Flydubai plans Ljubljana service


Hybrid carrier Flydubai plans to launch operations from its hub to Ljubljana from late September. The carrier’s planned operating schedule has been published by Ljubljana Airport, based on which services will commence on September 24 and operate three times per week, each Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Tickets are expected to go on sale soon. Slovenia has been seeking connectivity to the Gulf for years and talks have taken place with all major carriers from the United Arab Emirates. The Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure previously noted that Flydubai was negotiating with airport operator Fraport Slovenija over the introduction of flights to Ljubljana. "There are good prospects for the establishment of flights between the UAE and Ljubljana. UAE carriers are interested", the ministry said at the time. The Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, renewed calls this January for flights to be established between the two countries.

During the pre-pandemic 2019, some 19.483 passengers flew between Ljubljana and the Middle East as origin and destination passengers, based on OAG data. Out of the Gulf markets, Dubai was the largest, accounting for 3.782 travellers. It was followed by Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Doha. These figures indicate travellers who either started or ended their journey in these cities. Flights to the Gulf are also largely used for transfer purposes, which would add to the overall loads for carriers launching flights from the region. In 2019, Istanbul was overwhelmingly used by Ljubljana passengers as the transfer point to reach Dubai with 74% of travellers opting to fly via the Turkish city. Accordingly, Turkish Airlines was the busiest feeder airline, with the same passenger share.

Flydubai and Emirates have a close partnership, with the latter planning to codeshare on the hybrid carrier’s Ljubljana service. Both are owned by the government of Dubai. Emirates’ Area Manager for the region, Martin Gross, previously told EX-YU Aviation News, “Emirates is currently represented in various countries of the former Yugoslavia by a General Sales Agent. We see a growing demand to a number of destinations we serve over our hub in Dubai and of course also to Dubai itself. The close distance to our own destinations Venice and Vienna make this area important to us and we also have a very good working interline relationship with Flydubai”.

Flydubai offers passengers a dedicated business class hard and soft product on board its aircraft, which includes recliner seats, personal in-flight entertainment and meals, while economy class passengers can purchase food and beverages, as well as stream entertainment content onto their devices. Flydubai aircraft also feature on board Wi-Fi for an additional payment. Within the former Yugoslavia, Flydubai currently maintains operations to Belgrade and Sarajevo. It will resume seasonal summer flights to Tivat next month, as well as restore operations to Zagreb in September. Dubai is currently open to foreigners with a negative PCR coronavirus test required prior to entry.


Comments

  1. Anonymous09:03

    Finally!

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  2. Anonymous09:03

    Great news!

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  3. Anonymous09:04

    Nice article. Interesting about Turkish having such a huge share of passengers. Not that I'm surprised.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:30

      TK rules as the main transfer airline for anything east of Slovenia.

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    2. Anonymous13:04

      Aeroflot was about to get really close to being the main transfer airline

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    3. Anonymous13:07

      Not true at all. Read recently the article about main transfer airlines from LJU in the newsletter and Aeroflot is nowhere near being the main in anything.

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    4. Anonymous13:09

      I said was about to get

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  4. Anonymous09:04

    Will it be seasonal or year round?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:05

      The season in Dubai is in winter, not summer. So if they are starting at the end of September, my guess is it will be year-round.

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    2. Anonymous12:30

      Well let's wait and see. I hope it's not just for Expo.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:06

    Slovenia was the only one in ex-Yu without flights to the Gulf. This is good news

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      It is amazing how accessible ex-Yu has become to the Gulf over the past few years.

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    2. Anonymous09:54

      the best thing is you can fly to wherever worldwide with just 1 stop (& short transfer times).

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    3. Anonymous12:31

      It's good for transferring to Africa, Asia and Australia.

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  6. Anonymous09:07

    Will be a nice addition to the new terminal :)

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  7. Anonymous09:07

    Good luck Ljubljana

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  8. Anonymous09:09

    LJU is definitely an underrated destination by the Gulf carriers. Slovenia is a small market, but also the richest ex-YU country. But anyway, LJU is heading on the right direction.

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    Replies
    1. Vlad09:23

      It will definitely bring some desperately needed variety for connections to Asia, Africa and Australia. Hopefully it affects the prices to those destinations as well.

