Pula Airport (Croatian: Zračna luka Pula; Italian: Aeroporto di Pola; IATA: PUY, ICAO: LDPL) is the international airport serving the city of Pula-Pola, in northwestern Croatia, and is located 6 km from the city centre.[1] It served 777,568 passengers in 2019.[2] The airport is designated as the alternative airport for parts of Slovenia. It serves as a major access point to the city of Pula-Pola, as well as most of Istria, most notably Brijuni-Brioni national park.
Pula Airport at its current location was initially used only for military purposes but it was changed to a civilian airport as of 1 May 1967 and saw 701,370 passengers in 1987. In the same year, works on a new terminal building began and were completed by 1989 with a capacity of 1 million passengers per year. The Croatian War of Independence has caused a sharp decline in passenger numbers. The airport saw a steady increase in passenger volume over the next 3 decades, surpassing the previous record set in 2018. As most passengers flying to or from Pula airport are holiday makers, flight numbers have a significant seasonal character.
Facilities
Pula Airport has a single terminal building with a capacity of 1 million passengers per year. The airport serves both domestic and international flights. Inside the terminal there are a couple of café/snack bars as well as duty-free shop. None of the gates are equipped with jet bridges but rather the passengers walk from the terminal building to the aircraft or are transferred by bus.
Because of its location and fairly good weather conditions all year around, as well as lower flight numbers during the winter months, it is frequently used by European carriers for training flights.
Ground transportation
The airport can be reached by a dedicated bus line from the centre of Pula. The schedule is adjusted on a monthly basis to meet the flights arrival/departure.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Pula Airport:
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Annual passenger traffic at PUY airport.
See Wikidata query.
Traffic at Pula Airport
Year
Passengers
Change
Aircraft movements
Change
2013
351,196
4,4%
7,292
2,2%
2014
382,992
9,1%
7,106
2,6%
2015
359,426
6,2%
6,954
2,1%
2016
436,121
21,3%
7,692
10,6%
2017
595,812
36,5%
9,288
20,7%
2018
718,187
20,53%
10,076
8,4%
2019
777,568
8,26%
10,428
3,49%
2020
83,502
89,26%
4,464
57,19%
2021
270,035
223,38%
8,124
81,98%
2022
395,178
46,34%
n/a
n/a
2023
424,000
7.29%
n/a
n/a
Ground transportation
A bus goes to/from the airport ("Pula Zracna Luka") and the Pula central bus terminal ("Bus Kolodvor").
A taxi can be taken to the outskirts of Pula (specifically, Verudela, where Hotel Palma and Histria are located).
Incidents and accidents
On 2 August 2009, a private Piper PA-46-310P Malibu, from Frankfurt to Pula failed to extend its nose gear for landing. After several tries it ran out of fuel and landed on its main landing gear. When it landed, the nose of the airplane touched the runway and stopped, which resulted in substantial damage. There were no injuries reported among the five passengers.[24][25]
On 21 September 2011, the left main gear on a private Piper PA-46-350P Malibu Mirage collapsed after it made a 180 degree turn to line-up with the runway. The runway was closed for three hours as a result. The plane received minor damage and there were no injuries reported among the four passengers in the aircraft.[26]
