Passenger Traffic In Croatia’s Airports Now Soars To Ten Million In 2025, Boosting Tourism

Published on October 18, 2025

In nan first 8 months of 2025, Croatian airports handled much than 10 cardinal passengers, a 6.6% summation from nan erstwhile year’s value. This alteration successful value, according to nan Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), highlights Croatia’s beardown tourism industry, particularly successful nan highest summertime months.

The summation successful aerial recreation has been matched by a emergence successful craft operations, pinch complete 103,300 flights recorded from January to August 2025 4.6% much than during nan aforesaid play successful 2024. In August alone, Croatian airports handled 2.3 cardinal passengers and 21,400 craft operations, confirming nan month’s position arsenic nan highest of nan summertime recreation season.

Among each airports, Split Airport led successful August postulation pinch 757,500 passengers, up 4.7% year-on-year. Over nan first 8 months of nan year, Split processed 2.8 cardinal passengers, representing a 7% summation compared to 2024.

Zagreb Airport achieved nan largest maturation successful rider numbers, handling 3.1 cardinal passengers successful nan first 8 months a 9.4% summation compared to past year. August unsocial saw 487,700 passengers, an 11.6% rise, making Zagreb nan busiest airdrome overall.

Other location airports besides reported coagulated growth. Zadar Airport handled 361,000 passengers successful August, an 8.7% increase, and recorded 1.2 cardinal passengers for nan twelvemonth to date, up 2.8%.

At Pula Airport, 125,400 passengers were processed successful August, up 4.5%, while its full for nan first 8 months reached 420,000, a 5.4% increase. Rijeka Airport welcomed 39,000 passengers successful August, an summation of 3.2%, and served 118,000 passengers complete nan eight-month period, increasing 5.3% year-on-year.

These figures underline nan continued value of coastal airports successful supporting Croatia’s thriving tourism industry, which remains 1 of nan main drivers of nan country’s economy.

Mixed Results for Smaller Airports

While astir awesome airports reported affirmative trends, Osijek Airport and island-based airports knowledgeable declines. Osijek Airport saw a 6.2% driblet successful August, handling only 6,400 passengers, and a 1.4% alteration for nan January–August period, serving 31,300 passengers successful total.

While rider volumes soared, cargo postulation successful Croatia decreased significantly. In nan first 8 months of 2025, 6,400 tonnes of cargo were processed, representing a 10.7% diminution from nan aforesaid play past year. August saw a sharper 21.5% drop, pinch 732 tonnes recorded.

The emergence successful rider postulation underscores Croatia’s increasing estimation arsenic 1 of Europe’s starring tourism destinations. With world-famous coastal cities specified arsenic Split, Dubrovnik, and Zadar, alongside earthy landmarks for illustration Plitvice Lakes National Park and nan Dalmatian Islands, Croatia continues to pull millions of world visitors each year.

Croatia’s aerial connectivity has expanded successful caller years, pinch awesome European airlines expanding their formation frequencies and low-cost carriers introducing caller routes. The Croatian National Tourist Board and Ministry of Tourism and Sports proceed to beforehand nan state arsenic a year-round destination, supporting maturation beyond nan summertime peak.

The Sunce Strategy Croatia’s sustainable tourism improvement plan—has encouraged investments successful infrastructure, including airdrome upgrades and integer rider services. Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik airports person each implemented modernization projects to grip rising tourer request and heighten traveler experience.

Across Europe, airports successful Germany, nan United Kingdom, and France continued to lead successful world rider volumes during August 2025, while Croatia’s airports showed immoderate of nan strongest year-on-year maturation rates successful nan southeast European region.

The Croation aviation and tourism industries deed a important milestone during nan first 8 months of nan twelvemonth by having complete 10 cardinal passengers traverse nan country’s airports a 6.6 % year-on-year increase. This summation successful postulation and nan strengthened capacity of nan country’s Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik airports is simply a testament to really quickly nan state is growing, successful position of popularity, arsenic a European recreation destination.

Croatia’s tourism-centered system remains robust and thrives arsenic shown by nan summation successful rider traffic. Although cargo volumes person decreased, Croatia is still group to person an summation successful world aerial travel, arsenic a consequence of further finance successful recreation related infrastructure, authorities tourism programs, amended aerial postulation relationship and finance successful airports group for nan twelvemonth 2026.