Rijeka Airport
International airport serving Rijeka, Croatia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rijeka Airport (Croatian: Zračna luka Rijeka, Italian: Aeroporto di Fiume; IATA: RJK, ICAO: LDRI) is the international airport serving Rijeka, Croatia. It is located near the town of Omišalj on the island of Krk, 17 km from the Rijeka railway station.[1] Most of the traffic to and from the airport occurs during the summer months, when it is used by several European low-cost airlines flying tourists to the northern parts of the Croatian coast.
Rijeka Airport Zračna luka Rijeka/Krk I. | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Rijeka Airport Ltd. | ||||||||||
| Serves | Rijeka | ||||||||||
| Location | Omišalj, Croatia | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 278 ft / 85 m | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 45°13′01″N 014°34′13″E | ||||||||||
| Website | rijeka-airport.hr | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
  RJK Location of the airport in Croatia  RJK RJK (Krk) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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| Statistics (2025) | |||||||||||
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| Source: Croatian Aeronautical Information Publication[1] | |||||||||||
It's the 6th busiest airport in Croatia, with over 160,000 passengers in 2025.[2]
History
Rijeka Airport opened in May 1970. The first plane to depart carried Josip Broz Tito and his wife.[3]
Before the Second World War, Rijeka was divided between Yugoslavia and Italy. The Yugoslav part of the city was served by the airfield in Sušak. Domestic airline Aeroput opened a route linking Sušak to Zagreb in 1930, and a year later, a route linking Zagreb to Belgrade via Sušak, Split and Sarajevo was opened. By 1936, Aeroput linked the city to Belgrade, Borovo, Ljubljana, Sarajevo, Split and Zagreb.[4] The Italian part of the city was connected to many Italian cities with regular flights provided by Italian company Ala Littoria.[5]
The Grobnik airport had difficulty with larger planes, as its runways were close to the hills to the east of the city. With larger airliners coming on board, planners decided on a location on Krk after considering locations close to Opatija and near Urinj, which would have required moving some hills.[3]
Facilities
Terminal
Rijeka airport has a single terminal building which dates back to its original opening in 1970. Over the decades minor upgrades have been made. The terminal has seven gates: one domestic and six international. None of the gates have jet bridges and boarding is by walking from the terminal to the aircraft. The arrivals hall features a single baggage belt. On the upper floor there is a small duty free shop in the international area, mostly featuring local products, as well as a café bar. Another bar with a limited selection of snacks is located in the entrance hall. Domestic departures have no facilities after the security checkpoint. Several car rental agencies maintain offices during the summer season.[citation needed]
Runway
The airport has a single runway, approximately 2500 m long and 45 m wide. There are no taxiways. Consequently, aircraft have to turn at the end of the runway and taxi back along the runway to approach the terminal. Runway 14 has CAT I ILS landing aids installed.[citation needed]
Ground transportation
Since the airport is located on the island of Krk, there is a dedicated bus line from Rijeka and Omišalj which runs as needed, considering the flight arrival times. The shuttle would not operate unless bookings are made 24 hours prior to departure.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Rijeka Airport:
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air Serbia | Seasonal: Belgrade[6] |
| Croatia Airlines | Munich[7] |
| Eurowings | Seasonal: Cologne/Bonn,[8] Düsseldorf,[9] Hamburg,[9] Stuttgart[10] |
| Lufthansa | Seasonal: Frankfurt,[11] Munich[12] |
| Ryanair | Seasonal: Charleroi,[13] Hahn,[14] London–Stansted,[15] Stockholm–Arlanda,[13] Wrocław[16] |
| Swiss International Air Lines | Seasonal: Zürich (begins 29 June 2026)[17][18] |
| Wizz Air | Seasonal: Gdańsk,[19] Katowice,[19] Lublin[19] (all begin 9 June 2026) |
Statistics
| Year | Passengers | Change | Aircraft movements | Change | Cargo | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 84,713 |  28.32% |
2,680 | 32.84% |
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| 2012 | 77,082 |  7.77% |
2,290 | 15.49% |
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| 2013 | 142,975 | 93.47% |
2,653 | 17.13% |
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| 2014 | 106,235 | 26.82% |
2,378 | 10.37% |
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| 2015 | 139,718 | 37.06% |
4,014 | 68.80% |
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| 2016 | 145,297 | 3.99% |
4,146 | 3.29% |
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| 2017 | 142,111 | 2.2% |
4,937 | 19.1% |
2,130,742 | |
| 2018 | 183,606 | 29.2% |
5,460 | 10.6% |
4,655,866 | 118.5% |
| 2019 | 200,841 | 9.4% |
4,942 | 9.4% |
1,025.879 | 78.0% |
| 2020 | 27,680 | 86.22% |
3,360 | 32.01% |
259,226 | 74,73% |
| 2021 | 56,388 | 103.71% |
4,286 | 27.55% |
56 | 99,98% |
| 2022 | 164,086 | 190.99% |
4,392 | 2.47% |
41,077 | 73.78% |
| 2023 | 154,367 | 5.92% |
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| 2024 | 145,148 | 5.97% |
5,114 | 8,306 | ||
| 2025 | 160,249 | 10.4% |
5,904 | 15.45% |
10,414 | 25.38% |
Incidents and accidents
- On 23 May 1971, Aviogenex Flight 130 crashed on approach to Rijeka Airport because of rough landing in bad weather conditions,[22][23] killing 78 people and leaving five survivors. Among the victims was the Croatian poet Josip Pupačić with his wife and daughter.
