Ljubljana Airport prepared to resume Ryanair talks


Ljubljana Jože Pučnik has said it is willing to resume discussions with low cost carrier Ryanair, confirming that talks have taken place between the two sides in the past. It comes as the budget airline continues to expand out of nearby Zagreb Airport, from which it will introduce its 24th route today. Speaking to the “Finance” daily, the General Manager of operator Fraport Slovenija, Babett Stapel, said, “We have already held talks [with Ryanair] and we are ready to continue them. We welcome all airlines that fit into our business model”. Slovenia is the only European Union-member state from which Ryanair does not operate any flights.

However, Ms Stapel said the airport is satisfied with its existing LCC customers, which include easyJet, Transavia and Wizz Air. “Ljubljana has low cost carriers as well as hybrids, and our strategy is to be committed to the partners we have, because we believe that our partnerships are solid. These airlines proved themselves as they stood by our side even in times of crisis”, Ms Stapel said. Wizz Air restored operations between London Luton and Ljubljana this week after more than two years, with the service having been discontinued prior to the pandemic. On the other hand, Wizz will temporarily suspend operations on its other Ljubljana route, to Charleroi, as part of a wide-scale network shake-up resulting from reduced demand in light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. At this point, services are scheduled to resume on March 11.

Ryanair has considered launching flights to Ljubljana on several occasions over the past decade. In 2011 Ljubljana Airport proposed for Ryanair to operate services out of Dusseldorf, Madrid, Oslo and London to the Slovenian capital, however, the deal never materialised. The budget airline briefly maintained flights between London Stansted and Maribor in 2007 and 2008. Despite solid loads, the route was terminated after Ryanair hiked fees for a joint advertising program, which was turned down by local authorities. In 2013, Ryanair requested for the European Commission to act swiftly and conclude its investigation into whether Adria Airways received state aid and benefits from the Slovenian government to the tune of up to 85.5 million euros from 2007 to 2011, contrary to European Union competition laws. The Commission subsequently ruled in favour of Adria. Three years later, in 2016, Ryanair’s David O'Brien said the Slovenian government’s privatisation of Ljubljana Airport to “monopolist” Fraport was a “disaster”. This summer, Ryanair applied for slots from London Stansted Airport to maintain flights to the Slovenian capital. Although the airline was granted its request, it never launched services to Ljubljana.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:01

    Umm might be too late now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:03

      I wonder if they initially looked at LJU before ZAG. Would make sense because there is no competition in Ljubljana. They probably didn't manage to reach a deal with LJU and went to ZAG instead.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:05

      ^The fact that they asked for slots in London for Ljubljana flights could be an indication of that.

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    3. Anonymous09:08

      What happened with those slots?

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    4. Anonymous09:15

      They used it for another route.

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    5. Anonymous12:50

      Zagreb probably

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:01

    If this happens then it will definitely be the end of OU which carries a lot of Slovenes. It does not help they are reducing flights in January.


    FR seems to be extremely aggressive in that area lately.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous09:04

    Typical Ryanair.... They could fly without any hindrances to/from Slovenia since 2004, when Slovenia joined EU, but they demanded special conditions like in MBX ... Their "fairness" is obvious, since they are the only airline in EU that demanded the swift decision from the EU Commission regarding the state aid to Adria Airways. They just wanted to get rid of competition (JP).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:07

      How was Adria ever competition for Ryanair?

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    They will come and destroy lju. Than they will demand a lot of momey and if th3y won't give it to them. Theyy will leave and after this LJU will be dead (I mean less flights than now)


    I hate ryanaur so that's partly why I don't want them. But anyway

    If they introduce service ro unserved destinations. I am ok with it, I guess

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:27

      How would they destroy LJU?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      Like they did in klagenfurt and other smaller airports.

      They have cheap prices, and let's say fly to FRA beside LH. Lh looses lf and stops flying so ryr is dominant on lju-fra.

      The prices go up and they demand money for the route. If you don't pay them they will go. That's a long story short as that's way more complicated.

      Same can hapoen on other routes as it happend in klagenfurt.

      Lh than says oh fu** off to lju as they said ryr can fly and so they don't come back.

      Oversimplifyed.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:45

      Oversimplified'

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:45

      And as well they dand to fly for much lover cost than others.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous13:52

      If Ryanair will ever fly between Frankfurt and Ljubljana, it will be 2-3 times per week. LH is flying like 3 times a day. Also Ryanair has zero transfer pax. So no, LH would not leave LJU if Ryanair comes.

