Split Airport hopes for even more significant growth in 2018.
.Though we know we are just a day away from welcoming 2018, let’s take a minute to reflect on the stellar year 2017 has been for Split Airport.
On a constant path to breaking records, Split Airport recorded a whopping 2.782.033 travelers from January to November 2017, which is an increase of 23.1 percent when compared to 2016. Ahead of its rival airport Zagreb for many months this year, Split Airport was also the third busiest airport in the former Yugoslavia in 2017.
With every reason to be thrilled about 2017’s traffic, what are the hopes for 2018?
Split Airport is aiming to handle 3 million travelers next year, reports Ex Yu Aviation on December 30, 2017.
“It took us ten years to grow from one million to two million travelers. Before the war, the airport was handling around a million passengers per year. However, it took us just three years to increase our figures from two million travelers to 2.8 million. In 2018 we will handle three million passengers,” said General Manager, Lukša Novak.
”The increase is being fueled by the growth in tourism, as well as Croatia’s entry into the European Union. Security issues in other holiday hotspots have also aided the figures. Over the past five years we have been recording double-digit growth,” Novak added.
The even better news is that the construction of the new terminal building is right on schedule, with 30% of the work already completed.
“An investment of this magnitude is undertaken once every thirty years. The last time we expanded the terminal was in 2005, but the facility itself was built for the 1979 Mediterranean Games in Split. In any case, 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 in 2019, the entire terminal complex will spread over 48.000 square meters, which is comparable to our counterparts in Zagreb and Dubrovnik. It will satisfy our needs for the next twenty years, with some minor modifications inside the building,” Novak continued.
To refresh your memory, the brand new terminal at Split Airport will see thirty check-in desks, six gates, and a new baggage sorting facilities with five carousels. The gallery of the terminal will have restaurants and an observation deck, and there will even be a business class lounge. There are also plans to overhaul the runway at Split Airport to reduce congestion. The airport will see a new car park and bus terminal with a capacity of 900 vehicles, and a pedestrian bridge will link the area to the terminal building. Construction on the existing terminal building will begin as soon as the new terminal is complete, and will be joined with the new terminal as a single unit to be used by non-Schengen zone passengers, reports Ex Yu Aviation.
And for even more good news? Split Airport will operate 24-hours in 2018!
Source: Ex Yu Aviation
