March the 14th, 2026 – It’s been closed since March 2017, but the powers that be at Zagreb Airport is currently considering re-opening the old Pleso terminal.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Zagreb Airport is currently considering reopening its old Pleso passenger terminal, which has been closed to passengers since March the 28th, 2017. A final decision on this should be made by the end of the year.
According to the existing concession agreement, the consortium that manages Zagreb Airport (Zagreb Airport International Company (ZAIC)) is obliged to begin with the expansion of the terminal building no later than 90 days after the end of the year in which passenger numbers reach five million for the first time.
Before the coronavirus pandemic shook the world and as such tourism and travel, this was estimated to happen in 2026, but that’s evidently yet to happen. However, the expansion of the existing terminal is estimated at 70 million euros, which makes reopening the old Pleso terminal a much more affordable and faster solution.
talks are currently underway regarding pleso’s re-opening
Stakeholders are currently busy discussing the possibility of relocating low-cost carriers to the old terminal. Ryanair, which has been the main driver of passenger growth at Zagreb Airport in recent years, has shown interest in the facility. The only caveat from Ryanair however is that it has reportedly sought exclusive rights of use, reports Ex-Yu Aviation News.
The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure previously announced that talks had been held on reopening the old terminal. The state is reportedly ready to extend Zagreb Airport’s concession to its operator for three years and nine months if the consortium that manages the airport does restore the old terminal to a functional state. Zagreb Airport’s current concession runs until 2042.
zagreb airport’s impressive passenger growth
According to the 2013 concession agreement, the next phase of the airport’s expansion (Phase 2) is divided into three sub-phases: 2A, 2B and 2C, each triggered by reaching certain milestones in passenger numbers. If Zagreb Airport manages to serve five million passengers this year, construction of Phase 2A must begin no later than March the 30th, 2027. The following phases will be triggered at 6.1 million and 7.3 million passengers, respectively.
The majority of Phase 2A must be completed within 365 days, or 540 days if all three sub-phases are combined. If the concessionaire fails to complete any work in Phase 2 within the agreed deadlines, penalties amount to 15,000 euros for each and every single day of delay. Zagreb Airport successfully served 281,489 passengers in February alone, an increase of 7.8% compared to the previous year. The figure was achieved despite a 0.7% drop in the number of aircraft operations. During the first two months of the year, the capital’s increasingly busy airport received 578,350 passengers, marking an increase of 6.8%, or an additional 36,707 passengers in total.
