Last time I have been to Medulin (near Pula) landing fees were 0 Euros ! regards detlev
It looks like - having joined EU, they have withdrawn customs, thereby also withdrawing immigration.
It's not related to joining - it's just that police and customs find staffing Vrsar's airport is too expensive for them in their mision of cutting the costs. These two services are still financed by Croatian taxpayers and are not related to airport fees.
Last time I have been to Medulin (near Pula) landing fees were 0 Euros!
Very friendly guys (I know the operator for some 25 years) but no customs and border police.
Regarding the other small airports (basicaly we're talking about two: Losinj and Brac), they are operating under the same conditions as for today but nobody knows for how long. Others (Pula, Rijeka, Zadar, Split, Dubrovnik, Zagreb, Osijek) are large (in Croatian terms) international airports and will survive with or without government subsidies, depending on political interests.
Pricing? Yes, Croatian airports are expensive and the fees they're getting from GA won't help them covering lack of real airliners traffic. Sometimes I have a feeling that they just want to get rid of GA.
Sometimes I have a feeling that they just want to get rid of GA.
But then who's going for example to Osijek? There doesn't seem to be any scheduled flight activity...
But then who's going for example to Osijek? There doesn't seem to be any scheduled flight activity...
Almost nobody. They used to have some cargo traffic but it has gone. Croatia Airlines used to have some flights to Split and Dubrovnik (subsidized airfare) but it generated only loss due to low interest. Now it's limited to only two flights a week - Wedesday (Dubrovnik) and Thursday (Split) - from June to begining of September. There's an FTO that operates at the airport and they generate majority of the traffic. Originally, the airport has been built in former Yugoslavia as alternate for Belgrade but obviously it can't be used for that purpose.
The airport is subsidized by the government because of political reasons - Osijek is the largest city in eastern part of the country and they simply can't close the airport. But if you take a look at working hours (Mon-Fri 8-15 LT) everything is clear.
Other than that it's very nice airport (ILS and NDB approaches, night operations), super nice people, 100LL and JETA1 available, customs and border police, when snowing runways always clean within hours - everything you would expect from fully working airport.
Originally, the airport has been built in former Yugoslavia as alternate for Belgrade but obviously it can't be used for that purpose.
Why "obviously"? The only criteria that an alternate aerodrome must fulfill is that it is suitable for the category of aircraft and that the weather is above the minimum specified for an alternate.
During my 20+ years in commercial GA flying, I have been to Osijek just once. Collecting some pieces of express freight. No business or holiday trip (we do about 95 percent business flights) ever.But the same is true for hundreds of small/medium airfields all over Europe.
Why "obviously"? The only criteria that an alternate aerodrome must fulfill is that it is suitable for the category of aircraft and that the weather is above the minimum specified for an alternate.
I didn't mean "alternate" in terms of diverting for any aviation/weather reason. I meant alternate in terms of offloading Belgrade due to busy schedule. Road distance between Osijek and Belgrade is less than 200 km and I guess it would be acceptable as cheaper airport. However, we have a border (now between EU and non-EU country) with heavy traffic, it's only partialy covered with highway etc.
But if you take a look at working hours (Mon-Fri 8-15 LT) everything is clear.
They'll happily open for you outside these hours. At least they did for us. About 7 persons were there to greet us, 3 from the border force, the rest from the airport. In the end we paid about 150 Euros.
I haven't really seen any signs of an FTO, but I haven't specifically looked for any...
In the end we paid about 150 Euros.
It's much better than Mostar (LQMO) - they asked me 250 Euros per our of opening after their working hours until my arrival.
I haven't really seen any signs of an FTO, but I haven't specifically looked for any...
They are located east of main airport building - maybe you spotted their agricultural aircrafts An-2.
But nobody is going to be doing burger runs to the Adriatic islands.
You might think that, but you would be wrong. Losinj or example is THE fish-lunch destination for Austrian pilots.
A burger run across the Alps 
Now that's a burger run worth doing.
A UK burger run is Shoreham to Bembridge!
