Zagreb Airport

"ZAG" redirects here. For other uses, see ZAG (disambiguation).

Zagreb Airport Zračna luka Zagreb
IATA: ZAG ICAO: LDZA
Summary
Airport type	Public/Military
Operator	ZLZ
Serves	Zagreb
Location	Pleso, Croatia
Hub for	Croatia Airlines Trade Air
Elevation AMSL	353 ft / 108 m
Website	zagreb-airport.hr
Map
LDZA Location in Croatia
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 05/23 3,252 10,669 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (2012)
Number of Passengers 2,342,309 Aircraft Movements 39,054
Croatian Aeronautical Information Publication

Zagreb Airport (IATA: ZAG, ICAO: LDZA), also known as Pleso Airport (pronounced [plɛ̂sɔ]) after the nearby suburb of Pleso, is the main international airport of Croatia and also a Croatian Air Force and Air Defence major fighter jet base. Located 10 km (6.2 mi) from Zagreb Central Station in Zagreb, it served 2,342,309 passengers in 2012 and is the primary hub for Croatian flag carrier Croatia Airlines. Expansion of the airport is due to start in 2013.

History

• 1909 - The first airfield in Zagreb was built in 1909 near the western city neighbourhood of Črnomerec.
• 1927 - Charles Lindbergh made a landing in Borongaj Airfield (east of Zagreb) after his successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. [2]
• 1928 - The airfield began serving its first passenger traffic on 15 February. [3]
• 1947 - Commercial services were moved to a former airbase near the village of Lučko, southwest of the city. At its peak in 1959, Lučko served 167,000 passengers. [4]
• 1962 - New airport opens at Pleso in the southeast from Lucko. It first opened with a 2,500 m (8,200 ft) long runway and 1,000 m² (11,000 sq ft) terminal. A new 5,000 m² (54,000 sq ft) apron.
• 1966 - Zagreb Airport gets modern 5,000 m² (54,000 sq ft) passenger terminal [5]
• 1974 - apron and runway expansion. Runway was extended to its current 3,252 m (10,669 ft), and the terminal expanded to 12,000 m² (130,000 sq ft).
• 2004 - The airport installed a CAT-IIIb instrument landing system (ILS). [6]
• 2008 - VIP Terminal was added and extra amenities, restaurants and bars. Terminal expanded to 15,500 m² (167,000 sq ft) [7]
• 2010 - 3rd Floor Viewing platform and a bar were added, passenger terminal received major facelift.
• 2012- 2013 - Additional 5,872 m² (63,210 sq ft), of space being added, with completion dates sometimes in mid to late 2013. Terminal expanded to 22,500 m² (242,000 sq ft) with increased capacity up to 3.5 million passengers. Airport had also most successful year ever with 2.34 million passengers passing through its gates. [8] & [9]
• 2013-2015 - Construction of new 70,000 m² (750,000 sq ft) passenger terminal should commence in April or at the latest in may, 70,000 m² (750,000 sq ft) terminal with capacity of 5.5 million passengers in the first phase should be completed by mid 2015, 150,000 m² (1,600,000 sq ft) Airport apron/Airport Ramp will also be added as part of the whole expansion project.

Expansion and modernisation

The passenger terminal underwent major design upgrade, new VIP terminal was added to the west of the current terminal in 2008, and new unified facade (at the front of the terminal) was also added in 2009. The passenger terminal has a maximum capacity of around 2.5 million passengers per year with current traffic being around the 2.2 million mark. The main terminal building itself is rather small measuring only 200 m × 58 m (656 ft × 190 ft) or around 20,000 m² (220,000 sq ft). The apron or airport ramp measures 950 m × 187 m (3,117 ft × 614 ft) and can accommodate around 15 medium and two wide body aircraft.

A new terminal is planned for the future. The initial plan, made by NACO in 1997, was for 47,000 m² of space, capacity for 11 jetways, and the capability of handling 3 million passengers annually, but the airport authority decided to scrap this plan in favor of a larger terminal. Another master plan was developed by Scott Associates in 2006 and the new terminal was expected to have 12 jetways and a capacity of 3.3 million passengers annually. It would have been approximately 65,600 m² (706,000 sq ft) in area, nearly five times the size of the current terminal. This plan was also scrapped and a competition was held in hope of an even larger airport.

