Croatia Airlines held talks with the Slovenian government late last month to explore options over the potential introduction of flights from Ljubljana. The development comes after the Slovenian government launched a tender for the provision of subsidies to airlines to improve the country’s air connectivity. The meeting between the Croatian flag carrier and the Slovenian Ministry for Economy, Tourism and Sport was attended by Croatia Airlines’ CEO, Jasmin Bajić, the airline’s Chief Commercial Officer, Slaven Žabo, as well as the company’s Manager for Strategy, Planning and Business Development, Alenka Klemen, who previously served as Adria Airways’ Deputy Chief Commercial Officer, having worked for the former Slovenian flag carrier for 27 years. The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Boston Consulting Group, which has composed Croatia Airlines’ post-Covid strategy.
Commenting on the talks with the Slovenian government, Croatia Airlines said, “The meeting between the Slovenian Ministry for Economy, Tourism and Sport and the management of Croatia Airlines was in regards to the Republic of Slovenia’s air connectivity and possible measures to improve it. The meeting was of an informative nature, and we did not make any formal agreements”. The Croatian carrier is now expected to provide the Ministry with a more detailed proposal on potential cooperation with the Slovenian state.
Croatia Airlines has expressed interest in launching operations out of Ljubljana on several occasions since the demise of Adria Airways in late 2019. It last held talks with the Slovenian government on the matter in August 2020. At the time, CEO Bajić, said, “Croatia Airlines is potentially interested in establishing flights from Ljubljana Airport in order to enable passengers from Slovenia to connect to European destinations”. Mr Žabo noted at the time, “We have had some gain on the Slovenian market since Adria Airways’ bankruptcy where we offered certain solutions in order to react to the demand that was there. However, we had not added any flights to Slovenia because our hubs are nearby and we were more focused on our sales and marketing activities in Ljubljana at the time, which helped us significantly increase our market share in Slovenia”.
Bajić doing overhours over past few weeks :D haven't seem him so active since... Well ever :p
ReplyDeleteI am afraid if he continues like this, soon I will not be able to say : Jasmineeee!!! Dje si? 😃Then again, it was probably all about per diems and coffee on Tromostovje
DeleteYour daily push maybe will save OU in the end, because you put pressure on the management. Bravo!!! Thank you!
Delete@ pozdrav
Delete"Then again, it was probably all about per diems and coffee on Tromostovje"
Same on our (SLO) end of the bargaining table! :D
@10.23
DeleteIf only. However, thanks for your nice comment 😃
Makes me puke
DeleteSeek help. Both for stomach and brains.
DeleteApparently they are interested in flights to Sarajevo and Pristina.
ReplyDeleteI thought OU already flies to Pristina and Sarajevo, or do you mean out of Ljubljana? If so, sure, OU could fly out of Ljubljana to Split, Zadar, Dubrovnik and Osijek, as well as Sarajevo, Skopje and Pristina. Base one A220 100 in Ljubljana and make Ljubljana a mini-hub or a focus city. If OU goes ahead with 15 A220 100/300 fleet, then they could afford to place one aircraft in Ljubljana, although in summer months it would be very tight, perhaps another 2 A220-100s might be needed for total of 17 A220 100/300. Eventually out of Ljubljana OU could offer service to Prague, Barcelona and Copenhagen.
DeleteOU does not fly to Pristina at all.
Delete20 years Croats are not needed in Pristina. Croatians companies fly directly Pristina EU now.
DeleteWhat 15 A220's? They don't have a single one yet.. So until they have 15 on tarmac, everything they say is just clouds in the coffee.
Delete"Anonymous14:55
Delete20 years Croats are not needed in Pristina. Croatians companies fly directly Pristina EU now."
And Croatia isn't in the EU???
This could only work if they base at least 5 aircraft there, otherwise no point. And OU does not have enoguh planes even for Croatia...
ReplyDeleteThese would probably be W rotation flights.
DeleteMy guess is the likes of Sarajevo and Skopje. Maybe they are feeling brave and will try Prague as well
DeleteThis one would actually be a good decision for both OU and Slo
ReplyDeleteIt's risky. Not sure it would pay off in the long run. But we will see.
