No airline has applied for the Slovenian government’s fifth tender call aimed at encouraging carriers to launch new flights to the country in return for subsidies. According to a statement by the Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure for “Bloomberg Adria”, no airline applied for the tender some twelve hours prior to the deadline, which was just before midnight on Monday. Carriers had a month to submit their applications. The Ministry for Infrastructure previously allocated a total of 16.8 million euros in funds for airlines between 2023, when the first public call was made, and 2026, when the last call is expected, although it can be extended if funds are left over. So far, just 1.1 million euros have been used up. The funds equate to covering 50% of the carrier’s fees on the new route.
Earlier this summer, the Ministry for Infrastructure said it was in talks with a number of carriers in order to find a solution for the country’s perceived lack of air connectivity ahead of the upcoming five-year anniversary of the collapse of former national carrier Adria Airways in just over a week. “The Ministry for Infrastructure is continuing to rigorously seek out solutions that will improve Slovenia’s air connectivity in the long-term, including talks with airlines that present their proposals for improving connectivity. The fact is that basing a few aircraft at one of our international airports would increase connectivity and also improve flight frequencies on individual air routes. The Government of the Republic of Slovenia will decide whether the establishment of a national carrier is the most appropriate solution for improving connectivity, after all options to increase connectivity are presented”, the Ministry said in July.
The previous four public calls garnered mixed results. Luxair, airBaltic, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Iberia, and Cyprus Airways have applied over the four previous tenders, although the latter did not submit complete documentation. Luxair (Luxembourg) has been granted 257.960 euros for operations between September 14, 2023, and May 31, 2025. airBaltic (Riga) will receive 284.408 euros for operations between May 2, 2024, and October 31, 2025. Norwegian Air Shuttle (Copenhagen) has been granted 557.518 euros between April 29, 2024 and October 31, 2025, while Iberia (Madrid) is the recipient of 18.774 euros between July 29, 2024, and September 5, 2024. So far, all of the newly launched routes are seasonal, with exception to airBaltic and Luxair, which will only run a handful of flights to Ljubljana this coming winter.
What a surprise
ReplyDeleteFinally. Those Slovenian and Macedonian tenders make me sick.
DeleteThe Macedonian one will actually get someone to apply.
DeleteNo market? Muti LH succeeded......
Delete9.21 why taxpayers from these counties pay them and yeah it might lead that some neighbouring airports get less passengers because of this but in life nothing is fair so I see no problem is subsidizing airlines.
DeleteConsidering Iberia didn't apply and their subsidies are only for this year, seems like they won't be coming back next year.
ReplyDeleteIberia is not coming back next summer.
DeleteThey had very good loads this year (over 85%) so it'd be very weird if they don't return
DeleteHow many signs does the government need that it is time for some sort of joint venture to establish a national airline?
ReplyDeleteMaybe they surprise us and announce something on Adria's bankruptcy anniversary :D
Deletelufthansa group to set up a subsidiary for Slovenia. Lufthansa domination in europe will be growing and complete in the next 10 years.
DeleteWhat domination? Lufthansa is falling in capacity and passenger numbers.
DeleteThey are growing in LJU while every airline is canceling flights.
DeleteEven OU aren't as close to Lufthansa as before.
Deletei wrote Lufthansa group. not just Lufthansa airline. they will completely own the Italian flag carrier soon enough. to add the 3 other flag carriers they already own outside Germany. then with the takeover in Slovenia will make 6 flag carriers under Lufthansa control.
DeleteWhat airline will they take over in Slovenia?
DeleteNo worries! Subsidies are insignificant anyways. Those 5 airlines came only because of Fraport.
ReplyDeleteQuite depressing.
ReplyDeleteYikes, this is sad :(
ReplyDeleteLaunching the tender in August when most airline staff are out of office probably wasn't the brightest idea.
ReplyDeleteThey'll keep launching it regardless, as it doesn't cost them anything.
DeleteGovernment doesn't care. They will endlessly launch these tenders.
ReplyDeleteIf this isn’t the final slap for the government to finnaly start thinking about a national carrier then it’s never going to happen.
ReplyDeleteFor a market like Slovenia you can't just launch tenders. You have to do some work, together with Fraport, to get airlines to apply for them
ReplyDeleteToo bad Fraport doesn't wanna work with the Government
DeleteOnly cooperation from Fraport is sweet talk and nice PR, unfortunately. But it could be understood somehow - they are satisfied with current status - LH group and *A dominance and not too much traffic (which they can not process it anyhow due to lack of resources). On the other side they are earning well selling and renting land and airport infrastructure. So no real blame to Fraport, they are only following the business strategy of their stakeholders.
