easyJet to exit Ljubljana


Low cost carrier easyJet will temporarily end all operations to Ljubljana at the start of the 2020/2021 winter season, with the carrier to suspend flights from London Gatwick to the Slovenian capital on October 23. It comes after Slovenia was recently removed from the United Kingdom’s air corridor list, effectively becoming off-limits for British travellers. As a result, all passengers arriving from Slovenia to the UK are required to quarantine for fourteen days upon arrival. Furthermore, Slovenia itself has placed the UK on its red list, which requires ten days of quarantine for most arrivals from the country. easyJet previously discontinued flights from Stansted to Ljubljana, due to its base closure, and has also terminated operations from Berlin to the Slovenian capital until the 2021 summer season.

easyJet is expected to make its return to Ljubljana on December 11 when it inaugurates its new route from London Luton. Services from Gatwick are set to be restored a week later, on December 17. However, if travel restrictions persist on both sides, it is highly likely some or all flights may be cancelled. Prior to the pandemic and following the demise of Adria Airways late last year, easyJet was Slovenia’s largest carrier, while Stansted - Ljubljana was the busiest out of the three routes it maintained to the country. This November, for the first time in over a decade, Ljubljana will no longer be served by a single low cost carrier with Wizz Air and Transavia also having suspended their operations to the city.

easyJet is struggling under the strain of the ongoing pandemic. An airline union official said he believes the carrier is "hanging by a thread". In a leaked recording, Martin Entwisle said the company was in a "really, really dire situation". Mr Entwisle made the comment after a meeting with the airline's Chief Financial Officer, Andrew Findlay. Like all airlines, easyJet had to take drastic measures in response to the pandemic. It placed around 80% of its pilots on the UK government's furlough scheme and secured a 600 million pound loan from the state’s emergency coronavirus fund. In May it announced that it planned to lay off up to 4.500 staff across Europe. The airline, which at the start of the pandemic owned over 80% of its aircraft according to Mr Entwisle, has sold over 30% of them, and leased them back, to plough money into the company, and "more aircraft are about to be sold". Mr Entwisle also said the winter is looking "dire" and will result in the airline cutting back significantly on its schedule. He claims that peak flying each day during the winter "is not going to exceed ninety aircraft in the UK".

Comments

  1. Shame, Easyjet is by far best LCC compared to Ryanair/Wizzair. I really hope they will come on top of this crisis and eventually even base a plane in Ljubljana.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      the best but they totally ignore this market ...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:03

      Why should they keep flying and losing money with all the travel restrictions in place?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:11

      The best thing about Easy Jet is that their luggage requirement is about dimensions not about weight.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:29

      Hm. Wizz Air just won the ATW airline of the year award. Just saying.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:08

    It makes perfect sense, Slovenia is currently open to a very few countries worldwide. Nobody wants to be locked for a fortnight if they are on a short business or leisure trip:

    https://www.nijz.si/en/list-countries-crossing-national-borders-without-restrictions

    The list was updated last week.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      Even JU didn't increase LJU after restrictions were removed

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:29

      JU doesn't answer to shareholders, just to the GoS.

      Big difference in modus operandi.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      true dat :D

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:40

      lol that list is pretty long !!

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:34

      That list does not mean anything as passenger can arrive in Slovenia even from countries on red list but they do not have to go to quarantine if they provide negative test on Covid

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:38

    they barely have a flight to ExYu at the moment

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:44

      Low yielding markets.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:13

      Even before corona I can't believe they only flew to Slovenia, Serbia and Kosovo year round from whole of ex-Yu.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:27

      pathetic when you know they are the only low cost that could fly to gasto nr 1 Switzerland. They could have ruled that market

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:02

      They have an extensive seasonal network to Croatia...

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:42

    Ouch

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous10:04

    Predictable and a shame; LJU needs a reliable London link. Hopefully next year sees regular EZY to LGW and LTN, plus BA into LHR.

    On the positive, I don't think Brits have to quarantine in Slovenia if they have had a negative PCR test 48 hours before arrival (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/slovenia/entry-requirements). If the UK can get its act together with testing (there is now hope that the Government has woken up), then travel to Slovenia is quite viable, which should support a December return. Personally hope they prioritise LGW over LTN as the latter is a horrid airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:07

      I have read that LTN underwent through some nice refurbs and has now become a more decent airport. After all, it is now becoming a more and more Wizz territory and they are connecting more and more airports as time goes by.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous10:21

    Are they still gonna build that new terminal?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Of course. Balkan corrupt politicians combined with German businesses crooks - win win combination for the entire ex-yu

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:45

      They have almost complete the terminal. What do you suggest? Abandon the project?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:32

      It really won't be needed though.