A competition for the final architectural and urban planning solution took place in August 2009, and the winner (Institut IGH) was declared at the beginning of October. This proposal, designed by Neidhardt architects of Zagreb, includes a retail component with stores, banks, cafes and restaurants. A new luxury hotel with direct underground links to the terminal is planned, directly in front of the new terminal. The new terminal will consist of glass walls and roof in a wavy facade. It will be built in three stages, the first stage being able to cater for over five million passengers. However this number will increase as phase two and three commence directly after. Initail construction is expected to cost €280 million. Air Force operations will move to the south end of the airport due to the construction. Meanwhile the old terminal will have a major face lift and minor expansion expected to cost 6 million euros.

On 12 April 2012, Aeroports de Paris received a 30 year concession of the airport from the Government of Croatia. The contract includes financing, designing and construction of a new passenger terminal. The construction works, lasting three years, will be carried out by Bouygues Bâtiment International in partnership with Viadukt. ZAIC will operate the entire airport for 30 years, including the runways, the current passenger terminal during the entire construction period, the new terminal, the cargo terminal, car parks and future property developments. The concession contract involves a total investment of €324m (£259m): €236 million for the design and construction of the new terminal and €88 million for operation of all airport infrastructure for the entire period of the concession.

Accompanying the terminal will be a second parallel runway. There will also be a new rail line alongside the Eastern bypass of Velika Gorica (currently under construction), which extends from Zagreb across the Homeland Bridge completed in 2007. These elements will create an entirely new east entrance into the city adding to the one via D408 state road. The airport is being built in such manner that more expansions can be conducted easily if needed. British Airways have announced that they will start services to the airport from London Heathrow.

Airlines and destinations

Apron at Zagreb Airport

Apron at Zagreb Airport

Interior view of Zagreb Airport

Departure area of Zagreb Airport

The town of Velika Gorica with Zagreb Airport in the distance

Passenger

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Air France operated by Brit Air	Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Austrian Airlines operated by Tyrolean Airways	Vienna
British Airways	London-Heathrow
Croatia Airlines	Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Bol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, Istanbul-Atatürk (ends 31 March 2013), London-Gatwick (ends 31 March 2013), London-Heathrow, Munich, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pristina, Pula, Rome-Fiumicino, Sarajevo, Skopje, Split, Vienna, Zadar, Zürich Seasonal: Antalya, Rijeka, Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion
El Al	Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion
EasyJet	London-Gatwick
EuroAtlantic Airways	Charter: Lisbon
Germanwings	Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart
Iberia	Seasonal: Madrid
Japan Airlines	Charter: Osaka
Korean Air	Charter: Seoul-Incheon
Lufthansa	Berlin-Tegel, Frankfurt
Lufthansa Regional operated by Augsburg Airways	Munich
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine	Munich
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Seasonal: Copenhagen
Nouvelair	Seasonal: Monastir
Qatar Airways	Budapest, Doha
Sky Work Airlines	Berne
TAP Portugal	Bologna, Lisbon
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk
Vueling	Seasonal: Barcelona

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
MiniLiner	Bergamo
Solinair	Ljubljana, Sarajevo
Trade Air	Ljubljana, Sarajevo
UPS Airlines operated by Farnair Switzerland	Cologne/Bonn, Ljubljana

Traffic figures

Traffic at Zagreb Pleso Airport

Year	Passengers	Cargo (tonnes)
2000	1,149,830	7,388
2001	1,185,471	7,791
2002	1,203,436	7,347
2003	1,314,652	8,608
2004	1,408,206	8,899
2005	1,551,519	12,492
2006	1,728,414	10,393
2007	1,992,455	12,564
2008	2,192,453	12,697
2009	2,062,242	10,065
2010	2,071,561	8,156
2011	2,319,098	8,012
2012	2,342,309	8,133
2013	139,397	123

External links

• Official website Template:En icon