DeleteSo my guess is that they will apply for some routes to showcase Slovenia that they are the right partner for joint venture?
ReplyDeleteDon't think they are interested in joint venture at all. As is mentioned, they are interested in subsidies for launch of new routes.
DeleteFrom Delo articles there is mention of joint venture as well. And the best showcase of what company can do is operate Ljubljana flights before applying for the joint venture
DeleteI can guarantee you they will not be involved in any joint venture.
DeleteI can guarantee you that they would be quite happy to transfer Dash-8s to a new company and still operate them to ensure that routes from let's say Osijek can still be operated by smaller aircraft
DeleteYou really think Croatia Airlines has the money to pay for the financial lease of Dash 8s on top of A220s?
DeleteDash-8 would be paid by the company, in that case Air Slovenia
DeleteSure.
DeleteIt seems OU wants to have new flights from anywhere except ZAG.
ReplyDeleteTalk, talk, talk….and no action. Probably talking about Ljubljana-Osijek flights…large passenger pool…plenty of diaspora and gastro enthusiasts. Flight Ljubljana-Pula-Zadar-Split-Mostar would also work.
ReplyDeleteMy guy woke up and chose to spread negativity for no reason at all. I hope you are happy
DeleteHe is right. So far all the tenders and discussions in Slovenia have been a complete disappointment and waste of time with barely any results.
DeleteHe is not spreading negativity. He just gives. real picture of both capabilities and results of Croatia Airlines. And I am refraining from giving any opinions on slo gvt related to aviation
Deletewhat is stopping Croatia Airlines from even trying most underserved routes from Slovenia? Just inert inability to think beyond Vrankvurt and Minken. Did they even apply for govt incentives for flights from LJU? Just asking for a friend :)
DeleteBravo Fraport!
ReplyDeleteFor what exactly?
DeleteDežurni troll, nothing else.
DeleteHow many passengers did OU have in June and how does it compare to June 2019?
ReplyDeleteOU needs this LJU job as their numbers in ZAG are shrinking compared to 2019.
DeleteJasmin is on fire, what a CEO
ReplyDeleteYeah, Mostar, Ljubljana... The World has no limits and boundaries in OU led by Jasmin 😃
DeleteOU will still make heavy losses if they went ahead with this
ReplyDeleteI guess they would like to base some Q400 in LJU when A220 starts to arrive. Brr... I went to BRU and back in ZAG with them last year. Long 2,5 hours.
ReplyDeleteThey are perfect for Prague, Rome, Skopje, Sarajevo routes though
DeleteQ400s are being retired. They wont be based anywhere because Croatia Airlines does not have the money to pay for Q400 lease and A220 lease.
Delete1h of a220 lease= 10-12h of dash-8 lease
DeleteDashes aren't the problem, empty a220 are
That's completely unrelated. I'm just telling you they won't operate the two for a reason.
DeleteAnd im telling you if a potential lju base is making a profit with Dashes they won't just retire them. But in the other hand it's OU so anything is possible
DeleteLet's just wait and see if they even apply
I have to disagree with you on "it's OU so anything is possible". Would like very much to be wrong, but with OU, only the following is possible : Uhljeb positions, crime, corruption, nepotism, inertness, incompetence, shrinking, losing market share, making losses, feeding LH in Minken and Vrankvurt
DeleteSo basicly same as it was in Adria. And we all know how that ended.
DeleteBravo Hrvatska!
ReplyDeleteLet me repeat once again : OU : Uhljeb positions, crime, corruption, nepotism, inertness, incompetence, shrinking, losing market share, making losses, feeding LH in Minken and Vrankvurt. Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!
DeleteOU better concentrate on strengthening its position on Franjo Tudjman airport.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteHow about Fraport actually makes a deal with a successful business like easyJet or Wizz or Ryanair?
ReplyDeleteThat's going great for Zagreb, Sarajevo, Podgorica right?
