Mali Lošinj Airport with big ambitions
Croatia's smallest commercial airport is expected to register record traffic this year, with the Czech carrier Silver Air resuming flights from Lošinj to Zagreb and Lugano next month. In addition, the airline will inaugurate new services to Venice on July 1. Both the airport's operator, Jadranka, which manages several hotels and villas in the area, as well as the local municipality, have plans to commence work on the airport's much-delayed expansion project. "The resumption of flights to Lošinj is a natural progression of our activities as we pursue plans to develop this unique island and position it as a tourist destination", Goran Filipović, a member of the Jadranka Management Board, said. He added, "Improved connectivity with the mainland is one of our strategic goals which we are actively working on in recent years in order to position Lošinj on the tourist map in this part of the Mediterranean".
The Jadranka Group noted that the planned overhaul and expansion of Lošinj Airport will contribute to both increasing the number of incoming flights and boosting the number of visitors to the entire Cres - Lošinj archipelago. A multi million euro upgrade of the airport and its facilities, which includes the construction of a new terminal building and the extension of the runway, could begin next year. The project entails the lengthening of the runway from the current 900 to 1.800 metres, which would enable the airport to cater for larger aircraft with the capacity to seat up to 180 passengers, as well as the expansion of the apron, the construction of a fire fighting services building, new access roads and parking. Upon completion, the airport aims to attract flights primarily from the United Kingdom and Scandinavia.
The Croatian Ministry for Tourism previously noted, "The Lošinj Airport project will significantly increase capacity for tourist arrivals and give a new perspective for the future development of the town of Mali Lošinj, the islands of Lošinj and Cres, and the Croatian tourism industry in this part of the Adriatic". The project was initially due to commence in 2016 but has been delayed year after year due to bureaucratic issues involving nearby land ownership, as well as a lack of funds. Lošinj Airport, opened in 1985 for general aviation purposes, has no scheduled traffic for most of the year, with Silver Air being its only commercial customer. It welcomed 6.939 passengers in 2018, up 14.8% on the year before.
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