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Airports across the former Yugoslavia handled a record 25 million passengers in 2017. For the first time, nine airports managed to welcome over one million travellers with Tivat and Podgorica joining the list. Split was the fastest growing among the larger airports, with an annual increase of 23.1%, while Podgorica saw the biggest growth among capital city airports for a second year in a row, boosting its passenger numbers by over 20% on the year before. For the first time, four airports handled over two million travellers in a single year. Compared to 2016, Pula overtook Zadar, while Niš Airport raced ahead of Ohrid and Rijeka. Furthermore, Brač Airport performed better than Banja Luka. The table below does not include annual data for the smaller Banja Luka, Mostar and Maribor airports as the three are yet to publish their figures, however, common to all is that their numbers decreased in 2017 compared to the year before.

Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport maintained its position as the busiest in the former Yugoslavia, welcoming over five million passengers in a single year for the first time. On the other hand, Croatia cemented its lead as the busiest overall market with over 9.6 million passengers handled at nine commercial airports. Zagreb registered over three million travellers for the first time, while Split added over half a million passengers when compared to the year before. In another first, Dubrovnik surpassed the two million mark. Osijek Airport saw strong growth on the back of new flights launched by low cost Eurowings and Wizz Air, making up for the loss of Ryanair’s operations. The results come on top of a bumper year for the tourism sector, during which 18.5 million foreign visitors arrived in the country, up 13% on 2016. Rijeka Airport bucked the trend with its figures declining by just over 2%, despite soaring cargo traffic and profits.

Airport	Passengers 2017	Passengers 2016	Change (%)	2007-17
Pula	595.812	436.121	▲ 36.5	▲ 55.0
Zadar	589.841	520.924	▲ 13.4	▲ 393.8
Tuzla	535.596	311.398	▲ 72.0	–
Niš	331.582	124.917	▲ 165.4	▲ 988.8
Ohrid	159.072	145.002	▲ 9.7	▲ 249.5
Rijeka	142.111	145.297	▼ 2.2	▼ 11.7
Osijek	43.373	30.605	▲ 41.7	▲ 1435.9
Portorož	25.450	23.783	▲ 7.0	–
Brač	21.596	12.354	▲ 39.3	▲ 31.2
Mali Lošinj	6.042	6.402	▼ 5.6	–

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport recovered last year following a disappointing 2016 and surpassed its previous record set a decade ago. Podgorica Airport continued to post strong figures, fuelled by the introduction of new routes from a mix of legacy and low cost airlines. This is despite a slow year for national carrier Montenegro Airlines. In total it saw 537.234 arrivals and 517.908 departures. Sarajevo was the only capital city airport to stay under one million passengers, however, it is expected to surpass the figure this year following 14.2% growth in 2017.

Among the smaller airports in the region, Tuzla Airport welcomed over half a million passengers in 2017, registering its busiest year on record. It saw 535.596 travellers pass through its doors, an increase of 72% on 2016. The growth was fuelled by Wizz Air, which based a second aircraft in the city during the year. Niš Constantine the Great Airport also put in a good performance, recording its busiest year by handling 331.582 passengers, up 165.4% on 2016. During the year, the airport recorded 1.477 aircraft movements, an improvement of 104.6%, and processed 2542.9 tons of cargo, up 29.2%. Despite having no commercial flights, Portorož Airport welcomed over 25.000 primarily leisure travellers visiting the city and its surroundings.

Source: EX-YU Aviation News

http://www.exyuaviation.com/2018/01/ex-yu-airport-race-2017.html