DeleteThey are not interested in that my friend. Their only interest is Lufthansa and directing passengers through Frankfurt and Munich
DeleteLCC fanatics again...with such a large pool of Slovenians around the world LCCs are just fighting who could establish a base in LJU.
DeleteAnon 09:35
DeleteLOL, so true!
Anon 09:26:
Delete"Their only interest is Lufthansa and directing passengers through Frankfurt and Munich"
How come Fraport hasn't done the same in the other 17 airports it operates in Europe?
I don't know but when it comes to Ljubljana this sadly is the case.
DeleteSo either Fraport and Lufthansa decided to conspire only against LJU (because it is such an important source of traffic to FRA and MUC compared with Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey) or there is something about the Slovenian market.
DeleteWhich one seems more logical?
The management of the airport is very bad. Fraport does not do anything to attract any new carrier whatsoever. And yes I know that Slovenian market is not perfect in this case, by far not. But if they invested a tiny miny bit of attention to attracting a new carrier it would help A LOT.
DeleteWhat is so different about Fraport's management in LJU compared with the othe 17 airports it operatesin Greece, Bulgaria and Turkey?
DeleteDo they hate it? LOL?
its the trolls like Bravo and keeps winning. LJU has a decent amount of airlines for its size
DeleteI don't know if you are blind or stupid.They do nothing to attract any carrier to fly from Lju? Will I have to write it again or will you unerstand it this time?
DeleteNo you are right. LJU management knows everything about attracting other airlines and growing the airport. Thats why LJU went from third place in EX YU to barely being in top 10. Can't wait for their "charter hub" idea to realise. First in the world!
Deletethink @10.45 hangs on on every article just to spread negativism. just like yesterday
DeleteAnonη 10:41
DeleteWhat is stupid and idiotic is to beleive that Fraport chose to sabotage LJU and not the other 17 airports it operates.
Yes maybe it was a bit of a negativism from him but there is some truth in there too.
DeleteWho said anything about sabotaging? I said that they just don't do anything to attract a new carrier. I didn't say they are sabotaging them but they simply do nothing to improve airports conectivity.
Delete^^^
DeleteHow come they have improved the connectivity of the other 17 airports that they operate?
Do they hate LJU?
What is your theory?
Some here just don't want to understand, the market in Ljubljana is relatively weak, like in other airports in Ex-Yu and margins are small, people are price sensitive and hard to make profit. Numbers don't lie
Delete@12.05 there is no theory its only black and white for him. Fraport are sabotaging theselves others are paying for traffic and so on and on. Its so simple
DeleteWhen CEO of Fraport says on TV that they are against national carrier then you can immediately see that something is not right here. And they would have most profit out of that.
DeleteAs a Greek trust me, Greeks hate Fraport management on the Greek airports they operate.
DeleteMost of the airports that Fraport operates in Greece were not exactly up to date before, it felt like a trip back in time to the eighties. Has that gotten better?
Deleteam pretty sure it was better under chaotic greek infrastracture before ...
DeleteWell that doesn't mean that Fraport did a good job too, cheap materials, bad construction, Rhodes renovated Fraport Airport already has many problems with the 'new' roof etc. ...
DeleteFraport got Greek airports as compensation for bail out of German banks that were duped on American banks derivatives that collapsed in 2008 ponzie scheme of subprime real estate collapse.
DeleteThat is your money trail.
The question is only this if Fraport is doing decent job managing these Airports? And Does Greek society in general is getting return and get reinvested or the profit is going out Greece?
Sounds exciting. Hope it happens.
ReplyDeleteSo I guess that Cyprus airways and Croatian will or they already did apply for the subsidy tender that is going on in July?
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about Cyprus. Croatia seems like a real possibility, let's hope for Austrian, ITA, KLM, Iberia as well (or at least ONE of them)
DeletePraying for KLM and Austrian they are really needed for connections. Would be nice to see ITA and Iberia but I don't see them applying.
