Zagreb Airport Luggage and Baggage Rules (ZAG)

Last updated: May 24, 2026. Per-airline allowances cross-checked against each carrier's published baggage policy, EU liquids rule confirmed at the airport security page, Havas Lost & Found contact verified.

Who sets the rules: airline vs airport

Three different parties write the rules you meet at Zagreb Airport, and confusing them is the most common source of frustration at the bag-drop counter and the baggage claim hall.

Allowance and fees are the airline's call

Cabin and checked baggage size, weight, piece count, and fees are set by your airline, not by ZAG. There is no single "Zagreb Airport baggage limit." Croatia Airlines has its rules, Ryanair has its rules, Lufthansa has its rules, and they differ. The airline's own published page is the source of truth for your specific fare. The carrier list and links to each airline's site live on our airlines flying from Zagreb pillar. Pay attention especially to the fare class: most airlines now sell several tiers of Economy, with the cheapest tier excluding checked baggage entirely.

Security rules (liquids, prohibited items) come from the EU

What you can carry through security and what is prohibited in cabin or hold baggage is set by EU regulation, not by the airport or the airline. The 100 ml liquids rule, the laptop and large-electronics screening rule, the prohibited-items list (sharps, weapons, certain tools, explosives, certain flammables) all come from the EU framework. ZAG enforces them the same way every other EU airport does. A few national exceptions exist for items like a kirpan or specific traditional tools; ask the airline if you have a borderline case.

Lost or damaged bag: airport or airline?

This is the single most important distinction on the page. If your checked bag does not arrive on the carrousel, that is the airline's responsibility and you go to the airline's service desk in the baggage claim hall to file a Property Irregularity Report. If you left a personal item somewhere in the terminal (a phone in a security tray, a jacket at a cafe, a passport at a counter), that is the airport Lost & Found. ZAG publishes two contact paths, both official: the Lost Property Office at the Information Desk during business hours, and the Havas-zemaljske usluge Lost & Found Office as the ground-handler service; see the dedicated section below for both. Sending a lost-bag enquiry to either Lost & Found path wastes time you do not have, because the airline alone can enter your bag into the WorldTracer system and arrange delivery. The full bag workflow is in the "Lost, delayed or damaged baggage" section below.

Cabin baggage allowance by airline at ZAG

Below is the current cabin baggage picture for the airlines flying from ZAG, as published by each carrier. Allowances change without much notice (Ryanair widened its personal bag in 2025; Lufthansa Group keeps tweaking its Economy Light fares), so the airline's own page is authoritative for your specific flight. For check-in timing on top of the allowance question, see our check-in cut-off by airline guide.

Croatia Airlines

Croatia Airlines (OU). One cabin bag up to 55 x 40 x 20 cm and 8 kg, plus one personal item up to 40 x 30 x 10 cm (small backpack, handbag, or laptop bag). Checked: 1 x 23 kg piece included on most international fares; the FlyEasy hand-baggage-only fare excludes checked. Domestic flights follow the same cabin spec with a lighter checked allowance on the cheapest fares.

Ryanair

Ryanair (FR). One small personal bag up to 40 x 30 x 20 cm, free with every fare, must fit under the seat in front of you. A larger cabin bag (55 x 40 x 20 cm, up to 10 kg) is available only with Priority & 2 Cabin Bags or a Plus / Flexi Plus fare; without Priority you cannot bring it in the cabin and gate fees apply if you try. Checked bags are sold separately in 10 kg or 20 kg options. The personal-bag dimensions widened in August 2025; older guides quoting 40 x 25 x 20 cm are out of date.

Lufthansa, Austrian, Eurowings

Lufthansa (LH). One cabin bag up to 55 x 40 x 23 cm and 8 kg, plus a personal item up to 40 x 30 x 10 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg on Economy Classic and above; Economy Light may exclude checked. Austrian Airlines (OS). Same Lufthansa Group cabin spec (55 x 40 x 23 cm / 8 kg) and the same Economy Light caveat on checked. Eurowings (EW). Cabin 55 x 40 x 23 cm / 8 kg, personal item allowed. Checked is paid on the cheapest BASIC fare; SMART and above include 1 x 23 kg. The whole LH Group sells fare classes with different included baggage, so verify the fare you booked.

