The new terminal was opened just last spring, but a strong growth in the number of passengers necessitates an increase in capacity.
The new terminal building of Zagreb Airport covers 65,000 square meters and can serve up to five million passengers a year. However, the equipment installed in the terminal can serve only 3.5 million passengers per year, and the airport will reach close to that number this year, reports Večernji List on September 24, 2018.
Last year, Zagreb airport exceeded three million passengers, which was nearly 12 percent more than in 2016. In the first eight months of this year, the airport recorded a growth of nine percent and is expected to serve about 3.4 million passengers by the end of the year. The Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ) company, which is the concessionaire of the airport, says that the first steps towards expansion began earlier this year when they added a carousel for luggage in the sorting area.
The airport is currently installing an additional baggage carousel on the ground floor of the passenger building. The terminal was open with three carousels, and soon there will be four of them. The terminal was also opened with 30 check-in counters, and MZLZ says that they plan to install 15 more counters in the next two years. They will also install the third EDS, which is a device for detection of explosives in the baggage. The total value of these works is three million euro.
“These moves will help us reach the full capacity for serving and processing five million passengers a year, according to the concession agreement,” the company explained. The terminal currently has eight jet bridges, one of which can accept wide-body aircraft. But as the number of intercontinental lines increases (year-round to Seoul and Dubai, seasonal to Toronto, with new intercontinental flights expected, primarily to China), the MZLZ says that it is examining the possibility of adapting the existing bridges to accommodate wide-body aircraft.
The MZLZ explains that, under the concession agreement, the expansion of the terminal building is envisaged after the annual passenger traffic reaches five million, which is currently predicted to take place in 2026.
Next year, the construction of a hotel next to the airport should start. This project is being prepared by the Zagreb Airport company, which supervises the implementation of the concession agreement. Its CEO Ranko Ilić said that the hotel is part of the future project Zagreb Airport City, which envisages the construction of a business district.
Ilić said that they plan to prepare the tender documentation and announced a tender by late February to select the most favourable offer. The construction of the hotel could begin in the autumn of 2019. The project value is 187.5 million kuna and the opening of the hotel is planned for late 2020. This will be a business and conference hotel with four stars and 249 beds. The first phase will include 151 rooms, and the second phase 98 rooms. The hotel is expected to be managed as part of a global hotel chain.
Translated from Večernji List (reported by Josip Bohutinski).
