Zagreb Airport Ltd. Zračna luka Zagreb d.o.o.
IATA: ZAG – ICAO: LDZA
Summary
Airport type		Public
Operator		ZLZ
Serves		Zagreb, Croatia
Location		Pleso, Croatia
Hub for		Croatia Airlines
Elevation AMSL		353 ft / 108 m
Coordinates		45°44′35″N 016°04′08″E / 45.74306°N 16.06889°E / 45.74306; 16.06889
Website		www.zagreb-airport.hr
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
05/23	10,669	3,252	Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Number of Passengers			2,192,453
Number of Landings			22,271
Croatian Aeronautical Information Publication[1]

Zagreb Airport (IATA: ZAG, ICAO: LDZA), also known as Pleso Airport after the nearby suburb of Pleso, is the main international airport of Croatia and also a Croatian Air Force and Defense's major fighter jet base. Located 10 km from the central railway station^[1] in Zagreb, it served 2,192,453 passengers in 2008 and is the primary hub for Croatian flag carrier Croatia Airlines. Expansion of the airport is due to start in 2010.

Contents 1 History 2 Expansion and modernisation 3 Airlines and destinations 3.1 Cargo airlines 4 Traffic figures 5 Gallery 6 References 7 External links

[edit] History

The first airfield in Zagreb was built in 1909 near the western city neighbourhood of Črnomerec. It was used by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala for the airplanes he designed.

In 1927, Charles Lindbergh made a landing in Borongaj Airfield (east of Zagreb) after his successful crossing of the Atlantic Ocean.

The airfield began serving passenger traffic on 15 February 1928.

After World War II, commercial services were moved to a former airbase near the village of Lučko, southwest of the city, on 1 April 1947. At its peak in 1959, Lučko served 167,000 passengers.

On 20 April 1962, flight services were once again moved, this time to the current location near the suburb of Pleso in the southeast. It first opened with a 2,500 m long runway and 1,000 m² terminal.

A new 5,000 m² terminal was built in 1966, as well as the apron expansion. In 1974, the runway was extended to its current 3,250 m, and the terminal expanded to its current 12,000 m².

The airport's peak level of traffic was in 2008, with almost 2.2 million passengers. In 2004, the airport installed a CAT-IIIb instrument landing system (ILS). The VIP terminal was completed in 2007 and is located just south-west of the old terminal, which is also going to be refurbished.

[edit] Expansion and modernisation

A new terminal is planned for 2011. 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 favour of a larger terminal.

A new master plan has been developed by Scott Associates in 2006 and the new terminal is now expected to have 12 jetways and a capacity of 3.3 million passengers annually. It will be approximately 65,600 m² in area, nearly five times the size of the current terminal.

A competition for the final architectural and urban planning solution took place this August, and the winner (IGH d.d.) was declared at the beginning of October.

This proposal, designed by Neidhardt arhitects 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.

Construction is expected to cost €280 million, and is expected to start in 2009 and end in 2012. Following completion in 2012, the old terminal will be used for low-cost operators.

Air Force operations will move to the south end of the airport due to the construction.

Accompanying the terminal will be a second parallel runway. The completion date is unknown at this stage.

By 2011, there will also be a new rail line alongside the Eastern bypass of Velika Gorica, which extends from Zagreb across the Homeland Bridge completed in 2007. These elements will create an entirely new east entrance into the city.

[edit] Airlines and destinations

The following scheduled passenger airlines use Zagreb Pleso Airport (as at December 2009):

Airlines	Destinations
Aeroflot	Moscow-Sheremetyevo
Air France operated by Brit Air	Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Austrian operated by Tyrolean Airways	Vienna
Croatia Airlines	Amsterdam, Athens [begins 29 April], Barcelona, Belgrade [begins 1 May], Bol, Brussels, Copenhagen, Dubrovnik, Frankfurt, Gothenburg-Landvetter [seasonal], London-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, Munich, Osijek [seasonal], Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Podgorica, Pristina, Pula, Rome-Fiumicino, Sarajevo, Skopje, Split, Vienna, Zadar, Zürich
Czech Airlines	Prague
Germanwings	Berlin-Schönefeld, Cologne/Bonn, Stuttgart
Lufthansa	Frankfurt, Munich
Lufthansa Regional operated by Lufthansa CityLine	Munich
Malév Hungarian Airlines	Budapest
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Copenhagen [begins 3 May]
Sun d'Or International Airlines	Tel Aviv
TAP Portugal	Bologna, Lisbon
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul-Atatürk
Wizz Air	Dortmund [begins 13 March], London-Luton

[edit] Cargo airlines

• MiniLiner - Milan-Orio al Serio
• Trade Air - Ljubljana, Sarajevo

[edit] Traffic figures

Traffic at Zagreb Pleso Airport ^{[2] [3] [4]}

Year	Passengers	Cargo
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	1,928,042	9,176

*2009 figures to 30 November

[edit] Gallery

JAL Boeing 747-400 at Airport Zagreb

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b} AIP from the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation
2. ^ http://www.zagreb-airport.hr/en/poslovne_8/index.aspx Annual reports
3. ^ http://www.mmpi.hr/default.aspx?id=2068 Croatian Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure / Airports Statistics
4. ^ http://www.zagreb-airport.hr/en/iz_statistike/show/30

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zagreb airport

• Official airport website (English)
• Airport information for LDZA at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.

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