We recently had a chance to visit Pula Airport. Our hosts gave us a tour and we engaged in a pleasant conversation.
Few of our questions were answered by Mr. Svemir Radmilo, the airport manager.
How satisfied are you with the traffic during the first 4 months of this year?
We are very pleased because it is in line with our expectations. The results in April are 28,630 passengers, or 60% more than last year. From January to April there was a total of 32,200 passengers, or 22% more than last year. This is exactly what we expected and what we were working towards; the earliest possible start of the busy season and its extention. We are still at the beginning and taking small steps, but we have great announcements for the next year (earlier start with arival of several carriers).
How much traffic increase do you expect this year?
We expect a 10% growth this year.
Can we expect further announcement of new lines this year?
Yes. This year, EasyJet is opening 2 new lines; Amsterdam (2 x a week) starting from June 26th, and Geneva (2 x a week) from June 25th. Ryanair has already started flights from Berlin, and Laudamotion from Stuttgart. Volotea is launching a new line from Bordeaux, starting on June 5th. They have already started (from April 10th) with last year’s flights to Nantes. Jet2.com has started with flights from Birmingham on May 12th (1 x a week).
Will there be more wide-body airplanes this year, in addition to TUI’s Dreamliner?
Dreamliner is quite enough for our small regional airport. No, we do not have other wide-body planes announced.
How are plans / construction work going on the expansion of the passenger building?
A few days ago, we have sent the documentation to the Ministry in order to obtain a license. This is something we can’t do during the summer, so we do not expect it to be finished before Summer 2021.
How is the general aviation going? How much increase is there in the Private-Jet Traffic?
Last year we had about 5000 MVTs, and we expect a 10% growth. The numbers could be even bigger, but we have a problem with parking positions, so we already had to put limitations on the number of arrivals on some days.
For more photos, check our gallery:
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Read more:
EasyJet will increase traffic between Pula and London
New route from Pula to Stuttgart with Laudamotion
Shuttle bus connects Pula Airport with Pula city centre
Many thanks to Airport Manager Mr. Radmilo, Marketing Manager Mrs. Anđela Monas, and Mr. Viktor Diković, Head of the Airport Security, for their hospitality and conversation.
Photo © Nenad Sredojević – Avioradar
