Ljubljana Airport secures new flights for 2021


Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport hopes to stage a recovery in 2021 after its passenger numbers dipped over 80% during the first three quarters of the year. Turkey’s SunExpress has announced plans to launch seasonal summer flights between Antalya and Ljubljana starting May 10. Services will run twice per week until October 8 with its Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Ticket sales are set to launch soon. Finnair, which suspended its seasonal operations to the Slovenian capital this year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, has confirmed it will return to Ljubljana in April of next year with six weekly flights, an additional weekly rotation compared to 2019. 

Ljubljana Airport has been one of the hardest hit capital city airports in the former Yugoslavia this year. In September it handled just 21.686 passengers, marking a decrease of 87.4% compared to the same month last year. The number of aircraft movements fell 53.9% to 1.369. Overall, during the first three quarters of the year, Ljubljana welcomed 267.780 travellers through its doors, down 81.5%. Despite plans for Ukraine’s Windrose Airlines to launch flights between Kiev and the Slovenian capital next week, the carrier has suspended ticket sales on the route after just three days. In a statement, it said, “The airline has received an explanation from Ljubljana Airport’s border police that at present, under Covid-19 rules, entry is allowed only for reasons of extreme necessity. Due to the fact that most of our passengers are tourists, the launch of flights to Ljubljana has been postponed by the airline until official permission for entry is given”. 

Ljubljana Airport expects for a slow return to business as usual from the spring of 2021. “We all hope that things will start to normalise in the spring, followed by additional flights. For the 2021 summer season, tickets are already on sale by the majority of airlines that would have flown to our airport this summer season were it not for the virus. This is a good sign”, airport operator Fraport Slovenija said. Next summer will see the opening of Ljubljana Airport’s new passenger terminal. Furthermore, Slovenia will take over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, which is expected to boost demand for travel to and from the country.

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    The decline in September is disastrous, even for covid standards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      It really is bad. Almost 90%!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      October is going to be even worse.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      I'm not so certain numbers will even reach 350,000 in 2020 :(

      Delete
    4. And even last year September was not good in a first place all because of Adria bankruptcy.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:06

      As of today the 14-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100 000 in Slovenia is more than 300.
      Among the Eu countries only Czechia, Belgium, Netherlands and France (Slovenia will be worse than France in a couple of days) are performing worse.
      So it's not a surprise that among the pandemic there is not any interest for flights there.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    Windrose lasted long...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      As predicted

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      It's logical if Ukrainians can't enter.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:24

      It's suspended, not terminated. They will be back when the corona situation improves. You can see from their statement.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:37

      Hope so

      Delete
    5. Anonymous19:07

      Maybe next year with the summer schedule.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous21:54

      They were willing to start in winter so if in a few months things calm down they may launch it (they were prepared to start it with just 2 weeks from announcing it).

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:03

    Nice for Sun Express.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      Yes, bit of a surprise :)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:07

      They haven't started selling tickets but they added Ljubljana on their website as a destination. I wonder what the fares will be like.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:37

      Are they an LCC?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:23

      They are a leisure airline

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:11

      Not a leisure airline actually. It is a joint venture airline of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa (%50/%50). They're a good LCC but only based in Antalya and Izmir.

      Delete
    6. Sun Express is not classical LCC, it's more kind of hybrid. They offer connections within their network, also some interline with TK, checked luggage is always included in ticket price, there is no strict control of hand luggage, in addition to scheduled they operate number of charter chains flights (Scandinavia, Hungary, Bulgaria). Basically the only LCC part is buy on board product and extra charge for extra space seats

      Delete
    7. And they are very punctual, reliable and have very professional cabin crew

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    I still don't see the point of the new terminal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Long term investment.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:36

      Even long term, I don't think there is pressing need for it unless the management changes their strategy.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:13

      It's a veeeeeery long term investment, when in 2040 LJU finally catches up with their numbers from 2008.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:05

    Still waiting to hear the "major European airline" LJU is in discussions, as they announced 2 months ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      You think "major regional airline"?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:19

      I wonder on who they meant. Regional as in regional for Slovenia, or regional as in ex-Yu.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:46

      Does it matter? It's obviously no one...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous14:35

      Maybe the talks ended nowhere but I doubt they made it up.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:06

    Will the decline be reduced now because October last year was the first one without Adria.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      I doubt it. Adria barely operated in September and look at the difference.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:22

      Considering the current covid situation, don't expect many passengers this month.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:45

      Anon at 9.09 is right. September decline was bigger than the August one. And in August 2019 Adria was still flying.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:12

    Things will worsen for LJU following Easyjet's suspension.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:46

      When do they stop flights?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:48

      Next weekend.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:14

    Spring is coming

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous21:53

      It can't come soon enough!

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:22

    Nice to see a new airline. Hope it sticks, unlike Windrose.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:38

    Is Turkey the most popular leisure market for Slovenians after Croatia? Or is it Greece?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:05

      This summer definitely Greece.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:40

    Has Iberia rescheduled flights to Ljubljana which were supposed to start this year for 2021?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      No, it hasn't.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:05

      Let's hope they do. If the virus situation calms down by next summer, I'm sure there would be demand, as there has always been.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:43

    Nice about Finnair increasing flights

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:03

      Let's wait and see. There is a long way until April 2021.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous21:52

      Hopefully by then virus will be under control.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:47

    LJU should do the same Sarajevo is doing
    https://www.exyuaviation.com/2020/10/sarajevo-airport-seeks-airline-for-two.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:03

      Should have been done the second Adria went bust.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:21

      To do this, Fraport management would need to be willing to reduce handling fees for selected airline and give them preferential treatment.

      The exact reason why they are so aggressively against any activity of establishing local carrier.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:27

      In that case, it just makes no sense in these circumstances when so many airlines have left

      Delete
  14. Anonymous10:02

    Also Air France will change their timetable - they want to fly same as Lufthansa - early morning flight to Paris.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:03

      Will this improve transfer options?

      Delete
  15. well I am really interested if LJU will go for better connections also to SkyTeam and OneWorld and not just to LH Group? For example to fly to south america I am using mostly KLM/AF through VCE or VIE, very good price connections are from MXP and LJU could have low cost connection to MXP or Bergamo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:34

      I agree. More needs to be done end the star dominance at LJU - Lufthansa, Swiss, Turkish, Brussles...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous14:45

      More needs to be done to bring any airline to Ljubljana in general.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous16:15

      Even Sun Express is part owned by Lufthansa haha

      Delete
    4. well what about volotea?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous21:51

      Don't they have a base in Venice?

      Delete
  16. Anonymous14:32

    Good news for LJU

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous10:52

    Finnair is being overly ambitious.

    ReplyDelete

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