Low cost carrier Norwegian has announced it will commence flights between Copenhagen and Ljubljana, along with several new seasonal operations to other cities including Tivat, Zadar and Pristina in the summer of 2024. It will mark Norwegian’s entry onto the Slovenian market. Services to Ljubljana are yet to be scheduled and put on sale. Flights between Ljubljana and Copenhagen were last maintained by Adria Airways until its demise in September 2019. At the time, the former Slovenian flag carrier operated six weekly rotations between the two capitals. During its final full year of operations between the two cities in 2018, it handled 33.037 passengers on the route with an average annual cabin load factor of 62.5%.
Ljubljana Airport has been seeking to improve its connectivity with Scandinavia, as well as restore the remaining routes previously operated by Adria which have remained unserved. Ljubljana Airport’s operator Fraport Slovenija has held talks over the past month with 28 airlines, both legacy and low cost, regarding the potential introduction of over thirty routes. Norwegian told EX-YU Aviation News as far back as 2016 it was considering the launch of flights to both Ljubljana and Skopje, noting both were “very important markets”. Eventually, it inaugurated services to the Macedonian capital this summer, with Ljubljana to follow next year.
Norwegian will launch a total of forty new routes during the 2024 summer season, however, many are yet to be scheduled and put on sale. The majority will operate only during the peak summer months in June and August. Among the new services are flights from Oslo and Copenhagen to Zadar, Gothenburg to Pristina, as well as from Riga and Copenhagen to Tivat. Norwegian has been present on the Croatian, Kosovo and Montenegrin markets for several years. “Launching these new routes expands our network and offers our customers more choice. From our bases in Europe, we are also starting new point-to-point routes. We are looking forward to a busy summer season and to welcoming our customers on board”, Norwegian’s Chief Commercial Officer, Magnus Thome Maursund, said. Next summer Norwegian will have a fleet of around ninety aircraft and will fly a total of 332 routes to 123 destinations.
I think they are waiting for subsidies to be announced, same goes for ITA, Iberia and possibly others. Both ITA and Iberia have Ljubljana listed as destination
ReplyDeleteNorwegian announced LJU on their social media so it is happening subsidies or no subsidies.
DeleteAll the other routes are bookable, Ljubljana isn't, they are quite clearly waiting for the tender to end
DeleteITA and Iberia probably via their alliances, not direct flights.
DeleteIberia has posted similar graphic to Norwegian a few weeks back, listing Ljubljana as destination
DeleteNorwegian is launching the route because of the subsidies, they have to wait with ticket sale until 27th (deadline for application submission).
DeleteIberia flights are via London
DeleteYes for now, but Ljubljana is under the destination tab as well
Deletewhere?
DeleteHe was having a dream.
DeleteWell TAP also has Lju as a destination on their website but they wont fly to Lju
DeleteDemocracy does not work for Slovenia..it needs to adopt a Singapore style of government
Delete.otherwise it will survive from An EU life support systrm..that raps it up
Huh?
DeleteFinally
ReplyDeletewow great news
ReplyDeleteGood. Ljubljana needs all the airlines it can get.
ReplyDeleteBravo Fraport!
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling these will operate for 2 months like Skopje this year.
ReplyDeleteYes most likely
DeleteNo, if they are subsidised by the government they have to operate year round.
Deletei wanted to say the same.
Deleteyes if they will dly through subsidies than the flights will be year round
DeleteFinally some good news for Ljubljana
ReplyDeleteThere has been a lot of good news for Ljubljana lately actually.
DeleteEspecially those that we are 20% behind from 2018. Really good news..
DeleteWell yes but I think that new airlines launching flights to Lju and the new national carrier coming in a year or two are good news for Slovenian aviation
Deletewhat national airline are you expecting? ^^
DeletePPP with Amelia
DeleteI think Norwegian can launch more routes ,because in Stockholm (ARN)only launched two destinations
ReplyDeleteHope so
DeleteSkopje next year still on a 2 months probation period :/
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's probation. They have many routes operating just during the peak summer, especially those relying on diaspora traffic.
Delete@9.15 they have only a few diaspora routes most of them are leissure
DeleteAnyway, many of their routes are operated during that period only. If Norwegian saw increase, then they would have continued the the flights in September as well. Anyway, still better smth then nothing and at least they fly to the main airport in Oslo.
DeleteThis means they will be flying to every single ex-Yu market next summer. Right?
ReplyDeleteYes, in summer all will be served
DeleteImpressive. Not a lot of airlines fly to all of them.
DeleteI think Turkish and Wizz are the only ones
DeleteDoes Wizz fly to Croatia?
DeleteYes seasonally to DBV and SPU. TK is the only year-round operator to all ex-Yu republics.
DeleteGreat news for LJU!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't Stockholm make more sense?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they applied for both, we will see in 14 days
DeleteIt will be only CPH.
DeleteCPH in TOP unserved route from LJU.
DeleteWell Sas could still be in the game for Stockholm flights through subsidies but I doubt it
DeleteI have never tried them. What are they like service wise?
ReplyDeleteFlew with them Oslo-Stockholm last year. Basic LCC. All crew on board was Spanish.
DeleteInteresting thanks
Deletethe airport got its act togeather and realized they have to actually attract airlines.
ReplyDeleteActually Norwegian was attracted by the government.
DeleteMost of the new routes launched in the last year were introduced thanks to government subsidies which cover 50% of Fraport's fees. Crazy because Fraport still pockets 100% of its fees, while benefiting from the extra passengers (and fees). So basically, the government is paying Fraport to do absolutely nothing. And to make things worse, this isn't even a concession. They actually sold the airport to the Germans. I have never seen a more stupider arrangement.
