Zagreb Airport
by Natasa Lujic
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 station1 in Zagreb, it served 2,062,242 passengers in 2009 and is the primary hub for Croatian flag carrier Croatia Airlines. Expansion of the airport is due to start in 2010. 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. On 1 April 1947, commercial services were moved to a former airbase near the village of Lučko, southwest of the city. 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 mē terminal. A new 5,000 mē 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 mē. The airport's peak level of traffic was in 2008, with 2.2 million passengers. In 2004, the airport installed a CAT-IIIb instrument landing system (ILS). The VIP terminal was completed in 2008 and is located just south-west of the old terminal, which is also going to be refurbished.The passenger terminal underwent major design upgrade, new VIP terminal was added to the west of the current terminal in 2008, and new unified facade (at the front of the terminal) was also added in 2009. The passenger terminal has a maximum capacity of around 2.5 million passengers per year with current traffic being around the 2.2 million mark. The main terminal building itself is rather small measuring only 200x58meters or around 20 000 mē. Apron or airport ramp measures 950x187meters and can accommodate around 15 medium and 2 wide body aircraft. A new terminal is planned for the future. The initial plan, made by NACO in 1997, was for 47,000 mē 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 favor of a larger terminal. Contact Natasa Lujic for more info.
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