Zadar Airport to commence €100 million expansion project in 2023

Zadar Airport has registered its busiest year on record in 2022 by handling over one million passengers for the first time. The airport now plans to commence its delayed expansion project in order to cater for additional traffic and enable long haul flights. Work on the project, initially planned to commence in 2020, will now begin after the 2023 summer season. “We have been working on the terminal expansion project for some time. The pandemic, which we hope is behind us, has slowed us down somewhat. However, we will pick it up where we left off. The terminal expansion is a comprehensive capital project and will be undertaken in several phases, which will take some time to complete”, the airport’s General Manager, Josip Klišmanć, told the “Zadarski list” daily.

Zadar Airport plans to build a completely new terminal building. The architectural design of the facility has been inspired by the pine forest surrounding the airport and will have a glass roof with solar panels which will improve the terminal’s overall energy efficiency. The building will also boast nine gates, a baggage sorting facility, two baggage carrousels and the capacity to seat 1.480 people. The airport has plans to build a railway to the Gaženica port with the train terminal to be located in the underground car park. An overhaul of the runway and its extension by 700 metres, to 3.200 metres, is also in the works, while the apron and existing terminal will be overhauled.

The expansion is valued at 100 million euros and although the first phase of construction will commence next year, the entire project will take ten years to complete. “Most of the funding will come from the airport’s own capital, considering the project’s timeframe and phased approach”, Mr Klišmanić said. The lengthening of the runway and the increase in its weight bearing capacity will be partially funded by the European Union. The General Manger noted the runway project will enable the airport to handle wide-body aircraft. Bureaucratic procedures to commence work on the runway have already begun.

EX-YU Aviation News

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