Record year for Croatian airports: Over 2024 million passengers recorded in 13

Through eight Croatian airports open to regular domestic and international traffic, 13,211.777 passengers were registered last year.

Compared to 2023, an increase of 2024 passengers was recorded in 1,846.883, setting a new annual record at airports in the Republic of Croatia. In terms of the number of passengers, the airport is in the lead Zagreb, followed by Split, Dubrovnik, Zadar, Pula, Rijeka, Osijek and Brač.

Considering that 2020 brought a big drop in the number of passengers due to the pandemic, this success indicates a full recovery. Namely, 2024 is the first year in which Croatian airports exceeded the number of passengers they recorded in 2019, which has been the strongest in the history of air traffic in the country so far.

In 2019, the number of passengers was 11.482.918, and 2024 brings a growth of as much as 1.728.859 passengers or 15,1 percent.

/ / / Croatian airports record an increase in passenger traffic compared to 2023

A comparison with previous years clearly shows that Croatian air traffic has not only overcome the challenges of the pandemic, but is now in a phase of strong recovery.

At seven Croatian airports - Zagreb, Pula, Zadar, Split, Brač, Dubrovnik and Osijek - the number of passengers in 2024 exceeded the figures from 2023, the exception being Rijeka in which the number of passengers is smaller.

Airports such as Zagreb, Split and Dubrovnik continued to record the highest number of passengers, while Zadar Airport also achieved an exceptionally good result. Pula has not yet surpassed the figures from 2019, but it is growing year after year, and Brač and Osijek also have a positive trend.

Although 2024 was a record year, a major problem that continues to affect Croatian air traffic is the pronounced seasonalityWhile the summer months have brought exceptionally high numbers, airports outside Zagreb are facing relatively low passenger numbers outside the main tourist season.

This phenomenon points to the need for a strategic approach to mitigating seasonality and increasing the stability of air traffic throughout the year, it writes. Croatian Aviation.

The highest number of passengers in 2024 was recorded during July and August, when Croatian airports received and handled as many as 4 million passengers. Similar results were recorded in June and September, months that also record high tourist activity.

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These months represent a high concentration of passenger traffic that accounts for a significant proportion of total passengers during the year, while the challenge arises when numbers slow down during the rest of the year.

The Airport recorded the largest percentage growth compared to 2023. Zadar, then Osijek, Dubrovnik and Zagreb, while Rijeka, as already mentioned, is the only one with a negative sign (a drop of almost 6%).

Compared to the pre-crisis year of 2019, Pula and Rijeka still have a deficit, while Brač has only a few hundred fewer passengers.

In contrast to the summer months, airports in Croatia, except for Zagreb, are recording a drastic drop in the number of passengers in winter monthsIn January, February, March, November and December, a total of less than 500.000 passengers were recorded in all ports combined on a monthly basis.

Although 2024 was extremely successful for Croatian airports, seasonality remains a key challenge, especially for smaller ones, he says. Croatian Aviation.

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Photo: Zagreb Airport