DeleteFraport agreed to build a new terminal and update the rest of the airport infostracture for a set level of fees over a set period of time.
DeleteIt really isn't Fraport's fault that the Slovenian market is so small nor should Fraport breach the agreement in favor of the Covernment.
They are doing more than OK with all the other airports they operate, I don't think it is their fault the small demand for travel in Slovenia.
They knew very well what kind of market they were buying into. They were not obligated to build a new terminal and nothing would have happened if that terminal came in a couple of years.
DeleteThere were other bidders for LJU. But as you know, Germany must have utmost priority. Adria was gifted to money launderers and criminals simply because they were from Munich.
DeleteFraport offered offered 130 million euros more than Vinci for the airport and commited at that time to build various infrastracture at the airport (new terminal, aviation academy and such).
Delete@Anonymous09:59
DeleteΟf course they were obligated by the concession agreement to build a new terminal, what are you talking about? 😄
I agree that businesswise it was a bad decision for them.
Every other airport they have invested in is making money.
^ it is not a concession agreement. The airport has been been fully privatized, not given up for concession and Fraport has control of the airport for 99 years.
DeleteAnon 10:44
DeleteThat IS a concession agreement!
It is not a concession. There can only be a sales agreement.
DeleteTrue it is not a concession because Fraport fully purchased the airport operator and have been granted (without fees) to operate infrastructure for 99 years. If it were a concession, they would be limited to running the airport for a shorter period and would be obligated to pay a concession fee each year.
DeleteFraport also offers 50% discount for new routes. Government adds their own 50% ob top of that, so the airlines actually pay only 25% fees.
DeleteDont mix company with land/area. Company is fully owned bt fraport but land where airport is is not. They can use it for 99 years.
DeleteFraport has rights of superficie. Land is still owned by Slovenia, but Fraport can freely build on it.
DeleteFraport also promised wonders in Burgas and nothing happened brat. Okay, nice runway in Varna a couple of years but nothing else. Burgas is supposed to handle 2 million next year and LJU receive more traffic. Those from Fraport are sleeping....
DeleteBut it is also fair to remember that Fraport in Burgas and Varna has a JV with TIM group..
Delete@anon 13:28: Didn't Fraport build a new terminal each in Varna and Bourgas? And as far as i know, expansions are underway, too... - So this is "nothing happend"? - Blind you are!
DeleteGreat, we were just discussing at home to visit Copenhagen in June next year. Hope for good timings.
ReplyDeleteAny ideas what the frequency may be?
ReplyDelete2 weekly
Delete^ that's speculatiion. We will find out soon enough
Deleteyeah yeah maybe it will be daily…
DeleteThe way things are going, Ljubljana will have a bigger variety of airlines than Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteIt really does seem like it. New airlines added - Luxair, Air Baltic, Corendon Airlines, Norwegian and more to come.
ReplyDeleteWhat about new national airline project? Has the government given up on it?
ReplyDeleteThey are still interested.
ReplyDeleteExcellent. There are no flights to Scandinavia from Ljubljana at all so this is welcome news.
ReplyDeleteThere are seasonal Finnair flights to Helsinki.
DeleteFinland isn't in Scandinavia.
DeleteTrue my mistake ;)
DeleteHope they add Oslo and Stockholm as well in the next few years.
ReplyDeleteHave there ever been OSL-LJU flights?
DeleteThey will try, LF will probably be less than 40% and then it will be game over.
ReplyDeleteWhy would LF be under 40%?
DeleteYou said same for Aegean. Your comment is irrelevant.
DeleteThe more airlines come, the less of a chance there is for them to launch a national airline.
ReplyDelete@10:59
ReplyDeleteThat is great news for the tax payers.
The subsidies are working
ReplyDeleteNot just that. If it was all about subsidies then Norwegian would have launched this routes a few years ago. I guess there wasnt so much demand back then.
DeleteWell lets wait a bit for the results of the subsidies becouse if they will be the only new airline which will come through subsidies than that won’t be really a big success
Delete@12.50 subsidies for the launch of new routes was initiated at the end of last year. Before that they were just offered to airline already flying to Ljubljana to keep flying to Ljubljana.
DeleteAnd after you say: Skopje has all of the traffic cause they pay for it, lets see the story at LJU now if that is true.
Deleteclassic double standards
DeleteMaybe its better if there wont be a national carrier. All of the routes that Adria served in 2019 are here and there now.
ReplyDeleteThis is bad news for Zagreb.
ReplyDeleteIndeed. I was usig Zag especially for CPH flights but if they will launch direct flights from Lju then I will happily choose Lju as its closer
Delete*using
DeleteHoping for a 3 weekly at least…but expecting a 2x
ReplyDeleteExcellent news
ReplyDeleteWhen will tickets go on sale?
ReplyDeleteAt the end of November/ early December
DeleteNot true, many routes Adria served are still not served.
ReplyDeleteYes SJJ, TIA, SOF, VIE ( which will never return ) and PRG, What else? As i said, routes that Adria served in their final year not 50 years ago. As far as i know they had discontinued DUS, GVA and SVO flights at that time and only routes left in operation were CPH, PRG, VIE, ZRH, AMS, BRU, CDG, FRA, MUC, SJJ, TGD, TIA, SKP, SOF.
ReplyDeleteOTP
ReplyDelete