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:04

    This would be great. All those destinations proposed in 2011 would still make a lot of sense today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:17

      Definitely. LJU needs all the destinations it can get in Europe. And not just London!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:51

      Well new routes in 2022 include Kiev, Orly, Tel Aviv. So it's not so that bad.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous23:53

      @9.17 well there is demand from Lodnon. There is a great interest in Slovenia as tourist destination in UK. Bled is an absolute hit.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous09:05

    Fingers crossed

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    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:18

      I wouldn't hold my breath. Remember Fraport got aid from the Slovenian government last year and I believe LJU will end the year with a financial loss again. They are in no position to offer anything to Ryanair which want's all costs waived.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:20

      Well Zagreb Airport isn't in a great financial position either. They took out several loans and another one this year to cover liquidity shortfall. But I guess they calculated that it is better to make this investment with Ryanair and than reap the rewards from having significantly more passengers in a few years.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:30

      LJU could have presented the case to the government. Asked for some joint support so some sort of flights start. Instead nothing.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:32

      You really think the government would have helped? I mean Wizz proposed a base to the government just a few months ago and they got rejected.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:43

      How exactly could the government have helped? They can't give money to Ryanair. It would be illegal under EU state aid rules.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:01

      @anon 09:32

      Do you thing government should accept any offer if it comes from LCC? They are blackmailing everyone so I guess that offer was not acceptable them.

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:06

    From the statement of the CEO I would conclude that there doesn't seem to be any agreement on the horizon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      Then use MBX. It is still Slovenian owned. Has low fees and enough potential for FR (no FR at LJU or GRZ)

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:14

      Fraport management does not want to convert LJU into a LCC heaven like SKP.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:27

      Actually to me it seems like an olive branch. Remember the CEO changed a few months ago. Maybe some different people would hold the meetings with Ryanair this time around.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:07

    Ironically Ljubljana has a greater variety of LCCs than Zagreb.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous09:07

    So after they didn't get what they wanted in 2011 FR tried to eliminate Adria. Haha typical.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      It is well known they reported Adria to the European Commission. They even bragged about it in the media.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:43

      They reported Croatia Airlines as well :D

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:10

    My guess is, we'll soon see FR in Slovenia. If there is anyone wise enough at MBX, they should immediately get in touch with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      There is no one at Maribor. That's the problem.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:05

      Maribor is more suitable for Ryanair than Ljubljana I believe.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:11

    I really hope this happens for LJU. Numbers would grow

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:13

      It's impossible that they fall any further...

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:11

    Slovenia is the last EU country that is not served by Ryanair. Hope this changes soon!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:12

      Tells you all you need to know. If Slovenia can't get one of the largest airlines in Europe to fly to LJU...

      Delete
    2. Anonymous15:30

      It took Slovenia 10years of court battles to finally get its first Ikea shop last year. Maybe now it will take 10 more years of talks and negotiations to finally manage to get on ryanair destination map and join the rest of Europe... 10years behind...

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:15

    For an airport like LJU its very dangerous to go to bed with Ryanair

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

      I'm sorry but what more has LJU got to loose exactly?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Someone has to pay off the new terminal and it's not going to be Ryanair.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:18

      And Ryanair would be the only airline at LJU?

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:20

      @9.16 I'm not exactly a fan of Fraport but they are not naïve.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:21

    Ljubljana would be a nice addition for FR.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous09:21

    Hopefully everything turns out OK and someday I will be able to fly from my front door to Spain for Euros :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:22

    The most developed country in ex-YU finally needs to be recognised! I hope it sees the same effect such as VAR/BOJ who also belong to the same Fraport portfolio. Good luck SLO!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Anonymous09:23

    I wonder which routes could FR realistically operate from LJU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:25

      Take your pic... I think anything they launched from Zagreb could work from LJU as well.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:28

      All of the destinations that they wanted to start 10 years ago are still very relevant today.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:28

      Whole of Scandinavia is unserved.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:38

      Much of Europe is unserved.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:45

      Bucharest, Stockholm, Gothenburg, Oslo, London, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Dublin, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan, Rome, Podgorica, Athens, Berlin, Krakow, seasonal flights to Greece would work no doubt.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous09:59

      That would be perfect but what to do with major EU hubs which are still not served as it should be? That's main issue at LJU and not flights to Edinburgh or Krakow..

      Delete
    7. Anonymous10:11

      I would also add Malta, Malaga, Valencia and Larnaca.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous00:06

      Ryanair Lviv - Ljubljana can work perfectly!

