Final Meeting Held for the Successful CROSSCONNECT Project

On Thursday, October 15, the 6th Meeting of the Project Team of the partners in the Crossconnect project was held in the Hotel Kompas in Dubrovnik, which had as its topics an overview of completed and remaining activities, and a plan of final actions of the project until the end of 2026.

CROSSCONNECT, "Cross-border Coordinated Sea-Land Approach Interconnecting Ports of the Adriatic Sea with Airports and Urban Areas", was financed from the Interreg Italy-Croatia cross-border cooperation program, with the aim of developing a multimodal coordinated sea-land approach based on sustainable and technologically advanced solutions. These solutions will connect Croatian and Italian ports with urban areas and airports, which will improve passenger mobility, all with the goal of cross-border cooperation.

The meeting confirmed the successful implementation of this project with special emphasis on cooperation and strategic planning. Through the exchange of experiences with Adriatic partners, an approach to the future connection of ports, airports and urban areas was developed.

The CROSSCONNECT consortium consists of 8 project partners, namely Dubrovnik Airport (Project holder), Dubrovnik Port Authority, Port Authority of the Northern Adriatic - ports of Venice and Chioggia, SAVE S.p.A, Port Authority of Pula, Pula promet d.o.o., Port Authority of the Southern Adriatic - Ports of Bari, Brindisi, Manfredonia, Barletta, Monopoli and Termoli, STP Brindisi S.p.A with associated partners Port of Rijeka and Port of Rijeka Ancona. The total value of the project is €2,088,780.00.

Dubrovnik Airport, as the lead partner, and the Port Authority of Dubrovnik jointly developed and implemented solutions to better connect maritime, air, and urban transport, with the aim of enhancing the passenger experience and promoting sustainable mobility. The project’s key outcomes for the Dubrovnik area include: digital information integration—a shared ICT tool (an application) was developed, consolidating information on transport connections between the airport, the port, and public transit, including real-time flight data, traffic updates, and travel times; green mobility at the airport—an electric baggage-towing tractor and electric bicycles were acquired for operational use; sustainable port operations—the Port Authority of Dubrovnik introduced electric golf carts with trailers to transport passengers within the port area, between cruise ship arrival points and boarding areas; and improved intermodal connectivity—the project enhanced access to information and trip planning between the port, the airport, and the city.