Adria’s decline slows

Recovery in sight

With some delay, Adria Airways has published its passenger results for the first quarter of 2012. In the first three months of the year the Slovenian national carrier welcomed 185.347 passengers. Compared to the same period last year, when Adria handled 198.711 passengers, numbers fell by 7.1%. However, some encouraging trends are emerging. After a disastrous January the rate of decline has steadied. In March 71.120 passengers used Adria’s services compared to 72.580 the year before, a decrease of only 2%. While the results are still in negative territory one must take into account the large scale of destinations which were terminated by the airline late last year in order to cut costs. In the first three months of the year Adria generated a financial loss of eight million euros, which is “according to plan”, the airline’s CEO notes.

Adria’s closest rival in the region, Jat Airways, welcomed 220.566 passengers in the first quarter or some 19% more than its Slovenian counterpart. Adria will hope to boost its passenger figures through the numerous charter flights the airline will operate this summer. Furthermore, the carrier will soon decide whether to extend its seasonal service from Ljubljana to London and, as a result, compete with the low cost Wizz Air and easyJet in the winter.

Meanwhile, Adria Airways Tehnika, which is looking for a new owner is struggling to do so as no one has answered the international tender call. There seems to be no interest in the maintenance company which has suffered from recent airline bankruptcies across Europe. Experts are now suggesting for Adria Airways to take over Tehnika. The Slovenian carrier was its original founder, however, Tehnika was separated from the carrier and taken over by Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport and state owned PDP company a year ago.