Ryanair has increased the minimum time required for passengers to complete airport check-in and hand over checked baggage at airports in Croatia from 40 minutes to one hour before the scheduled departure. The new rule applies to all airports served by the airline in the country, including Zagreb (ZAG), Dubrovnik (DBV), Pula (PUY) and Split (SPU).
New deadline details
The change means passengers who previously planned to arrive at the baggage desk less than an hour before departure will need to adjust their arrangements. For example, someone travelling on a flight scheduled to depart at noon will need to complete baggage drop-off by 11am. Arriving at the desk at 11.10am will no longer meet the deadline, even if the aircraft has not yet departed.
The change will primarily affect passengers travelling with checked luggage. According to Index, around 20% of Ryanair passengers use the baggage drop-off service. The remaining passengers, who check in online and travel without checked baggage, will not be directly affected by the new airport desk deadline.
Online check-in unchanged
Online check-in arrangements remain unchanged. Passengers can continue checking in through the airline's website or mobile application up to two hours before departure.
Ryanair has said the change is intended to give passengers more time to pass through airport security and, where necessary, passport control before reaching their departure gate. The airline is also expanding the use of self-service baggage drop facilities, allowing passengers to tag and hand over their luggage independently at participating airports.
Impact on travellers
The new rules take effect from Tuesday, November 10. The airline first announced the planned change earlier this year and reminded passengers towards the end of October that it would take effect on that date.
For travellers departing from Croatian airports, passengers with checked baggage should plan to complete the process at least one hour before their scheduled flight. Those travelling with cabin baggage only should still check their boarding pass and airport guidance for the relevant boarding deadlines.
Croatia recorded over 21.8 million tourist arrivals and 110 million overnight stays in 2025, an increase of 2% and 1% respectively compared with the previous year. According to the Croatian Bureau of Statistics, UK tourists accounted for 10.9% of all foreign tourist nights organised through Croatian travel agencies, making the UK the second-largest foreign market in that category after Germany (27.0%).
Ryanair is Europe's number one airline by passenger volume, fleet size and scheduled flights carried, handling over 210 million passengers annually across the group. It operates nearly 3,800 daily flights across roughly 220 airports in 34 countries with a fleet of nearly 650 aircraft.
