Project ‘Trust’: Zagreb airport ready for increased traffic

(Photo: Zagreb Airport/CC)

ZAGREB, June 5 (Hina) – The Franjo Tudjman Airport in Zagreb is ready for increased passenger traffic in June and July, and as part of the Trust project it implements all recommended measures for the protection of passengers’ and employees’ health every day in all business segments, the airport stated on Friday.

“Health comes before anything else, even expenses, and we are implementing all measures that international, European, and domestic institutions recommend for airports in connection with the epidemiological situation, safety, and hygiene, and all of our employees are undergoing constant training and following the news regarding the measures,” Lidija Capkovic Martinek, the airport’s spokesperson, said at a news conference.

At least 50% of last year’s passenger traffic is expected

According to Capkovic Martinek, the increase in traffic is expected because Croatia Airlines had announced several flights in the following weeks, and other companies are also expected. Around ten of them had already announced their flights.

Thus, the number of passengers will increase compared to the last few months, when there was a small number of passengers, but significantly fewer compared to the record numbers in the previous year. Also, there will be more flights compared to the current several daily flights to fewer than ten destinations, from which two are domestic, Split, and Dubrovnik.

“The coronavirus has been destroying all airport traffic in the last few months, as airlines are flying on a very restricted schedule. Thus we have registered only around 13,800 passengers in May, which is a 96% decrease compared to May 2019. At the five-month level, the decrease is somewhat smaller, around 50%, with a total of 507,300 passengers,” spokesperson Capkovic Martinek told Hina.

As for business expectations in 2020, she emphasised that it was extremely difficult at the moment to predict what would happen by the end of the year, however, that rough estimates showed that the airport might realise at least around 50% of passenger traffic from 2019 when it had a record 3.5 million passengers.

Importance of regaining both the passengers and their trust

The head of the Trust project, Mirela Vrbanc, emphasised that at the moment it was of utmost importance to regain the passengers’ trust and that was the reason behind the name of the project, as part of which the airport had implemented and monitored the implementation of measures against the coronavirus since April.

The measures are implemented in all areas at the airport, from the information desk, check-in, screening, to the airplane entrance, and from baggage claim, sorting facilities, toilets, shops and cafes and food services, gates, and other areas.

Toilets are cleaned and disinfected once every hour, as well as all corridors, exits, waiting for areas, and all other areas within the so-called passenger flow, which are cleaned several times a day, regardless of whether or not there are any passengers.

Wear masks, keep a distance and check-in to for flight online

“Passengers are recommended, actually we implore them to wear masks and to check-in for their flight online even before arriving at the airport, because that is the way to decrease contact, and if they really are unable to do it, they can do so at the airport either at the self-check-in or at a counter. Also, it is important that they do not bring too much carry-on luggage with them on the plane, because that is also restricted now, as well as that they use hand sanitiser provided in sensor dispensers, no-touch necessary, all over the airport,” Vrbanac said.

The airport’s head of maintenance, Frano Mikulic, said that they were paying more attention to the ventilation and air-conditioning systems.