According to DZS data, passenger traffic grew by 3 percent in the first six months, but the number of aircraft operations and cargo traffic are declining. Split was the busiest airport in June, while Osijek records a dramatic drop in passengers.
Croatian airports recorded 5.5 million passengers in the first half of 2026, which is three percent more compared to the same period last year. June ended with 1.9 million passengers transported, a result similar to last year's June, according to data from the Croatian Bureau of Statistics (DZS).
However, the growth in passenger numbers was not accompanied by an increase in the number of flights. In the first six months, there were 3.1 percent fewer aircraft operations, just over 58,100. In June, this decline was more pronounced, with about six percent fewer operations, specifically around 17,600.
The negative trend in cargo traffic continues. In June, 777 tons of cargo were transported, which is 13 percent less than in the same month last year. Cumulatively, in the first half of the year, cargo traffic fell by 14.1 percent, reaching just over 4,000 tons.
Zagreb Airport received 2.2 million passengers in the first six months, a growth of 3.2 percent year-on-year. In June, 435,600 passengers passed through it. Although Split was the busiest airport in June with 558,900 passengers, this represents a decline of 3.3 percent compared to last year's June. In the half-year total, Split is in second place with 1.3 million passengers.
Dubrovnik Airport recorded 462,000 passengers in June, an increase of 3.3 percent on a monthly basis. In the first half of the year, the growth was 4.6 percent, with a total of 1.2 million passengers. Zadar Airport continues with excellent results, achieving a growth of 4.3 percent in June (307,600 passengers) and as much as 8.1 percent in the first six months, with a total of 595,500 passengers.
Pula Airport recorded a growth of 2.5 percent in June with nearly 97,000 passengers, thereby managing to reduce the overall deficit in the first half of the year to 6.3 percent (150,400 passengers). Rijeka Airport also records positive trends with a growth of 6 percent in June (31,200 passengers) and 3.2 percent in the half-year (42,300 passengers).
On the other hand, Osijek Airport is facing a serious decline in traffic. In June, it recorded only about 4,800 passengers, a drop of 12.8 percent, while in the first six months the decline is a dramatic 37.5 percent, with a total of about 13,000 passengers. The island airports of Brač and Mali Lošinj also had fewer passengers than last year.
In international traffic, the largest number of passengers still comes from Germany, with 342,000 passengers in June, although that is 2.5 percent less than last year. They are followed by the United Kingdom with 334,000 passengers and Poland with 163,000 passengers. These two countries are among the few in positive territory: the UK records a growth of 5.4 percent, while Poland achieved an impressive jump of 23 percent.
The largest growth among the top ten markets was achieved by Spain, with as much as 34.4 percent more passengers than in last year's June. In contrast, passenger traffic with airports in France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Austria, and Ireland is declining.