      Delete
  7. If I remember correctly, the first airport in ex-yu served by Easyjet was RJK. But thanks to RJK incompetent management they left after two seasons only, despite the excellent LF on both services they operated. And lack of presence of EZY at both ZAG and LJU might be chance for RJK to try again, actually if it was Ryanair in question, they could market RJK as Zagreb West /Ljubljana South :) :) :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:17

      tbh they shoud ask Wizz

      Delete
  8. Anonymous11:42

    There will be no airlines left at Ljubljana

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:49

      The way things are going, seems that way.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:15

      LJU is losing routea by the day

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:48

      Why is LJU so affected?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous20:03

      Small market

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:35

      Now we realize what "market will take of itself" mentality means in reality. Good job Fraport!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous11:43

    Considering neither country let's the other's citizens in without quarantine, it mashes sense.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous11:46

    So I guess we will still be at 6 airlines in November with easy leaving and LOT returning.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:50

    Fraport warned the government this would happen but they didn't care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:51

      You can't have some of the most restrictive entry requirments in Europe and expect airlines to keep flying.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:29

      Of course they are, as well as they informed public that they can normally operate without JP. Good luck with that!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:24

      the police got a new helicopter, so ops are up :D

      Delete
  12. Anonymous11:54

    Yep just a few days ago got a message from easyjet that my LGW-LJU flight was cancelled in November.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous11:54

    No LCCs at LJU. Wow

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous11:55

    Highly doubt they will be back in December. We won't see them until late March next year, best case scenario.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:03

      +1.

      Winter season is gone for the airlines.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous12:23

    And then someone comes along and tells me its better this way without Adria :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:28

      and then someone comes along and writes the same comment day for day ...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:31

      And when was last time adria flew to London?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:44

      LJU is the perfect example why countries rushed to save their airlines.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:50

      When was the last time JP flew to London year-round? Back in the 2000s when they still flew to LHR?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous14:25

      doesn't matter. communist party children need JP low work high pay jobs, like when JP was government owned! :D

      Delete
    6. Anonymous16:03

      do you have first hand knowledge or is this only your frustration talking?

      Delete
    7. Anonymous16:20

      For all its flaws, if Adria was still around it would at least still be flying 4-5 vital routes, which we are losing as we speak.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous16:45

      There would be no point in having a national carrier fly empty planes with 10 passengers.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous18:27

      @Anonymous 14:25:

      Are you the same anon who got rejected from Adria and is whining on here about communism and nepotism?

      Delete
    10. Anonymous08:45

      Everybody in Slovenia knows there is a certain level of nepotism involved in most state-owned companies in Slovenia, whether you want to admit it or not. More so when we are talking about above average salaries.

      PS: Never wanted to work for Adria, never applied for any job.

      Delete
  16. Anonymous12:48

    This sucks. Every day some airline is cancelling flights.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:02

      There will be more and more unfortunately. From all airports.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:14

      I can't keep up anymore with all these cancellations and temporary suspensions.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:46

      That is the reality

      Delete
  17. Anonymous13:02

    The issue is that these temporary suspensions lasting one or two months are usually prolonged

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous13:02

    Not good at all

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous13:03

    I hope they return back as planned.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous13:12

    U2 seems to be really struggling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:12

      Yes they closed bases at 3 UK airports last month - Stansted, Southend and Newcastle

      Delete
  21. Anonymous13:14

    I have a feeling these routes won't start until March 2021.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:19

      My thoughts too.

      Delete
  22. Anonymous13:14

    Bound to happen.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous13:14

    The recovery in European flights stalled in early September, since Ryanair and easyJet both had a sharp decline in relative movements compared with 2019.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:17

      Travel restrictions and quarantine are the reason.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:43

      It's Fraport management quilt, at this moment you don't have many travel restrictions in place

      Delete
  24. Anonymous13:14

    This will happen more and more

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:25

      I don't know who or what more there is to suspend from Ljubljana.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:55

      We will be left with Lufthansa's Munich flight and that's it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous20:42

      LH canceled MUC flight long time ago...

      Delete
  25. Anonymous13:44

    Easy jet is cancelling many routes from many airports around Europe. So it is not surprising.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:10

      LCCs that drove the "recovery" around Europe during the summer are the biggest loosers this winter.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous16:07

    Remember use it or lose it roule regarding slots. It is suspended till march.
    This is why they suspend not cancel.

    It costs the same in reality it is also the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:22

      If I understand correctly, you think these routes may disappear for good and they are just displaying it as operating from next year so they can keep the slots?

