With the newly adopted regulation, three Croatian airports—Zagreb, Split, and Dubrovnik—are set to receive an additional, competitive provider of ground services. These airports must issue tenders for new ground service providers, as these positions are among the most profitable airport roles. Currently, ground services in Zagreb are provided by the Turkish company Havaş, while in Split and Dubrovnik, they are handled by airlines that also serve as airport operators.
The competition for these services was initially scheduled to be announced in 2020, but it was postponed due to a decline in passenger numbers caused by the pandemic. According to the Ordinance on the Provision of Ground Services, once an airport reaches 2 million passengers per year, it must call for a tender to allow independent providers access to the airport infrastructure.
The last tender was supposed to be published in January, but it has not been published until today. The Croatian Civil Aviation Agency (HACZ) stated to LIDER weekly: “The Croatian Civil Aviation Agency is currently checking the dubious practice of certain airlines and ground service providers at other European airports, which may negatively affect the conditions set from the point of view of market competition and the final result of the tender. In any case, HACZ is working on resolving the previous legal issues related to the tender itself so that it can be announced as soon as possible.”