KLM, Air France

KLM (KL). One cabin bag up to 55 x 35 x 25 cm and 12 kg, plus a personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg Economy on the Standard fare; the Light fare may exclude checked. Air France (AF). Same SkyTeam cabin spec (55 x 35 x 25 cm / 12 kg) and the same Light-fare caveat on checked. Both carriers are slightly more generous on cabin weight than the Lufthansa Group standard, which can matter if you are flying with a heavier item like a camera body or a laptop plus charger.

British Airways

British Airways (BA). One cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm and 23 kg, plus a personal item up to 40 x 30 x 15 cm. BA's cabin weight is generous compared with most European carriers, which sometimes catches travellers out at connecting airports with a lower limit. Checked: 1 x 23 kg on Hand+Bag fares and above; the basic Hand-only fare excludes checked. Confirm the fare class on your booking; "BA short-haul Economy" covers several different baggage profiles.

Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways

Turkish Airlines (TK). One cabin bag up to 55 x 40 x 23 cm and 8 kg, plus a personal item up to 40 x 30 x 10 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg on Economy short-haul, 2 x 23 kg on Economy long-haul, with EcoFly fare exclusions. Qatar Airways (QR). One cabin bag up to 50 x 37 x 25 cm and 7 kg. Checked: 2 x 25 kg on Economy on most routes, which is one of the most generous Economy long-haul allowances in the market. Both Gulf carriers tend toward the more generous end of the global market, particularly for connecting passengers.

Aegean, LOT, Air Serbia

Aegean Airlines (A3). One cabin bag up to 56 x 45 x 25 cm and 8 kg, plus a personal item up to 30 x 20 x 10 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg Economy Flex; Light excludes checked. LOT Polish Airlines (LO). Cabin 55 x 40 x 23 cm / 8 kg, personal item 40 x 30 x 10 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg Economy Standard; Saver may exclude. Air Serbia (JU). Cabin 55 x 40 x 20 cm / 8 kg, personal item 40 x 30 x 15 cm. Checked: fare-dependent, included on Standard and above, paid on Eco Light.

Pegasus, flydubai

Pegasus Airlines (PC). Cabin 55 x 40 x 20 cm / 8 kg, no separate personal item on the cheapest fares. Checked is paid on the basic Light fare; included on Advantage and above. flydubai (FZ). Cabin 55 x 38 x 20 cm / 7 kg. Checked: fare-dependent, included on Value and above, paid on Lite. Both carriers operate a fare-driven baggage model similar to other low-cost carriers; the cheapest ticket buys you a seat and little else without paid extras.

Air Transat (seasonal)

Air Transat (TS). One cabin bag up to 55 x 40 x 23 cm and 10 kg, plus a personal item up to 43 x 16 x 33 cm. Checked: 1 x 23 kg on most fares to and from ZAG; Eco Basic may exclude. Seasonal carrier at ZAG (typically May to October) operating the only long-haul non-stop from Zagreb to Montreal and Toronto. The long-haul nature of the route means the published cabin allowance is closer to North American standards than European ones.

Checked baggage allowance by airline at ZAG

Checked baggage is where fares vary most. The same airline often sells three or four fare tiers in Economy, with the cheapest tier excluding checked baggage entirely and the most expensive including two pieces. The 23 kg-per-piece standard is widely shared but not universal.

What "23 kg checked" usually includes

The standard Economy checked allowance on most legacy carriers from ZAG is one piece up to 23 kg with combined dimensions (length plus width plus height) up to 158 cm. Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian, KLM, Air France, British Airways, Turkish Airlines, LOT, Aegean, and Air Transat all use this 23 kg standard on their main Economy fare; Qatar Airways uses 25 kg, and Ryanair uses its own 10 kg or 20 kg piece options. The 23 kg figure is per piece, not per passenger; weight cannot be pooled across passengers unless the airline's fare rules say so explicitly.

Excess and overweight fees

An extra bag, an overweight bag, or an oversized bag all incur fees, and those fees are always higher at the airport counter than they are online in advance. The premium ranges from 50 percent to more than 100 percent of the online rate depending on the airline. If your bag is borderline on the scale at home, pay the online excess fee before you leave for the airport rather than betting on the bag drop scale at ZAG. The counter scale is the one that matters; airline staff are not obliged to round down on a fraction of a kilogram.

