Adria gaining ground

Passengers gradually returning to Adria

Adria Airways has slowly begun to claw back passengers despite a significant reduction in flights. The Slovenian carrier welcomed 453.117 passengers in the first half of the year, down 4.2% compared to 2011 when it welcomed 472.864 travellers. The airline’s figures were boosted significantly by charter flights over the the past few weeks. Adria is currently behind Croatia Airlines and Jat Airways in the EX-YU region when it comes to passenger numbers but is well ahead of Montenegro Airlines and B&H Airlines. In the first half of the year Croatia Airlines welcome just under one million passengers while Jat Airways stood at 585.363 passengers.

Speaking to the Slovenian “Finance” portal, Adria Airways CEO, Klemen Boštjančič, believes that Adria’s cost cutting measures and financial restructuring will prove successful and will allow the airline to break even by the end of 2013. Still, there are further measures to be introduced. “We are finalising the reduction of all of our non profit businesses and all types of additional costs”, Boštjančič explains. This year the aviation industry has been hit by rising fuel prices and a volatile euro. Adria last posted a profit in 2008.

Earlier this month, Boštjančič announced plans to reduce the carrier’s fleet, which he reiterated in a recent interview. According to his statements, the airline is looking to get rid of its Airbus jets, making the CRJ900 the centrepiece of the carrier’s fleet. There are plans to privatise the Slovenian carrier this year, however, the planned tender procedures have not taken place yet.