New international airport should be located in Vrgorac in Dalmatian hinterland.
A few months ago, Vrgorac in inland Dalmatia was secretly visited by a group of businesspeople who represented a group of foreign investors from Europe and other part of the world. According to reports, they were looking for a site in the area between Dubrovnik and Split which would be suitable for the construction of a new international airport, reports Jutarnji List on January 10, 2017.
At the same time, they examined spatial plans of local towns and municipalities, in order to find out whether it was possible to realize the planned investment, which would ultimately be larger than airports in both Split and Dubrovnik. They found a suitable site during a drive on the motorway in the area of Vrgorac. More specifically, it is a plot of land between the villages of Dragljani, Kozica and Raščane. It is situated south of the motorway and near the Biokovo Nature Park, and its great advantage is that it is a valley which is already suitable for the project.
“Investors were looking for a plateau which would be at least three kilometres in length, which is needed for the runway. Due to the proximity of Makarska Riviera, the A1 motorway, two exits off the motorway, border crossings, and junction between the A1 motorway and European corridor 5C, we were able to present Vrgorac as one of the most important hubs in this part of Dalmatia. When, at the end of 2016, the Ravča-Drvenik road received a planning permission, the project of the construction of the airport instantly became even more interesting for investors”, said Ante Pranić, Mayor of Vrgorac who met with the investors a few months ago.
During their first visit they went together to the site itself. Only ten days later, the investors came again to look at the site, but this time with a team of surveyors. They analyzed the location, and the investors did not waste any time, so they went to the Vrgorac Registry Office in order to immediately check who owns the land in the area. Pranić claims that it is fully owned by the state.
The seriousness of the investors is proven by the fact that they have already visited Vrgorac for the third time as well. “They brought drones which they used to film the entire site”, explained Pranić.