DeleteTrue for Anonymous 10:56 / they, as other Airports in region, have lack of staff issues. Working at Airport, is not something people will do as a big wish (night shifts, weekends, Public holidays).
DeletePerhaps allow UK-based airlines to also apply? Jet2 MAN-LJU would be popular, for example.
ReplyDeleteThere is 0 chance of Jet2 coming to Slovenia. Even with massive subsidies. They don't launch single routes, they launch groups of routes.
DeleteUnfortunate
DeleteGroup it with Innsbruck, then!
Delete@anonymous 9:21: group in a sense ‚group from the UK’, so they usually launch flights from few UK airports to a particular place
DeleteThis. They specialise in mass tourism, the sort that Slovenia has been avoiding. There's a bigger chance of someone like Easyjet launching Manchester, and even that's unlikely
DeleteSo much for people claiming how TAROM will start flights.
ReplyDeleteIt can't legally launch more routes until 2026 because of restructuration. However, it will introduce the 737max next year.
DeleteI believe they have Ljubljana in their destination list on their site because it is offered as codeshare with JU.
DeleteLJU is the only destination where there is no booking available with them or their codeshare partners, so I think there was a plan to operate the route
DeleteTerrible
ReplyDeleteIn winter we could easily evolve our Ski tourism and some Austrian since they’re close. We really can’t market ourselves.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, but we can’t compete with austrian ski resorts… we failed there as well because of bs birocracy
DeleteIn Slovenia unfortunately everything fails. Yet I wonder how it is still great to live there.
Delete10:16 an airport is just a small fraction of an economy especially in Slovenia. If everything else works great you can still have a very nice country
DeleteWith the current government and airport operator set up, there is no hope.
ReplyDeleteThe best chance of an LCC setting up a base in LJU was in the immediate aftermath of Adria's bankruptcy or during Covid. Now it's too late.
ReplyDelete😂😂
ReplyDeleteSo there is definitely nothing happening with that Cyprus Airways deal?
ReplyDeleteWell the government did not want to give them approval. They were saying their documentation was not complete. Now Cyprus Airways is no longer interested.
DeleteThis is not true. Cyprus stepped out due to their fleet problem.
DeleteThe ministry went on record to say that their documentation was not complete after they applied to open a base in LJU.
DeleteTechnically this was a "gentleman style" formal exit for Cyprus.
DeleteI really don't understand why all the drama. Ljubljana is a small city in a small country.
ReplyDeletePeople on here like to bash Lufthansa and Fraport so they are always negative about Ljubljana. In reality the city is connected just fine. Venice and Zagreb are good alternatives.
Delete@9:38 LOL
DeleteWhy is Ljubljana not a good alternative to Zagreb then? Oh, it's because its management is abhorrent
DeletePeople were saying Sarajevo has no market either and look at their growth this year
10:32, because Zagreb is just a bit bigger.
DeleteAnd bigger country. And much more tourists.
Delete@09.38 I agree 100% with you!
DeleteI have never seen an airport that actively does not want to have more traffic.
ReplyDeleteTraffic is growing every year.
DeleteIt is still far behind 2019 and by the looks of things, traffic will decline in next few months.
Delete@9:38 how dare you say those conspiracies! They brought Wizz, Airbaltic, Luxair, Iberia, Norwegian and Cyprus in just one year. The subsidies are insignificant, it is only because of Fraport. Bravo!
DeleteOf course traffic is behind 2019, there is no Adria.
DeleteAnd forecast for the winter season is negative compared to the previous winter, while ALL other airports in the region are planning positive trend.
DeleteI bet that is also the fault of Fraport!
ReplyDeleteTo an extent, yes. They should be the one talking to airlines, familiarizing them with the tender and encouraging them to apply.
DeleteAirlines did not care no matter who encouraged them, that's the problem.
DeleteThey ignore the Slovenian market like it is insignificant for them!
Because it is insignificant. It is the harsh reality.
DeleteUnfortunate
ReplyDeletewow it has been 5 years since Adria... :(
ReplyDeleteSome of the worst years for Slovenian aviation.