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:09

    Wouldn't this affect their Zagreb flight though?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      Yes, it will

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    2. Anonymous09:26

      Did flyDubai finally return to ZAG?

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    3. Anonymous09:27

      Read the article

      "It will resume seasonal summer flights to Tivat next month, as well as restore operations to Zagreb in September."

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:28

      Yes, airline launch routes to canibalize another one of their routes. Please. There is a sufficient market to serve both.

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    5. Anonymous09:31

      Well didn't Aeroflot cannibalize SVO-ZAG by launching SVO-LJU? Numbers dropped in ZAG while they had huge growth in LJU.

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    6. Anonymous09:34

      Having 100 fewer passengers year-on-year while offering less capacity isn't considered a drop. I know you dislike Zagreb but give it a break.

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    7. Anonymous12:33

      I just hope they do restore those ZAG flights. They have been delaying the resumption very often.

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    8. Its not the thing of cannibalisation of own routes, its about borders, covid19 tests and so on. Cheaper to go directly rather than being refused to board in one or another country due to local regulation... new century, new rules of traffic... :(

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:11

    Good luck Ljubljana. I am happy they managed to find someone to operate these flights having in mind that there are so many larger nearby markets.

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  11. Anonymous09:12

    Expected. FZ has been expanding a lot in the last few monrhs. It was just a matter of time.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:26

      Just in the last two weeks they announced Sharm el Sheikh, Santorini and Mykonos.

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    2. Anonymous12:41

      They have also launched a bunch of new routes to Russia.

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    3. Anonymous23:56

      Dubai as a market is recovering extremely quickly. Then being open for travel and having such a quick vaccination program has obviously helped.

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  12. Anonymous09:12

    3 weekly service Dubai-Ljubljana nonstop will work without a problem.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:28

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:08

      Dubai- Ljubljana - New York by Emirates would be great :D

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:12

    The Ljubljana Gulf saga. Hope they finally get the flights from Flydubai.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:08

      Hopefully this is finally the end to the saga :D

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:19

    They have been talking about UAE airlines coming to Ljubljana for years. I can't believe it is finally happening.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:42

      Let's just wait for tickets to go on sale before we celebrate :D

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:19

    Have there ever been flights from Ljubljana to the GCC?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      In 2014 for a just over a month Adria operated seasonal charters from Ljubljana to Kuwait. But that's about it.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:24

      Ha didn't know that. Interesting. Did they ever operate those again?

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    3. Anonymous09:29

      Not that I'm aware of.

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    4. Anonymous09:32

      For those interested, this was the schedule:

      JP 186 ----5-- LJU KWI 1935 2335 A319
      JP 187 -----6- KWI LJU 0120 0640 A319

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:34

      That was a good schedule but there was probably not enough demand at the time.

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    6. Anonymous09:53

      Interesting. Thanks

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:19

    I think these flights will be a major success.

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  17. Anonymous09:22

    Would be nice to see their B737 MAX 8 in Ljubljana :)

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:23

      Their business class sure looks good on those planes.

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    2. Anonymous09:24

      that is true- they are described a "hybrid carrier" but at least their old premium product is same as what you get with some legacy carriers, and now with the Max planes and the lie-flat seats it will be even better

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:29

      I have flown Flydubai in business and they definitely do not resemble hybrid in their premium product. In fact they have really above average service. In economy it is hybrid with buy on board but a cool feature on these MAX planes, if they ever deploy them to Europe again, is that you can do all the ordering through your tv screen and you pay by taping your card right under the screen.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:35

      if you have a connecting flight with Emirates you get full service in economy for free on Flydubai.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:31

    I'll believe it when I see it

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  19. Anonymous09:31

    Flydubai are the best fit for Ljubljana for Middle East flights for the time being.

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    Replies
    1. Agree, Emirates 777s are way too big.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:32

    What's the obsession with Mid East flights? I would rather we get Ryanair to be honest.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:37

      Agree! The Slovenian market can be served with TK to the East.

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    2. Anonymous09:39

      Slovenians were in large numbers using EK service from Zagreb and Flydubai before that. Better to have them fly from LJU don't you think?

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:44

      If u don't use it or need it, that does not mean no one wants it

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    4. Anonymous10:42

      we need more - Ryanair and anyother airline ... we are not in a position to be picky!!!!

