Zagreb sees November growth

Busy November as terminal construction looms

Zagreb Airport has seen its passenger numbers rise in November when compared to the same month last year. Croatia’s busiest airport registered growth of 5.1% as it welcomed 165.277 passengers through its doors compared to last year’s 157.282. A total of 1.518 departures and arrivals were seen during the month, a boost of 9.7%. November’s results have reversed the airport’s overall annual passenger slump. So far in 2012, Zagreb Airport handled 2.196.548 passengers, growth of 0.8%. If December figures remain steady, the airport is on course for its busiest year on record, just surpassing last year’s result.

Meanwhile, Turkish airport operator TAV has announced that it has signed a letter of intent to participate in the consortium with Aéroports de Paris and Bouygues Bâtiment International, which won a concession tender earlier in the year, to manage and run Zagreb Airport over the next three decades and build a new terminal. TAV is interested in taking over a 15% stake in the consortium at a price of 15 million euros. TAV itself participated in the concession tender but missed out, much to its dismay. At one point it threatened to sue the Croatian government over the way it handled the tender procedures. In the region, TAV already operates Skopje and Ohrid airports in Macedonia.

Zagreb Airport’s operators have announced that the financial structuring for the construction of the new terminal is almost complete. The project is expected to total 236 million euros. According to the concession contract, signed with the Croatian government, the airport’s new operators are obliged to begin construction by April 11, 2013. However, inside sources claim that land ownership issues, environmental case studies and the actual design of the terminal building are yet to be sorted out, which could delay the start of construction further into 2013. The construction of the new terminal is estimated to take two years.