CROATIA. Dubrovnik Airport has begun a €115 million project that will expand passenger capacity and build vital new infrastructure including a multi-storey car park by 2020.
Alongside this year’s opening of a new terminal, this latest investment is expected to boost passenger traffic hit 3.98 million by 2020, from a forecast 2.3 million in 2017. According to state-owned Dubrovnik Airport, that growth will translate into retail sales of €21-22 million annually, compared to an anticipated €12.6 million this year.
The planned next phase of development follows the completion of the new terminal, which was the subject of a special feature in our October edition, and which can be accessed here.
The new project is being funded by a grant from the Croatian government, the airport and the European Commission’s Juncker Plan investment scheme. As well as a new car park it will see the building of additional airline maintenance facilities, aviation fuel tanks and more.
In a separate short-term project, Dubrovnik Airport has begun work to upgrade its runway and taxiways, which should be completed by March 2018 before the summer season.
The airport is well on its way to a new all-time traffic high of 2.3 million in 2017, having passed the 2 million passenger mark in September. And this should rise even higher in 2018.
In the new year, airline services will be expanded to include new routes from Adria Airways, Flydubai, easyJet, Edelweiss Air, Transavia, TUIfly, Thomas Cook Airlines, Volotea and Smartwings. Among those increasing existing services, easyJet will boost its operations by +30%, while Thomson Airways and Norwegian Air Shuttle will grow theirs by +20% each. The airport also said it expects to record a profit of €9 million for 2017.
The impressive destination merchandise zone (above) and a much-enhanced luxury goods area (below) at Dubrovnik Airport’s new terminal