A second or third checked bag

A second checked bag is paid on most Economy fares, included on Premium Economy and Business on most carriers, and routinely paid on long-haul Economy with European carriers (Turkish Long-Haul Economy is an exception, with 2 x 23 kg included). Cost ranges from €30 to €100 per extra bag depending on the carrier and route. A third bag is paid in every case, usually at a steeper rate, and on some routes is capped at two extra pieces total. For a connecting itinerary, see our transit between flights at ZAG page; the bag must be cleared by every operating carrier in the itinerary, not just the first.

EU liquids and security rules at ZAG

EU security rules apply at Zagreb Airport identically to every other EU airport. The headline is the 100 ml liquids rule, which has been in force since 2006 and continues to apply at ZAG in 2026.

The 100 ml liquids rule

Liquids in cabin baggage must travel in individual containers no larger than 100 ml. All containers must fit, with the bag closed, in a single transparent resealable plastic bag of up to 1 litre capacity (typically 20 x 20 cm). One bag per passenger. The bag must come out of your cabin baggage at security and go into a tray separately for screening. The rule applies to any substance that is liquid, gel, paste, or aerosol: drinks, soups, yogurt, spreads, toiletries (shampoo, shower gel, lotion, sunscreen), cosmetics (perfume, liquid foundation, mascara), gels and pastes (toothpaste, hair gel), and aerosols (deodorant, hairspray). Liquids you buy after security inside Departures airside are not bound by the 100 ml rule.

Medical liquids and baby food

Two exemptions to the 100 ml rule are universal. Medical liquids (insulin, contact lens solution, prescription medicines) can travel in larger containers; declare them at security with a doctor's note or prescription where possible. Baby food and milk can travel in the quantity needed for the journey. For travellers with assistive medical equipment, see our reduced mobility and assistive devices page. For the duty-free tamper-evident bag (STEB) rules at security, see our security guide.

Prohibited and restricted items

For what happens at the ZAG security checkpoint specifically, including the full prohibited list and duty-free liquids rules, see our security guide. The luggage-allowance items most travellers actually need to know about are lithium batteries (where they go) and sports equipment / musical instruments (whether they fit, how to book).

Lithium batteries and power banks

Lithium-ion batteries are restricted because of fire risk in the hold. Spare lithium batteries and power banks must travel in cabin baggage, never in checked. Capacity up to 100 Wh is allowed without airline approval (covers nearly all consumer power banks and laptop batteries). Between 100 and 160 Wh, the airline must approve in advance (large camera and drone batteries fall here). Over 160 Wh is not allowed on passenger flights. Devices with batteries installed (laptops, phones, e-readers, cameras) can travel either in cabin or checked, but cabin is safer because a thermal event there can be addressed by the crew.

Sports equipment

Bicycles, skis and ski poles, snowboards, golf bags, surfboards, kayaks, baseball bats, hockey sticks, fishing rods over 1 m, and most other large sports equipment must travel in the hold and usually require pre-booking with the airline. Several carriers (Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Turkish Airlines) accept sports equipment as the standard checked piece if within the weight and size limits, but the booking is still needed. Charges for declaration at the airport without a booking are higher than online.

Musical instruments and fragile items

Musical instruments can travel in cabin if they fit the airline's standard cabin spec, or as fragile checked baggage with a Limited Liability declaration. A second seat purchase for a cello or guitar is a common workaround on full-service carriers; the seat is sold and the instrument occupies it. Fragile items in the hold travel at the passenger's risk under standard liability; valuables should travel in cabin. Declaring a fragile item at bag drop adds a sticker but does not change the liability cap, governed by the Montreal Convention discussed below.

At baggage claim: how long, where, what to do

Baggage claim at ZAG sits in the ground-floor arrivals area. The carrousel screens show which carrousel handles each flight; bags from the same flight always land on the same carrousel, plus oversized items on a separate dedicated carrousel.

How long bags take after landing

Bags usually reach the carrousel within 15 to 25 minutes of landing. A wide-body or a heavy charter can push that to 40 minutes. Through-checked bags on a connecting itinerary follow the airline's normal delivery schedule at your final destination, not at ZAG; do not expect them to appear on the ZAG carrousel during transit. For inbound flight times on the day, see our live arrivals page; for the building layout, see terminal map.

The oversized baggage carrousel

Oversized items (ski bags, golf bags, child seats, musical instruments above standard, large camera or film cases) are delivered to a dedicated Oversized Baggage carrousel separate from the standard carrousels. The carrousel is in the same baggage claim area and is signposted. Oversized items can take a few minutes longer than standard bags because they are loaded last on the aircraft and unloaded first, but processed separately on arrival.