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:36

    This is good mainly because it will become a good alternative to TK.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:40

      Why do you need an alternative to TK? They fly virtually everywhere and their prices are extremely competitive. Not to say that their service is also at a high level.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:42

      More flights, more competition, lower prices and/or more destinations?

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:44

    I think FZ could have a lot of success in LJU. The catchment area is much wealthier than from other ex-Yu cities as they could attract passengers from neighboring Croatia and Italy.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      I don't understand that Ljubljana Airport does not take advantage of it's catchment area. It is true that around LJU there are many airports within two hour driving range but still the potential is about 5 million inhabitants and the road infrastructure is great.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:52

    Flights to the Middle East were way overdue.

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  24. Anonymous09:57

    Good for LJU but only of those flights will be realized. While everyone is talking about GULF but on other hand we are missing flights to EU capitals for connections. Honestly LJU need that more than anything...

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous10:13

    I'm interested to see what the fares will be like.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:17

      They are not that cheap in general actually.

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    2. Anonymous10:19

      They are not expensive either. In economy return fare with luggage from ex-Yu destinations is usually around 450 euros. I mean this is a 6 hour flight.

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    3. Vlad18:22

      450 EUR return is not cheap for a low-cost airline. For that kind of money you can often find return flights to the US or the Far East. Besides, look at what Wizz is charging for BEG-AUH, less than half that even with luggage.

      Delete
  26. Arnir10:21

    I hope it will last past the end of EXPO 2020(1)! Good news at last!

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  27. Anonymous11:01

    That's so great to hear, I am so happy that i will be able to spot them :O

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous12:31

    I was expecting in the end it would be Wizz Air Abu Dhabi.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous12:32

    Let's see if this can be sustained. They are not afraid of trying and suspending routes if it doesn't make sense (Podgorica being an example). That said I think Ljubljana will work out.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous19:02

      With 3 weekly flights i don't see a problem how they could not fill aircrafts.

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    2. LJU could definitely work for FlyDubai

      Delete
  30. Anonymous12:42

    Interesting data. Wonder which was the second airline for transfers after TK

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  31. Anonymous12:42

    So in total we will have 2 new airlines at LJU this summer?

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous12:42

      That is Iberia and Flydubai

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:50

      Flydubai, Air Montenegro, Iberia and Sunexpress plus Easyjet is launching LTN-LJU. Also Windrose and Luxair are interested in flying to LJU.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:09

      Actually it's hilarious where we fell, now we are happy even with peanuts...

      Delete
  32. Anonymous13:00

    And people here were saying how LJU had no chance of getting flights to the Gulf. So much for that.

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:10

      It only took 10 years of talks...

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    2. Anonymous13:12

      While others can choose where to fly to the GULF, we are happy with 3 flights per week to DBX (if they will happen!). Good progress LJU! #sarcasmOFF

      Delete
    3. Anonymous14:54

      Better 3 flights per week year round than nothing right?

      Delete
  33. Anonymous13:10

    Would have preferred Qatar but anything will do at this point.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous14:34

      Give us anything as far as I'm concerned

      Delete
    2. Anonymous19:27

      Maybe if Flydubai has big success in LJU, something similar to Aeroflot, maybe Qatar will want this piece of cake :)

      Delete
  34. Anonymous14:34

    Ljubljana needs more direct flights

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous14:36

    Good luck Ljubljana. I am happy they managed to find someone to operate these flights having in mind that there are so many larger nearby markets.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous17:24

    Za zdaj je ta linija načrtovana do konca poletnega voznega reda, torej do 30. oktobra, pričakujemo pa, da se bo nadaljevala tudi v zimskem voznem redu," so še sporočili s Fraport Slovenija.

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  37. Year round operation .

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  38. Anonymous22:04

    really hope that it will materialize.

    happy to see a bit of hope

    ReplyDelete
  39. Anonymous23:52

    LJU has confirmed the flights :) tickets will probably be on sale next week.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous23:56

    Yay beyond excited for these flights :)

    ReplyDelete
  41. Anonymous06:45

    I've been flying to Ljubljana from Dubai since 2006 using a combination of multiple carriers and this for me and a lot of other flyers is very good news.

    ReplyDelete

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