Croatian airports in 2021 served 4.7 million customers, a 121.5 percent increase from the pandemic-hit year of 2020, with the airports in Split and Zagreb serving close to 62 percent of all passengers traveling through the country, state agency Hina said, citing a press release from the state statistics bureau.

The number of airplanes and their operations (landings and takeoffs) increased at all airports, by 58.2 percent, to 85,500, while cargo transport rose by 15 percent from 2020, to close to 9,000 tons.

Zagreb airport sees most passengers in December, Zadar reports largest increase, Rijeka sees drop in Dec. 2021

In December 2021 alone passenger turnover increased by almost 300 percent compared to the same month of 2020, to 216,000, while the number of plane operations grew by 101 percent to slightly more than 4,600, and cargo turnover by 25.5 percent to 882 tonnes.

Out of eight airports in Croatia, all but Rijeka and Brac saw an increase in the volume of passengers and cargo in December 2021. Rijeka saw a drop of 43 percent in passenger transport while the airport on Brac Island was closed.

Zagreb airport saw the largest increase in the number of passengers of 336 percent to 178,400, followed by Split, with a 187 percent increase and 23,400 passengers, and Dubrovnik, with a 176.4 percent increase in the number of passengers to 11,500.

Split airport with most passengers in 2021

In the entire year 2021 Split airport was the one with the most passengers, slightly more than 1.5 million, up 136.5 percent from 2020, while Zagreb airport was second, with a 52 percent increase or 1.4 million passengers.

Dubrovnik was third with 917,600 passengers, 184.5 percent up from 2020, followed by Zadar with 500,300 passengers or 350 percent more, Pula, with 261,600 passengers (+232 percent), Rijeka (+107.3 percent), Osijek (+71 percent), Brac (+125 percent), and Mali Losinj (+84 percent).

Hina did not compare the 2021 figures with 2019, the last year before the global pandemic.