Rijeka Airport sees increasing passenger turnover

The Rijeka Airport surpassed in the first seven months of this year the entire 2012 turnover of 72,000 passengers, with 82,000 passengers passing through it from January 1, 2013 through today, director Tomislav Palalic told reporters at the airport located in Omisalj on the northern Adriatic island of Krk on Friday.

He said announcements for August and September were promising and that the airport planned to have a turnover of 150,000 passengers this year.

Deputy Primorje-Gorski Kotar County Prefect Marko Boras Mandic said the turnover was insufficient and that more work should be invested to make the Rijeka Airport one of the three biggest in Croatia in terms of passenger turnover.

Palalic said the airport's priorities were attracting turnover, safety and a redesign. He said the airport covered about 60 per cent of Croatia's tourism and that it planned to introduce new flights, primarily to Munich and Frankfurt.

Palalic said the airport's owners, the state being the biggest, were interested in investing and that they had allocated funds for the infrastructure.

The Rijeka Airport employs 78 people. Fifteen will leave by the end of the year. Its debt amounts to HRK 12.9 million (approx. EUR 1.72m) and can be settled within two years, said Palalic. (Hina)