First test landing was carried out yesterday at the new Zagreb Airport terminal, Jutarnji reports. The first airplane to land successfully to the new terminal flew in from Vienna, and all the related passenger and baggage procedures were performed successfully as well. The grand opening of the new terminal will be held on March 21, and the first flights start on March 28, according to information provided by Zagreb International Airport (MZLZ).
The airport’s official website informed the public on the first test landing, as well as the first takeoff, also performed on Tuesday, March 14, with an airplane leaving for Dubrovnik.
According to a statement from MZLZ, “All the procedures linked to landing and takeoff, as well as passengers and their luggage have been successful”, and the airport is in its final phase before the opening of the new passenger terminal, which is why airport staff will be at passengers’ disposal at all times.
Airport staff will provide additional information to passengers at several locations at the existing passenger terminal, relating to traffic protocol and flights, and several information points will also be located along the access road leading to the new terminal.
In addition to the ones at the old terminal, bus transport and taxi services will be available at the new terminal as well, while the rent-a-car services will remain at their existing locations, at the old terminal.
MZLZ Jsc. has been the concessionaire and operator of Franjo Tudjman Airport since December 5, 2013, when a 30-year concession agreement was signed in the form of public-private partnership with the Republic of Croatia, for the management of the former Zagreb Airport and the project of building a new passenger terminal.
MZLZ Jsc. is a company registered in Croatia with six shareholders bringing international expertise in airport development, operation, construction, project management and structured finance. Shareholders include Aeroports de Paris Management, Bouygues Batiment International and Fond Marguerite, with an equal share of 20.7 percent, IFC with 17.5 percent, TAV Airports with 15 percent and Viadukt with just over 5 percent.
More than € 300 million has been invested in the new terminal, which is built on an 65,000 m2 area, and a capacity of 5 million passengers per year is envisioned during its first phase.
Additional 1,100 parking spaces have been built, together with eight air bridges, including six international and two domestic traffic bridges, 30 check-in counters, 23 passport control counters, three kilometres of baggage carousel, and 35 kilometres of storm sewer pipes which were added under the new terminal. There is also over 2,000 m2 of commercial space.
The new terminal is among the few terminals in Europe and around the world to have a wavy roof, or the so called 3D roof, with a 55,000 m2 surface, construction of which required installing 26,000 pieces of stick framing.
2,000 tons of steel frame structure has been used for the new building, more than 75,000 cubic meters of concrete, 5,000 tons of metal frameworks, with an asphalt surface of 250,000 m2 and 800 workers have spent their entire days on site, and 36,000 equipment and system tests have been done so far.
