Airports in Croatia served 7,3 percent more passengers in June and the first half of this year than in the same period last year, with 1,9 million passengers contributing to such increases in June this year, and 5,4 million in the first half of the year, according to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
The increase in the number of passengers at airports in June this year was accompanied by an increase in aircraft operations, by 6 percent, to more than 18,7 thousand, and these operations (aircraft landings/takeoffs) were 4,6 percent higher and at the level of the first six months, or more than 59,9 thousand.
Split 'emerge' in first place, and Brač is the only one in the red
This year, June, along with many seasonal airlines, once again 'placed' Split in first place among all airports, where 578,1 thousand passengers passed through, or 8,2 percent more than in the same month last year.
All other airports also saw increases in the number of passengers in June, except Brač, which is also the smallest airport, and where there were 16,1 percent fewer passengers than in June last year, or around 3500.
Split Airport is followed by Dubrovnik Airport in terms of the number of passengers in June, with 447,2 thousand or 4 percent more than last year, and Zagreb Airport is third with 435,1 thousand passengers or 7,6 percent more.
With 294 thousand passengers this June, Zadar Airport is up 9 percent compared to last year, while Pula Airport had 94,6 thousand passengers or 12,4 percent more.
After a long period of negative numbers, Rijeka Airport also recorded a double-digit increase in the number of passengers in June this year, compared to June last year, of 14,5 percent, with 29,5 thousand.
Osijek Airport also had a greater increase than last year, of 13,7 percent, with around five and a half thousand passengers, while Mali Lošinj Airport, which is the only one on the islands, along with Brač, had a growth of as much as 82,6 percent with 378 passengers in June compared to June last year.
In the first six months, most airports had more passengers than in the same period last year, with the largest increases, of 10,7 percent and 9,1 percent, recorded by Split and Zagreb airports, followed by Rijeka and Dubrovnik airports, with increases of 8,5 percent and 6,5 percent.
Less burden
Unlike passenger traffic, airports were in the red with cargo traffic in June and the first six months of this year compared to last year.
In June alone, cargo at all airports was 893 tons, or 7,6 percent less than in June last year. The minus is slightly greater than in the first six months, at 8,2 percent, with just over 4.800 tons of cargo.
Photo: HINA/ Miroslav LELAS