      Delete
  27. Anonymous16:11

    Can someone tell me what what was the frequency of the London route last winter?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:53

      Daily. Since they operated Stansted, I think it went up to 12 weekly.

      Delete
  28. Anonymous16:21

    Airlines are not flying because demand is low.. Simple as that.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous16:46

    Winter season is going to be bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:49

      There will be no meaningful recovery before summer 2021.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:33

      Things are bad and are getting worse all over Europe.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous16:47

    LJU and most airports in Europe would benefit if the EU brought in a unified system for entry regulations. These changes each week is what putting off most people from flying.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous16:48

    The numbers at LJU are really dire. I'm not so certain figures will even reach 300,000 in 2020 :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous16:52

      I fear that will be the situation. Today there were only 4 scheduled flights from LJU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:44

      wow 3 to 4 flights a day was last seen when? 70s?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:54

      Well I remember reading on an article here on exyu that LJU will probably have same traffic levels as between 1991-1993.

      Delete
    4. @An.19.44
      1976, JAT started SCHEDULED flights from LJU to New York JFK. At that time it had already maintained scheduled flights to Tunis, Malta, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Zurich, London. FRA was daily, other international flights with several weekly frequencies, except for JFK, MLA and TUN which were once weekly. JAT had 3 daily to BEG, daily to SKP via SJJ or SPU, several weekly to DBV, and weekly to OHD. So, only JAT had some 7-8 daily flights from LJU at the time you talk about, including intercontinental. There were at least two to three daily charters only by JAT in summer season. In addition to JAT, Adria operated several daily both domestic and international, both scheduled and charter flights from LJU. Aviogenex was present as well, mostly with charters to the UK. KLM had scheduled flights from LJU to AMS, Interflug to BER SXF, LJU had an average of 15-20 flights per day, year-round, and even more in summer. But in twisted present we live in, when even president of Croatia falsifies the past with statement about 1 type of yogurt in Yugoslavia, and over 50 were on the market, I am not surprised you really believe LJU had 3 flights per day in time period in question :(:(:(

      Delete
  32. Anonymous19:30

    This is getting crazy! Wizz, easyjet, Transavia, LOT, Swiss, British... who else is gonna leave

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:31

      All airports are in the same problem. It isn't unique to LJU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:34

      I understand it's a difficult situation everywhere, but more should have been done to keep at least some of these airlines.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous19:38

      @Anonymous 19:31:

      Wrong. Every other airport is seeing a decrease in traffic, whereas LJU doesn't have ANY traffic. That's what you get for not having a national carrier.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous19:54

      It's not just about national carriers. It seems to me other airports did a better job at keeping foreign carriers too. Maybe Fraport should introduce some stimulus for airlines.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous19:33

    So our new reality

    TK - 2 per week
    JU - 4 per week
    AF - 5 per week
    LH - 12 per week
    YM - 1 per week

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:55

      The next to reduce will be AF and LH.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous19:42

    Slovenia banned almost everyone from Europe entering. What did they expect?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:53

      Exactly!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:39

      That's not true! Even if passengers arrive from red list country they do not have to go to quarantine if they provide negative test on Covid. So rules are less restrictive than before.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous21:13

      But they still have to quarantine on arriving in UK (in the case of article).

      Delete
    4. Anonymous21:32

      True but that does not depend on Slovenia rules.

      Delete
  35. Anonymous19:43

    As soon as the UK put Slovenia off the air corridor list, I knew it was a matter of time before these flights ended.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:53

      It was not difficult to foresee.

      Delete
  36. Anonymous19:52

    So these are the countries from which you can enter Slovenia freely:

    1. Australia
    2. Cyprus
    3. Finland
    4. Latvia
    5. Liechtenstein
    6. Lithuania
    7. New Zealand
    8. Poland
    9. Serbia
    10. South Korea
    11. Uruguay

    You can immediately take Australia and New Zealand off the list since their citizens can not leave their countries.

    So now you understand why every airline is leaving Slovenia.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:37

      actually you are giving misleading informations. New regulations allow passengers to entry Slovenia even if they are coming from red list countries in case that they have negative test on Covid. So actually last rules are less restrictive than those which we had in past. So it's Fraport fault for situation in which we/they are now.

      Delete
  37. Anonymous19:56

    The last paragraph does not paint a very positive picture about easyjet's future!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous00:46

    Just a correction: the UK is not on Slovenia's red list except for Gibraltar. It's on the amber list

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous01:00

    Watch Easy jet share price tumble on Thursday!

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous01:10

    Hanging by a thread...?

    ReplyDelete

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