Pula Airport (PUY), located in Valtura, Croatia, has recently begun reviewing the feasibility of extending its runway to accommodate transatlantic flights.

The airport already facilitates European holidaymakers from the UK, the Republic of Ireland (ROI), France, and Germany, to name a few. Croatia only hosts two transatlantic flights: between Zagreb to Toronto with Air Transat and Dubrovnik and Newark with United Airlines.

The main goal of the move is to renovate the airport's facilities to make it suitable for transatlantic flights. The airport currently features a small yet hospitable terminal building with few facilities, such as a single airbridge for larger aircraft. There are also some shops, a cafe, and an internet connection, making the accommodations humble for a tourist destination that many EU airlines serve. 

The runway expansion would need to be coordinated due to the impending lack of space at each end of the runway. Considering that the airport needs to expand to ensure that larger aircraft can use the airport safely, environmental damage that would be caused to the local area will also have to be considered.

Plans for a terminal refresh — separate from the runway expansion plan — have existed since 2016 and are currently outdated as there have been shifts in the financial situation of the airport. The proposed plan for the upgrade consisted of expanding the terminal in which two exits would be added. This was due by late 2020 at the latest; it has yet to be completed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the financial constraints it caused.

Currently, the airport is gearing up for a new tourist season, where it will serve 27 destinations across 13 airlines.

TUI serves the UK airports of Manchester and Glasgow with seasonal flights to its other UK airports, such as London-Gatwick, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, and East Midlands.

Croatian flagship carriers Trade Air and Croatian Airlines serve domestic routes to Zagreb, Dubrovnik, Split, and Zadar; linking passengers to other cities within Croatia is vital as it is such a small country with limited public transportation needs.

Budget Airlines Ryanair and EasyJet have also recently announced that they would fly to UK destinations, specifically linking London to Pula and other UK airports, such as Southend, which are not currently connected to the airport.

Lufthansa currently operates flights to the German cities of Frankfurt and Munich, with connections to Stuttgart, Berlin, Cologne, and Düsseldorf coming this summer.

Bottom Line

The viability of transatlantic flights is unfortunately not possible at current for the airport; there are many hurdles to overcome. However, the airport will continue to be a well-rounded European tourist airport that accommodates regional European flights. Should finances improve, the airport can reassess viability in the future. In addition, more employees may be required to manage the influx of passengers that transatlantic flights will bring to Pula.