Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport hopes to stage a recovery in 2021 after its passenger numbers dipped over 80% during the first three quarters of the year. Turkey’s SunExpress has announced plans to launch seasonal summer flights between Antalya and Ljubljana starting May 10. Services will run twice per week until October 8 with its Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Ticket sales are set to launch soon. Finnair, which suspended its seasonal operations to the Slovenian capital this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, has confirmed it will return to Ljubljana in April of next year with six weekly flights, an additional weekly rotation compared to 2019.
Ljubljana Airport has been one of the hardest hit capital city airports in the former Yugoslavia this year. In September it handled just 21.686 passengers, marking a decrease of 87.4% compared to the same month last year. The number of aircraft movements fell 53.9% to 1.369. Overall, during the first three quarters of the year, Ljubljana welcomed 267.780 travellers through its doors, down 81.5%. Despite plans for Ukraine’s Windrose Airlines to launch flights between Kiev and the Slovenian capital next week, the carrier has suspended ticket sales on the route after just three days. In a statement, it said, “The airline has received an explanation from Ljubljana Airport’s border police that at present, under Covid-19 rules, entry is allowed only for reasons of extreme necessity. Due to the fact that most of our passengers are tourists, the launch of flights to Ljubljana has been postponed by the airline until official permission for entry is given”.
Ljubljana Airport expects for a slow return to business as usual from the spring of 2021. “We all hope that things will start to normalise in the spring, followed by additional flights. For the 2021 summer season, tickets are already on sale by the majority of airlines that would have flown to our airport this summer season were it not for the virus. This is a good sign”, airport operator Fraport Slovenija said. Next summer will see the opening of Ljubljana Airport’s new passenger terminal. Furthermore, Slovenia will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is expected to boost demand for travel to and from the country.
The decline in September is disastrous, even for covid standards.
ReplyDeleteIt really is bad. Almost 90%!
DeleteOctober is going to be even worse.
DeleteI'm not so certain numbers will even reach 350,000 in 2020 :(
DeleteAnd even last year September was not good in a first place all because of Adria bankruptcy.
DeleteAs of today the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 in Slovenia is more than 300.
DeleteAmong the Eu countries only Czechia, Belgium, Netherlands and France (Slovenia will be worse than France in a couple of days) are performing worse.
So it's not a surprise that among the pandemic there is not any interest for flights there.
Windrose lasted long...
ReplyDeleteAs predicted
DeleteIt's logical if Ukrainians can't enter.
DeleteIt's suspended, not terminated. They will be back when the corona situation improves. You can see from their statement.
DeleteHope so
DeleteMaybe next year with the summer schedule.
DeleteThey were willing to start in winter so if in a few months things calm down they may launch it (they were prepared to start it with just 2 weeks from announcing it).
DeleteNice for Sun Express.
ReplyDeleteYes, bit of a surprise :)
DeleteThey haven't started selling tickets but they added Ljubljana on their website as a destination. I wonder what the fares will be like.
DeleteAre they an LCC?
DeleteThey are a leisure airline
DeleteNot a leisure airline actually. It is a joint venture airline of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa (%50/%50). They're a good LCC but only based in Antalya and Izmir.
DeleteSun Express is not classical LCC, it's more kind of hybrid. They offer connections within their network, also some interline with TK, checked luggage is always included in ticket price, there is no strict control of hand luggage, in addition to scheduled they operate number of charter chains flights (Scandinavia, Hungary, Bulgaria). Basically the only LCC part is buy on board product and extra charge for extra space seats
DeleteAnd they are very punctual, reliable and have very professional cabin crew
DeleteI still don't see the point of the new terminal.
ReplyDeleteLong term investment.
DeleteEven long term, I don't think there is pressing need for it unless the management changes their strategy.
DeleteIt's a veeeeeery long term investment, when in 2040 LJU finally catches up with their numbers from 2008.
DeleteStill waiting to hear the "major European airline" LJU is in discussions, as they announced 2 months ago.
ReplyDeleteYou think "major regional airline"?
DeleteI wonder on who they meant. Regional as in regional for Slovenia, or regional as in ex-Yu.
DeleteDoes it matter? It's obviously no one...
DeleteMaybe the talks ended nowhere but I doubt they made it up.
DeleteWill the decline be reduced now because October last year was the first one without Adria.
ReplyDeleteI doubt it. Adria barely operated in September and look at the difference.
DeleteConsidering the current covid situation, don't expect many passengers this month.
DeleteAnon at 9.09 is right. September decline was bigger than the August one. And in August 2019 Adria was still flying.
DeleteThings will worsen for LJU following Easyjet's suspension.
ReplyDeleteWhen do they stop flights?
DeleteNext weekend.
DeleteSpring is coming
ReplyDeleteIt can't come soon enough!
DeleteNice to see a new airline. Hope it sticks, unlike Windrose.
ReplyDeleteIs Turkey the most popular leisure market for Slovenians after Croatia? Or is it Greece?
ReplyDeleteThis summer definitely Greece.
DeleteHas Iberia rescheduled flights to Ljubljana which were supposed to start this year for 2021?
ReplyDeleteNo, it hasn't.
DeleteLet's hope they do. If the virus situation calms down by next summer, I'm sure there would be demand, as there has always been.
DeleteNice about Finnair increasing flights
ReplyDeleteLet's wait and see. There is a long way until April 2021.
DeleteHopefully by then virus will be under control.
DeleteLJU should do the same Sarajevo is doing
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/10/sarajevo-airport-seeks-airline-for-two.html
+1
DeleteShould have been done the second Adria went bust.
DeleteTo do this, Fraport management would need to be willing to reduce handling fees for selected airline and give them preferential treatment.
DeleteThe exact reason why they are so aggressively against any activity of establishing local carrier.
In that case, it just makes no sense in these circumstances when so many airlines have left
DeleteAlso Air France will change their timetable - they want to fly same as Lufthansa - early morning flight to Paris.
ReplyDeleteWill this improve transfer options?
Deletewell I am really interested if LJU will go for better connections also to SkyTeam and OneWorld and not just to LH Group? For example to fly to south america I am using mostly KLM/AF through VCE or VIE, very good price connections are from MXP and LJU could have low cost connection to MXP or Bergamo.
ReplyDeleteI agree. More needs to be done end the star dominance at LJU - Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish, Brussles...
DeleteMore needs to be done to bring any airline to Ljubljana in general.
DeleteEven Sun Express is part owned by Lufthansa haha
Deletewell what about volotea?
DeleteDon't they have a base in Venice?
DeleteGood news for LJU
ReplyDeleteFinnair is being overly ambitious.
ReplyDelete