Zagreb Airport Builds a Platform for Safer and More Efficient Operations

Zagreb International Airport is entering a new phase of digital transformation in which connectivity is no longer just a communications issue, but the foundation for safer, more efficient, and more advanced management of the entire airport system. As Marin Tica, IT Director at Zagreb International Airport, explains, the objective is not simply to deploy another networking technology, but to build a platform that will allow operations across the airport estate to run with the same level of availability, security, and control that employees currently expect in an office environment. 

At the centre of that vision is a private 5G/VPN infrastructure designed to solve very concrete operational problems. Tica notes that parts of the airside area are still not covered by the airport’s own network, which means some workflows currently depend on commercial operators and additional security measures. “The airport will get network coverage across the entire area,” he says. More importantly, the aim is for “the network to be available from anywhere” within the airport’s operating zone, so employees can use tablets, laptops, and other devices in any business process without interruption or improvised workarounds.

For the airport, that brings a dual benefit. On one level, it strengthens cyber and operational security. On the other hand, it creates the conditions for simpler and more productive work in the field. Tica illustrates this with a practical example: some operational staff today have to carry multiple devices for different communication and system-access tasks. “We need to consolidate that hardware,” he says, so that frontline personnel can work with “as little equipment as possible” while still retaining access to every required function. In an airport environment, where response time, reliability, and coordination are critical, that kind of consolidation is more than an IT upgrade. It is part of the airport’s wider operational readiness.

One of the most significant dimensions of the project is its potential to support advanced inspection and automation workflows. The airport is already considering the use of drones for inspection tasks, including monitoring asphalt surfaces and identifying damage. But Tica stresses that without a high-quality and stable network, such activities remain limited to offline processing after the fact. “We would like to reach the level of real-time decision-making,” he says. That requires a “stable and secure network” and a provider capable of making field tools work “as if you were in your own office.” In effect, the airport’s external operational space begins to function as a digitally extended office, opening the way for broader automation, robotics, and new approaches to infrastructure management.

The impact of that model will not be limited to the airport’s IT department or internal teams. Tica outlines a broader ambition: the airport sees itself both as an operator and as a provider of centralised infrastructure for a wide range of stakeholders working on site. “The most important plan is to implement the platform,” he says. That platform is intended to serve airlines, ground handling providers, retail outlets, car rental operators, and other partners. “Any stakeholder operating in our area” should have access to a technological base that enables process improvement, whether through higher efficiency or a better end-user experience.

This platform-first approach may be the project’s most important strategic layer. Rather than treating digitalisation as a collection of isolated use cases, Zagreb Airport is trying to establish shared infrastructure on top of which future services and innovations can be built. “Without a platform, there is no improvement,” Tica argues. He adds that the ambition is to show that this foundation can connect startups, enterprise players, universities, and other development partners. In other words, the airport wants to become both a testbed and an operational environment where new solutions are not merely demonstrated in pilot form, but developed under the real conditions of highly demanding infrastructure.

Passengers may not immediately notice every element of that transformation, but they are likely to feel its effects through better service quality, more reliable processes, and stronger safety standards. Tica himself acknowledges that “at first the user may not notice it,” but he adds that the benefits will become visible “with the development of new services.” That is the core message behind the project: a modern airport is no longer just a transport facility, but a digital operational ecosystem in which the network becomes as important as the runway, the terminal, or the security system. In that sense, Zagreb’s private 5G initiative can be seen as the groundwork for a new generation of airport management, where security, automation, and ecosystem-wide collaboration are all part of the same strategic equation.