Plans to expand Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport received a boost this week after a contract was signed to relocate a 2.3 kilometre stretch of the main road to allow for the expansion of the airport's infrastructure north of the runway. The airport's long-term development plan involves the construction of a second terminal, a hotel, office space, commercial premises and a logistics services centre next to the airport, to be known as Aeropolis. The project will radically change the appearance of the airport and will involve the construction of a rail link to the city in subsequent phases. Ljubljana Airport's operator, Fraport, has endorsed the Aeropolis development project and believes work could be completed by 2035. The relocation of the road, valued at 2.5 million euros, will be completed next year.
Initially, construction of Ljubljana Airport's new multi million euro terminal was planned to begin in 2013. However, minority shareholders, which have since been squeezed out, rejected the plans citing unfavourable economic conditions. This is despite the European Union agreeing to grant 22% of all necessary funds. The new terminal was meant to cover an area of 31.200 square metres, with its opening planned for 2015. The original price tag for the project stood at 73 million euros but was reduced to 57 million. However, the General Manager of Jože Pučnik Airport, Zmago Skobir, says a brand new facility is still planned for the future. "Before we build a new terminal, we want to utilise and update the existing one. It will have the capacity to handle two million passengers per year. This should be sufficient over the next few years if traffic continues to grow gradually", he notes.
Ljubljana Airport has begun upgrading its terminal building with the refurbishment to be carried out in several phases, until its completion in 2018. Slovenia's busiest airport has already added an additional arrivals and departures gate and will expand commercial and retail areas. Furthermore, the airport will tackle "bottlenecks" at check-in and security with the aim of cutting down on queuing time. The brunt of the work will take place next year, when both the check-in area and baggage handling facilities will be expanded, while additional capacity will be added at baggage claim. Ljubljana Airport handled 598.271 passengers during the first half of the year, a decrease of 4.5% compared to the same period in 2015.
A full overview of the Aeropolis project can be found here (PDF document). Note that the dates listed in the document are no longer valid as the project has been delayed and the construction of a new terminal has been put on hold. The project is now set to be completed within the next twenty years instead of 2021.
Nice that they are resuming the project but I really feel they should have focused on building a new terminal ASAP.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Such as shame they blocked it. We would have had a new terminal by now that could compete with Zagreb. Now they are thinking about building a new terminal in 10 years -.-
DeleteYeah they really need one, with all the exploding pax numbers
DeleteI think they'll wait till 2020 with the new Terminal, I think management wants the airport to hit 2.0 million before they start working on a new terminal.
Delete2016 - 1.5 million
2017 - 1.6 million
2018 - 1.75 million
2019 - 1.85 million
2020 - 2.0 million
I think they'll start work on new terminal in 2020 with completion due date around 2024.
I think new terminal will add extra capacity, however not sure they'll do wht Zagreb did and install automated baggage sorting facility. At least not for E73 million, the automated baggage sorting facility costs in the region of E50 million and requires bare minimum of 10000sqm, Out of Zagreb's new terminal ABSF takes almost whole basement/ground level floor or around 15000sqm, the rest are taken by the airport's offices and management/marketing offices.
Ideally I think by 2025 Ljubljana should have new terminal put in to function increasing overall capacity of Ljubljana to around 7.5 million pax.
Not saying Ljubljana will hit these numbers any time soon, perhaps by 2040, but this is the capacity both terminals will give once all is done.
2016 1.5 mil ?
DeleteThey are going down. This year will end below 1.4 mil. maybe even at 1.35 if troubles at Adria continue.
Their peak year was back in 2008, and the chance of reaching 1.5 mil by 2020 is pretty bleak.
@AnonymousAugust 6, 2016 at 3:21 PM
Deleteshut up you troll !!!
Why is he trolling? The first three sentences are fact. The last is his own estimate.
DeleteInteresting that when they were selling LJU the government didn't put a condition to the future owner to build a new terminal like in Zagreb, Pristina and Skopje.
ReplyDeleteThen no one would offer to buy the airport is what I fear might have been the thought process. And Slovenian Government was desperate for money they needed to sell something. All so called neo liberal governments like to do is sell, sell and sell some more of valuable state assets.
DeleteWhat Croatia likes to do is lease it, lets lease this for 20, 25,30 years, and we keep it after. Smarter move I think.