Customs and the green/red channel

After baggage claim, you pass through customs on the way to the public arrivals hall. The standard EU green / red channel system applies. Green channel: nothing to declare, you walk through. This covers personal-use items within the duty-free allowance. Red channel: goods to declare. Use this if you carry items above the duty-free limit, cash or equivalents over €10,000, restricted goods, or items for commercial purposes. Customs officers may spot-check the green channel; cooperate and you will be on your way quickly.

Lost, delayed or damaged baggage

If your checked bag does not appear on the carrousel within the normal window, or it arrives damaged, the workflow below is the standard process at ZAG. Do not leave the airport without filing the initial report; doing so later weakens the claim significantly.

Step 1: file a Property Irregularity Report before leaving the airport

Go to your airline's baggage service desk in the baggage claim hall and ask staff to file a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). The agent enters the bag into WorldTracer, the global lost-luggage tracing system used by every major airline. You receive a written PIR number, which is the reference for all later communication. The PIR captures the bag's description (colour, brand, size, distinguishing marks), the destination address for delivery if found, and your contact details. File this before you leave the airport. Filing later, or by phone or email, is possible but is treated differently by airlines and reduces the strength of any claim.

Step 2: keep your bag tag and boarding pass

The bag-tag sticker that the check-in agent handed back at original check-in, plus your boarding pass for the inbound flight, are the documentary proof the bag was checked and accepted. Keep both until the bag arrives or any claim is settled. Photograph them as a digital backup. Without these, claiming for a lost bag is significantly harder. Croatia Airlines specifically asks for both at the PIR filing step and at any later claim.

Step 3: tracking and delivery

Use the WorldTracer reference number from your PIR and your airline's baggage tracking page to follow progress. Most delayed bags arrive within 24 to 72 hours and are delivered by the airline's courier to a local address you provided at PIR filing; you do not need to come back to the airport to collect. Croatia Airlines, Lufthansa Group, KLM, Air France, BA, Turkish, Qatar all run their own customer-facing tracking dashboards on top of WorldTracer. If the bag is found at a different airport, it is forwarded to ZAG (or your onward address) on the next available flight on the same carrier or a partner.

When to claim under the Montreal Convention

If the bag is declared lost (typically after 21 days with no trace), arrives damaged, or is significantly delayed (causing essential replacement purchases during the delay), the airline's liability is set by the Montreal Convention. The current cap is around 1,288 SDR per passenger, which converts to roughly €1,500 at current rates. The cap is a maximum, not a guarantee; the airline pays the actual loss up to that ceiling. Submit a written claim to the airline within 7 days for damage or 21 days for delay, with receipts for any essential purchases. Keep originals. See our passenger rights for delays and lost bags page for the full claim process and EU-specific protections that sit alongside the Montreal Convention.

Items lost inside the terminal

For items left in the terminal building (not in a checked bag), see our dedicated Lost and Found at Zagreb Airport guide. It covers the Lost Property Office on Level 2, contact details, holding period and collection. The Lost & Found is not a storage service; for storage during a layover see our luggage storage options at ZAG page.

Baggage tracking apps and tools

Several airlines offer their own real-time baggage tracking, and personal Bluetooth trackers are now common in travellers' bags. Both can help during a delay, with different strengths.

Croatia Airlines baggage tracking

Croatia Airlines publishes a baggage tracking page on its own website where you enter your bag tag number to see status updates. The page draws from WorldTracer and the airline's own ground-handling data. For passengers travelling on Croatia Airlines codeshares operated by a partner (Lufthansa Group on Star Alliance routes), the operating carrier's tracking page may be more up to date. Several other carriers serving ZAG offer similar tracking: Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, BA, Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways and Air Transat all maintain customer-facing dashboards.

AirTags and Bluetooth trackers

Personal Bluetooth trackers (Apple AirTag, Tile, Samsung SmartTag, Chipolo, and others) placed inside a checked bag have become a useful supplement to WorldTracer in delayed-baggage cases. They confirm the bag's location independently of airline data, which helps when WorldTracer says "no update" but the tracker shows the bag is sitting at a specific airport. Trackers are passive: they piggyback off the network of nearby smartphones, so coverage depends on foot traffic. They do not replace the airline-side WorldTracer process; the airline still has to physically move the bag. Treat the tracker as evidence to share with the airline at follow-up, not as a substitute for the PIR.

Frequently asked questions