PREMIUM
European destinations make up the majority of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport’s top unserved routes. The airport has had to deal with two major events which impacted its passenger numbers and connectivity. First came the collapse of Adria Airways in late September 2019, leaving the city without a handful of destinations, and then came the coronavirus pandemic, although the latter is yet to result in the permanent termination of routes. Bucharest was the busiest unserved city both in 2019 and 2020. Most of the unserved routes were at some point operated by Adria with varying degrees of success. The only city outside of the continent making it into the top ten was New York.
The list below represents routes which were not served for the entirety of 2019, therefore, they do not include destinations that were no longer served following the collapse of Adria on September 30 of that same year. It should be noted that these figures indicate only travellers who either started or ended their journey in these cities, not those from Slovenia commencing their journey from nearby airports.
Top ten unserved routes to/from Ljubljana in 2019
Bucharest - Ljubljana - Bucharest
Despite its proximity, at 13.781 indirect origin and destination passengers, Bucharest was the busiest unserved route out of Ljubljana. The 935-kilometre capital connection was previously operated on and off by Adria Airways. The Slovenian carrier initially launched the route at four per week in the summer of 2008 with its CRJ200 jet. However, the service was short-lived and lasted until 2010. The airline made another attempt at the route in 2018 with four weekly rotations but the flights were discontinued just a few months later as the airline’s financial problems began to mount, which ultimately led to its demise. Adria remained the main feeder carrier for services to the Romanian capital, transferring passengers primarily to Vienna who would then connect onto Austrian Airlines flights.
Top transfer airports on Bucharest - Ljubljana - Bucharest route in 2019
Top transfer airlines on Bucharest - Ljubljana - Bucharest route in 2019
Stockholm - Ljubljana - Stockholm
The Swedish capital was the second busiest unserved route from Ljubljana. Flights to Stockholm were maintained by Adria on a seasonal summer basis until 2012 and were restored in 2015 but discontinued a year later. Warsaw was the main transfer point between the two although Adria was the leading feeding carrier as it dispatched travellers to Star Alliance hubs such as Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Zurich and Munich.
Top transfer airports on Stockholm - Ljubljana - Stockholm route in 2019
Top transfer airlines on Stockholm - Ljubljana - Stockholm route in 2019
Kiev - Ljubljana - Kiev
Adria Airways launched and discontinued flights to the Ukrainian capital several times over the past ten years. Demand to Kiev remains high and in 2020 Ukraine’s Windrose Airlines planned to introduce services to the Slovenian capital. However, strict travel and entry restrictions in the country prevented the airline from going ahead with the launch. Windrose still remains committed to starting flights to Ljubljana once the situation with the ongoing pandemic improves. In a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, the airline said, “We plan to restart flights to Ljubljana, after local authorities give us the all clear”.
Top transfer airports on Kiev - Ljubljana - Kiev route in 2019
Top transfer airlines on Kiev - Ljubljana - Kiev route in 2019
Athens - Ljubljana - Athens
Similar to other destinations, Athens has been served on an off and on basis out of Ljubljana over the past decade. Adria Airways terminated its seasonal operations to the Greek capital in 2012, while Aegean Airlines maintained flights between the two cities over the summer of 2016. Air Serbia accounted for almost half of all passengers travelling on the route with 47% of them carried. Other popular choices were combinations between Adria and its Star Alliance partners Lufthansa and Austrian.
Top transfer airports on Athens - Ljubljana - Athens route in 2019
Top transfer airlines on Athens - Ljubljana - Athens route in 2019
New York - Ljubljana - New York
New York is the only far away destination within the top ten unserved from Ljubljana. Nonstop flights between the two cities were last operated just prior to the breakup of the former Yugoslavia by JAT Yugoslav Airlines. Despite the dominance of Adria and its Star Alliance partners on the Slovenian market, Air France and Air Serbia managed to account for 15% of all passengers carried between the two cities with Paris being the top transfer point, with some travellers reaching the French capital with Adria.
Top transfer airports on New York - Ljubljana - New York route in 2019
Top transfer airlines on New York - Ljubljana - New York route in 2019
Due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the top ten unserved routes from Ljubljana changed, with traffic volumes significantly down. The list below only displays cities that had no commercial flights to the Slovenian capital whatsoever for the duration of last year.
Top ten unserved routes to/from Ljubljana in 2020
