June the 25th, 2025 – Zagreb Airport has broken its own record with the number of passengers it transported in May. There was a significant 9.5% increase, which is equal to 438,000 passengers.
As Sinisa Malus/Poslovni Dnevnik writes, Zagreb Airport has broken its record by handling 438,000 passengers in May, a 9.5% increase compared to the same month last year and a new record. The number of aircraft operations also increased by two percent, reaching 4,600.
During the first five months of this year, Zagreb Airport successfully handled 1,714,209 passengers, an improvement of 9.5 percent compared to the same period in 2024. That percentage is equal to an additional 149,428 passengers.
The growth will continue throughout the month of June, and the current planned capacity has increased by 12% compared to last year, according to Ex-Yu Aviation News. The strongest carrier at Zagreb Airport by far is Ryanair, which had a capacity of more than 203,000 passengers in May. The popular Irish carrier is closely followed by Croatia Airlines with more than 188,000 passengers, and far behind are Lufthansa with 40,000 and Turkish Airlines with almost 31,000 passenger capacity, respectively.
Flights to the Gulf countries also resulted in some excellent numbers in the first quarter of 2025. Zagreb Airport recorded mostly improved results during the first quarter of the year on flights to the Gulf, operated by Flydubai and Qatar Airways.
A total of 22,581 passengers flew between Zagreb and Dubai on Flydubai during the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 27.4% compared to the same period in 2024. This comes after an increase in the number of flights of 18.4%. The carrier’s average load factor on the route was 75.5% during 2025’s initial three months.
Qatar Airways recorded 28,946 passengers on its route to Zagreb, a slight decrease of 1%. The airline also had eight fewer flights than in the 2024’s first quarter. The Qatari carrier’s average load factor on the route stood at 87%, representative of a slight improvement of 2%.
It seems that Zagreb Airport is likely to go on breaking its own record as expectations for the summer are exceptional. The airports in Zagreb, Belgrade (Serbia) and Pristina (Kosovo) will be the fastest growing in the region during the upcoming third quarter (July, August and September). This trio will also add the most planned capacities compared to the same period last year.
Zagreb Airport is set to lead this capacity growth, adding an impressive 252,137 additional seats. The increase is mainly being driven by Croatia Airlines, which will launch five new routes in early July and increase capacity with the arrival of Airbus A220-300 aircraft. That comes following the retirement of the company’s two Dash 8 turboprop planes earlier this year.
Croatia Airlines has historically suffered many financial issues, and this is continuing with enormous losses. It’s tough for any company to compete with the likes of Ryanair. Despite its ongoing issues, the domestic carrier is set to launch its biggest network expansion in six years in July. It will introduce five new routes from Zagreb, including Prague, Bucharest, Milan Malpensa, Madrid and Hamburg.
However, the airline has now reduced the frequency of flights on two of its five new routes. It is also reducing the number of flights between Zagreb and Tirana, a route it only launched last year. As stated, Ryanair is the name truly putting Zagreb Airport on the map and seeing it smash its own record.
The Irish low-cost carrier is also contributing to the airport’s growth with additional route frequencies. Turkish Airlines also plans to operate up to four daily flights to the Croatian capital for the first time.
