large, which will increase the total terminal capacity to 2,500 passengers in peak hours, and 3.5 million passengers annually. The works are going to plan, and you can see that a car park fit for 900 vehicles has been completed, there is a bus stop for 50 buses, and there will be offices for rental car agencies. The bridge above the old Kaštela road, which has recently grabbed the attention of passersby, is 120 meters long. There will be two sliding lifts and an elevator for disabled access, and in the middle, there will be a pedestrian section. The bridge will make it easier for passengers to travel between the parking lot and the new terminal and is currently in the process of being completed. You can see that the concrete works are underway and we are about to install the steel roof structure,” explained Bilas, who walked down to the basement of the new building where they began installing a luggage delivery system.
“It’s one of the vital systems that have no alternative and if it does not work well, you have a serious problem. Despite the ongoing work, we are ready for the upcoming season, and I believe that the traffic and the flow of passengers through and around the building will go smoothly,” Bilas continued.
Work on upgrading and reconstructing the passenger terminal and associated facilities began in January last year, and completion of the first phase is expected at the end of this year, followed by the reconstruction of the existing passenger terminal. The entire project will be completed by the end of 2019, confirmed the Assistant Director.
“By the end of this year, the new terminal should be completed. We have imagined that this transition from the existing to the new part will be carried out during the winter, as apart from the construction of the facility itself, a lot of complex equipment needs to be tested, which is much easier in the winter when there is less traffic. So, during the winter, we will move into the newly built part with all of our operating services. After that, we expect the reconstruction of the existing terminal, which will continue through next year,” explained Bilas.
The preseason at Split Airport has already begun and should reach new records for passenger traffic and aircraft.
“This year, and we hope for the last time, we hope that the passengers to have an understanding of the existing situation and will accept that they are special circumstances. But with our experience and knowledge, we guarantee that everything will go smoothly and that all passengers will take off and land on time,” added Bilas.
The construction and reconstruction of the airport in Kaštela amounted to 350 million kuna without VAT, which was partially secured by the funds of Split Airport and partly by the loan of development banks.
Translated from Slobodna Dalmacija