DeleteThere is some chit chat about Iberia and ITA applying
DeleteI can see Iberia but ITA is a bit of a stretch - maybe with their a220-100s they are supposed to get
Both would be happily welcomed. But KLM and Austrian are more needed
DeleteIssue with austrian is that their smallest plane is e195. So it'll be hard for Ljubljana to get flights
DeleteI don't really get why people are saying this. Adria had double daily flights and usually one with A319 and one with CRJ900. And the load factors were very good even on the A319. So one daily E195 would be perfect.
DeleteAnd Vienna was the biggest loss maker overall - you can check it yourself in the report released
Delete@anon 10:14
DeleteJP only had flights with 319 to VIE because it was cheapest route when 319 was not fulfilled on other routes. That is the only reason why it was on VIE so many times.
@anon 10.28
because of the reason I mentioned above VIE was one of the routes with highest loss. If you change from CR2 (when they were in use) to 319 1 day before departure then you simply can not sell al the remaining seats. VIE has potential, even for 319 but it's sales policy has to be set according to actual capacity used on that route.
I hope Aegean applies as well.
DeleteWith their Dashes the routes like Tirana, Sarajevo, Rome and Prague could be very well covered. But they will soon retire them so I dont really know...
ReplyDeleteThey should have done this in October 2019!
ReplyDeleteIt was "too soon" at that time.
DeleteThis could improve LJU's connectivity. Good news.
ReplyDeleteHey Mr. Bajic!
Deletethere are more attractive opportunities for them in SKP: one W-rotation to AMS (4x weekly) and CDG (3x) with a codeshare/interline agreement with KLM/AF and the other to MUC (4x) and BRU (3x) codeshare/interline with LH/SN. They are now under pressure because of the SKP-FRA flights anyway
ReplyDeleteWould this be the first time Croatia Airlines has ever flown from Ljubljana?
ReplyDeleteScheduled flights, yes.
DeleteTo where and when?
DeleteDon't think that Jasmin will be prepared to share his new glorious A220 fleet.
ReplyDeletewhy not? Slovenia is giving out incredible 16mil of subsidies
DeleteAnyhow, Danke Deutschland, on both sides 😃
DeleteDeutschland knows what good is for Croatia and Slovakia...
DeleteAnd many more....
DeleteThe SLO are the smartest they will work it out, some time soon
ReplyDeleteWere the smartest.
DeleteIn the EU you dont need smarties you just take orders from Brussels...
And in return you get comfy Brussels armchair, while your flag carrier gives the highest quality feed possible with shiny brand new A220 fleet to Mutti Luftika, on expense of your tax payers
DeleteIt seems to me that only very few airports and airlines in ex yu actually announce changes and improvements to their business like BEG, PRN, INI and SPU. Others are mostly announcing talk about new flights, ideas, tenders, subsidies but no actual steps were made.
ReplyDeleteIf this continues the region will continue to be dominated by LCC and maybe, just maaaybe JU can strengthen their position if they finally manage to get their stuff together. For the rest...its just sad watching, the region has the potential, infrastructure, demand and growing economies ant tourism and still not much is going on.
INI?
Deleteand explain "improvements to their business"
DeleteWhat is so special about Sarajevo and Prishtina that Ljubljana has to have flights to them ?
ReplyDeleteCroatia Airlines didn't even apply for the SLO tender back in April. So much for their interest in this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteTheir dreams of ZAG being a regional hub are already diminished by OUs operations out of SPU and other airports. Adding LJU to the mix would dilute those goals even further.
Their dreams of ZAG being a regional hub diminished at the moment Ivan Misetic surrendered the market to LH for his place in the Board of Directors of Star Alliance, promised OU would be nothing but humiliated servant and pathetic feeder, and used his influence as former Head of Office of President Franjo Tudjman to prevent those after him doing anything different.
DeleteSome of you will be surprised by certain operator that has regular flights to Brac this summer.
ReplyDeleteThey are expanding rapidly and will shortly be in Ljubljana as well - and the name suits the place as well!
Rapid expansion is fancy name for explosion.
ReplyDeleteJasmin can't even go on the meeting without BCG. They should earn a lot of money, and some should end in someone's pocket.
ReplyDelete