History
The Yugoslav airline Aeroput established its first route to Dubrovnik in 1936, using a seaplane station to connect the city to Belgrade via Sarajevo. The following year, a route to Zagreb was added. However, it wasn't until 1938 that air traffic in Dubrovnik saw a notable increase, as Aeroput began regular flights to Vienna, Brno, and Prague, with stops in Sarajevo and Zagreb. They also introduced a scheduled flight between Belgrade and Tirana that included a stop in Dubrovnik. Initially, the city was served by Gruda Airfield, which opened for commercial traffic in 1936 but operated only during the summer months. Unfortunately, Aeroput's operations came to a halt in the early 1940s due to World War II.
The current Dubrovnik Airport opened its doors in 1962. In 1987, which was the peak year for Yugoslav aviation, the airport accommodated 835,818 passengers on international flights and an additional 586,742 on domestic flights. Following the breakup of Yugoslavia, the airport surpassed the one million passenger milestone in 2005, and by September 2023, it had exceeded two million passengers.
Terminals
Dubrovnik Airport features three terminal areas: A, B, and C. The spacious new Terminal C opened in February 2017 and became fully operational by April 2017, taking over all departing passenger services, including check-in and security checks, from Terminal A. This new terminal boasts over 1,000 square meters of check-in and commercial space, eight security checkpoints, a departure hall with various commercial and catering options, a premium lounge, and restaurants. It also has sixteen gates, with two designated for domestic flights and the other fourteen for international flights. Covering an area of 24,181 square meters, the airport's annual capacity has now increased to 3.5 million passengers. Terminal A has been permanently closed to passenger traffic and is currently used solely as a baggage sorting facility. Terminal C is situated next to the existing Terminal B, which accommodates arriving passengers, and the two have been integrated into a single operational unit. Future plans for the airport include an extensive commercial zone and a four-star airport hotel, along with long-term proposals for a new runway and the transformation of the existing runway into a taxiway.