DeleteI'm not hating on Fraport, but I really do wonder if things would have been somewhat different with a different airport operator. I remember when they had the airport tender. There was a lot of interest. I think it was down the wire between Fraport, Vinci and China Southern's airport company.
ReplyDeleteWe'd have a functional capital airport instead
DeleteSiStat posted stats for this July so we can approximate LF for that month and here are some of the airlines from tenders:
ReplyDeleteRIX-LJU 87%
MAD-LJU 84% (One flight only)
CPH-LJU 90%
LUX-LJU 80%
My question for Fraport and its fanboys is why is nothing being done to get more airlines as it clearly shows there is demand for more (atleast in summer season) airlines/routes?
Nah trust me these are fake numbers, how could Mutti Fraport be wrong about saying there is no demand
DeleteThese are not good numbers actually. We are talking about July when everything should be 100% at high prices.
DeleteI'm not from Slovenia but you are being unreasonable. Those are good numbers. To have 100% you would have to have full flights in both directions on every single flight during the month, which in most cases is virtually impossible as you will likely have some no shows at the very least.
Delete@10:48 lol sure. Interesting also how for example 80% on long haul is considered amazing on this site but these numbers bad.
DeleteI believe the person was being sarcastic.
DeleteGet the same numbers for winter and you'll see the main problem with LJU. Most of the demand is heavily concentrated into summer months, while winter is so poor that there simply isn't any profit to be made for most airlines.
DeleteThis is true. LJU experiences high seasonality
DeleteIf this doesn't wake up the government nothing will...the only part making it worse is that we are a year away from election pompus, and that they will maybe be afraid to open an airline because of it
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteNice collection of airlines on the photo though
ReplyDeleteAnd all but easyjet are seasonal...
DeleteAnd I remember when easyjet had 3 daily flights at LJU. Now they barely have 1 in summer season and 3 weekly in winter and no replacement was found. Bravo Fraport!
DeleteGood old days...
DeleteČestitke Bratuškovi in druščini, da ste zavozili Slovensko avijacijo do konca.
ReplyDelete:(
DeleteI will continue this ad nauseum: Mrs. Bratusek and her team of “experts” are grabediggers of slovenian aviation and with every move they make, they put additional nail in the coffin. It is bluntanly obvious (even without “expertise” from Mr. Eljon), that in order to have good connectivity (not necessarly profitable in all segments), one needs small local (I’ll avoid using state) airliner. Tightly managed to avoid money spill as it was in the case of AA. What we have now is almost absolute maximum for LJU
ReplyDeleteThere is a new low point in Slovenian aviation every month lmao. Now the airlines wouldn’t fly here even if you pay them. Hilarious.
ReplyDeleteLiterally. The next low point will be passenger numbers declining on last year In November.
DeleteNo, newest low point by Bratusek dream team is pollution tax (2590 €/seat) of private airplanes (cessnas, pipers etc.)
ReplyDeleteWell I am not sure if you are spinning or just not informed but this tax is coming from the "green" ministry and (at least here) MzI is fighting against.
DeleteI stand corrected, was not aware it's not coming from MoI: and I miss typed the amount, its 250 € per seat
DeleteToo bad ex-Yu nations seem unable to talk among themselves to create, something like SAS, which will be obliged to maintain most important connectivity for the capitals but be free otherwise to laugh or terminate routes based on economic logic. If they succeed in minimizing costs by having a common fleet, unified staff policy etc. that entity might have a chance. They could harness the tourist demand of Croatia, gasto demand of Kosovo, and the transit potential of Belgrade. But I guess EU will not allow it.
ReplyDeleteWe had such a career, it was called JAT. It was great. But some people wanted out, and, I guess, at least they got what they wanted
DeleteLJU is a small city in a small country. The connectivity offered currently is sufficient. What rational citizen in Slovenia wants their tax money frittered away on a national airline, just to please some armchair CEOs on an airline website.
ReplyDeleteConcerned taxpayer detected..
DeleteNot at all. Live in Germany and very happy. If I still lived in MBX i'd be really pissed that the crooks in charge of the country are thinking about a national airline.
DeleteAnd I'm more than happy that you moved out. No need for people with your mentality here.
DeleteHe/she (22:07) is happy though to have participated with his/hers taxpayer's euro in 4 billions for Lufthansa though. Bro do your homework before making a clown of yourself.
DeleteBleed money and pay for a symbolic national airline if you want to willy wave.
ReplyDelete