Dubrovnik Airport plans to complete its 2018 business year with a total of 2,534,173 passengers, which is 9.47 percent more than in 2017. Also, the company generated revenues of HRK 415.3 million, an increase of 16.3 percent, and a profit of HRK 72 million. Speaking at a media conference traditionally held at the end of the year, said the Director General of Dubrovnik Airport, Frano Luetić, and in many ways 2018 was a record year.
“Although there is a turbulent and challenging year behind us, we have achieved new records. But we believe that 2019 will be even better and the growth in traffic and revenue will be higher. The increase in the number of passengers carried this year also has a positive impact on financial operations. The estimated operating profit of Dubrovnik Airport for 2018 is 170 million Kuna, an increase of 14 percent compared to the previous year,” commented Luetić.
Adding that “According to airline announcements, the number of operations on flights to Western and Central Europe, particularly towards the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic is expected to increase in 2019. The most significant announcements are carriers who are already among the top ten carriers at Dubrovnik Airport according to the number of passengers carried. These are EasyJet, Jet2.com, British Airways, Eurowings and TUI Airways and they have all announced increased capacity on all routes to Dubrovnik. Significant growth is expected in London, Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin, and a particularly significant announcement of opening Philadelphia as a new destination, said Luetić, explaining that a new line will be maintained by the world's largest air carrier, American Airlines.
Other new lines are still available for Cork Carrier Aer Lingus, Linz to Austrian Airlines and Tel Aviv by El Al airline.
However, commenting on the news that the largest low-cost airline in the world, Ryanair, will fly to Dubrovnik in 2019 he said that “we are still in negotiations.”