Skopje and Ljubljana see strong growth

Skopje and Ljubljana airports extend passenger growth streak in October

The airports in Skopje and Ljubljana both saw strong passenger growth in October, with Alexander the Great Airport overtaking its traditionally busier Slovenian counterpart for the month. Skopje saw an additional 26.000 passengers, while Ljubljana added over 10.000 travellers in October compared to last year. Macedonia's busiest airport welcomed 132.612 passengers during the month, an increase of 23.3% compared to October 2014. Overall this year, Skopje handled 1.224.887 travellers, up 18.5%. During the month, Macedonia's second international airport, Ohrid, saw 4.998 passengers pass through its doors, an increase of 117%, as it continues to enjoy strong growth as a result of Wizz Air's new year-long service from Basel. Combined, Skopje and Ohrid have handled 1.321.328 passengers so far in 2015. At the same time, aircraft movements grew 10% to 13.033 arriving and departing flights.

SKOPJE AIRPORT

Month	PAX	Change (%)
JAN	88.275	▲ 41.6
FEB	80.079	▲ 22.8
MAR	95.457	▲ 25.1
APR	109.741	▲ 3.9
MAY	117.099	▲ 7.4
JUN	118.070	▲ 1.5
JUL	164.431	▲ 24.4
AUG	173.158	▲ 20.7
SEP	145.965	▲ 26.1
OCT	132.612	▲ 23.3

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport recorded its eighth consecutive month of passengers growth, with 128.478 passengers welcomed in October, representing an increase of 9.4%. The growth came despite a decline in the number of operated flights, with a total of 2.776 movements registerd, down 3.7%. Despite Skopje having a stronger month, Ljubljana is still in front of its Macedonian counterpart on a annual basis, with 1.264.056 travellers handled during the January - October period. The number of operated flights improved 3.3% during the same timeframe to 28.197 arrivals and departures.

This winter season, Ljubljana Airport is being served by more flights than last year thanks to both Adria Airways and foreign carriers. A total of eight airlines are maintaining more than 180 scheduled flights each week from Slovenia’s capital to 21 different destinations in twenty countries. This is compared to the 150 weekly flights to nineteen destinations during the 2014/15 winter season. The number of charter flights is comparable to that of last year. Egypt and Turkey remain the most common winter leisure destinations, which are served by Adria in conjunction with tour operators. On the other hand, the airport's numbers could be slightly affected on November 30, if Adria's pilots follow through with their planned work stoppage from 05.00 in the morning until midnight. The airline says it hopes to maintain some of its flights if the strike goes ahead.

LJUBLJANA AIRPORT

Month	PAX	Change (%)
JAN	73.096	▼ 2.9
FEB	72.265	▼ 3.8
MAR	90.902	▲ 5.3
APR	112.310	▲ 13.3
MAY	128.411	▲ 19.6
JUN	149.541	▲ 17.0
JUL	171.770	▲ 16.2
AUG	199.219	▲ 22.3
SEP	157.508	▲ 10.1
OCT	125.478	▲ 9.4