A new terminal would be a nice backdrop for the ANA B777 arriving today :) Expected at 15.40!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the info with us ex-Yu a few days ago http://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/08/ana-to-start-slovenia-and-croatia.html
Will they park the plane at the terminal and mount the air bridge?
Deletefor sure not
Deleteok thanks. Is it possible to do that in Ljubljana though or is it impossible due to the size? Thanks.
DeleteI doubt its possible for 773 or any WB at all. Never seen a larger ac parked than the 321
Delete@JU520 BEGLAXAugust 6, 2016 at 11:40 AM
DeleteIt should be possible, not the middle two jetways but outer two should be fine.
Well had a look it is possible for 1st jetway to the left to take on widebody aircraft.
It would be epic if they built all of this.
ReplyDeleteWhere's the FRAPORT hate brigade now?
ReplyDeleteNone of this is Fraport's idea. This entire project was developed well before they arrived.
DeleteSo? It was up to them whether to proceed or not. LJU is their responsibility now and they need to make decisions based on what makes commercial sense.
DeleteIs that air traffic control center that was built a few years back part of this project?
ReplyDelete"Before we build a new terminal, we want to utilise and update the existing one. It will have the capacity to handle two million passengers per year. This should be sufficient over the next few years if traffic continues to grow gradually"
ReplyDeleteThe airport has increased its numbers only by about 40% from 2000. I think two million should hold for quite some time
Retail zone already expanded? Where and which one, didnt see anything end of June
ReplyDeleteWill not further comment on the lack of proper infrastructure, but definitely FRAPORT's involvement has been disappointing so far.
ANA 777 will be parked on a landstand in the western part of the tarmac
This is only a long term plan, so don't open the champagne bottle to celebrate Fraport. At least not yet.
ReplyDeleteWow. Censorship again... This time, because Croatia Airlines are before Air Serbia in the annual airlines ranking.
ReplyDeleteBecause an article was published about your off topic a month ago. Before posting old off topics do a search on whether an article on the topic already exists.
Deletehttp://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/07/croatia-air-serbia-adria-among-europes.html
hahaha you are such an idiot anon 10.21
Delete"Ljubljana Airport's operator, Fraport, has endorsed the Aeropolis development project and believes work could be completed by 2035"
ReplyDeleteseriously, deadline 2035??
They might as well make promises about 100 years from now.
+1000
DeleteI think a revamped check in and retail area (incl. new security checkpoint and new lounge) together with a few additional gates will do. While the airport does feel cramped at rush hours (Adria's morning wave + TK,AY,EZY in the evening during the summer), it is deserted during the rest of the day. They should also focus on establishing a rail link and improve the access road to the airport
ReplyDelete*They should rather focus on establishing a rail link and improve the access road to the airport than building a hotel and business spaces.
DeleteEvery airport is 'deserted' during some hours of the day. Important is the situation at peak times and there LJU is very much unsatisfying. For example arrival where people are awaiting the arriving passengers. So cramped that most people are standing outside. Complete joke....
Deleterail link is a dream which we wont see come true in decades. I hve lost all my hope with LJU airport
Building a new departure and arrival hall is much cheaper and more useful than an airport hotel. Varna and Burgas both received new terminal buildings after Fraport bought them. As soon as Croatia enters the Schengen zone, more and more people will make use of the new terminal building in ZAG....
DeleteI agree with the last anonymus, but Croatia won't enter Schengen in the near future, that's for sure.
DeleteWhy? Contracts were made for Schengen?
DeleteVarna and Burgas are not good example as terminal there was late for years. Fraport did not follow contract there, and first took lot of money and than build terminals with huge delay.
DeleteOne can only dream 5 years ago that SKP will have more pax than LJU, a better terminal and brighter future..
ReplyDeleteBEG, now it's your turn, watch out the experience with Fraport!!
But, however there's only one easing condition. LJU was sold during the economic crisis in Slovenia and BEG wouldn't be that case.
Gotta love this guy - "if traffic continues to grow gradually" ....
ReplyDeleteHe must be comatose ! Numbers this year have dropped almost 5% and Adria is continuing to go in reverse at LJU, while expanding their footprint elsewhere in the EU.
Doe this guy even turn up for work ?
Odlicno izgleda ovaj projekat samo kad bi se ADR potrudila da ubrza malo rast Aerodroma i ovo bi se pre sagradilo.
ReplyDeleteINN-NS