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:24

    I doubt Ryanair is interested in talking to Ljubljana anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      You would be surprised.

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:25

    Is it realistic for Ryanair to have a base in Zagreb and still have flights from Ljubljana? Or even a base?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:37

      I think so. Maybe they wouldn't have a base in Ljubljana but they could fly from a few destinations to Ljubljana. I think it would also be a good bargaining chip for Ryanair. They could always blackmail ZAG to get what they want by threatening to move the base to Ljubljana instead.

      Delete
    2. I don't know how realistic is it now, given that by next summer Ryan will have 5 planes based in Zagreb but still, lots of Slovenes fly out of Zagreb, Graz, Trieste, Venice...so it's not impossible at all for Ryan to start some flights from Ljubljana and at least target the citizens of Ljubljana itself, as well as folks from central Slovenia who aren't that close to those other airports in neighboring countries.

      Delete
  20. Anonymous09:26

    "It comes as the budget airline continues to expand out of nearby Zagreb Airport, from which it will introduce its 24th route today."

    This could have been Ljubljana Airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:29

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:57

      Of course it could be, like that Croatia and Slovenia are the same...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous00:07

      Huh?

      Delete
  21. Anonymous09:26

    For an airline that has never flown to Ljubljana, they seem to have a lot of history with Ljubljana Airport.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:36

      There is no doubt FR wanted to fly to Ljubljana. So when they didn't get what they wanted they started quarrelling. It is typical for them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:42

      They certainly had the Slovenian market in mind.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:56

      They are getting Slovenes on their flights out of ZAG so there is no need to create additional expenses with flights to LJU..

      Delete
  22. Anonymous09:29

    I think Ryanair is very much targeting Slovenian market with its Zagreb flights. All those leisure destinations are, in my opinion, primarily catering for Slovenians.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous09:38

    Don't expect miracles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:42

      We stopped expecting those years ago with LJU.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:36

      Unfortunately

      Delete
  24. Anonymous09:41

    You would think that when Adria went bankrupt, the airport would try anything and everything to get an airline to base planes. Instead, I think Ljubljana Airport was one of the few every to actively discourage anyone from opening a base.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      Hey at least they want to talk with FR. So it's not all bad news.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:55

      That's really good, maybe in 10 years they will even realize some flights. Good work Fraport!

      Delete
  25. Anonymous09:53

    I wouldn't exactly say LCCs have stood by LJU but they haven't left either.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:56

      But Wizz Air added route to London and Transavia is adding Paris. So LCCs have actually increased ops.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:59

      But easyjet ended Berlin and cancelled plans for new London route.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:36

      No surprise. For some reason easyJet did not get subsidies to maintain flights to Ljubljana like other airlines. They were disqualified from the tender for unknown reasons.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous10:05

    It is interesting that everytime when there are talks regarding "needs of national carrier", Fraport comes out with their statements how they are in talks with major player (this time FR, before it was middle east, and before that one european legacy carrier).
    They are more or less just playing with us..Nothing serious will happen with FR, maybe 1 or 2 routes but that will not improve LJU's connectivity significantly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:18

      I think the one from the Middle East was Flydubai :)

      Delete
  27. Anonymous10:38

    I believe they applied for STN slots, not LTN like it says in the text.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous11:19

    Ljubljana needs much better coverage with Northern Europe and Iberian peninsula. A few flights with Iberia to Madrid in August doesn't really cut it. FR would be perfect for these routes.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous11:25

    Ryanair is present at so many Fraport airports. Why should LJU be any different?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:32

      It's a significantly smaller market than others where Fraport operates.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:50

      They could at least launch flights between Fraport airports.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous12:50

    Hope something comes out of this.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Anonymous20:12

    ^^Another Dream

    ReplyDelete
  32. Anonymous21:36

    Doubt Fraport would hurt Lufthansa by bringing in Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:50

      But it wouldn't hurt them

      Delete
  33. Anonymous23:52

    FR is not good company

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:54

      Ryanair may not be the best in customer service but you know what - they get the job done. Flights don't normally get delayed and they cheaply transport significant numbers of passengers enabling them to spend more at their destination, which is what we're all after, isn't it?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous00:03

      spot on, absolutely true! I have used FR so many times, and for the prices I have been paying, more than happy. The point is what you have said, to transport as more people as possible. I have flown with FR over 20 times I think and only ONCE flight from Malta to Milan - Bergamo was delayed, the rest of the ALWAYS on time. Cabin crew no better than moody cabin crew on my Adri flights in the past. And neither all of them are rude, but as I said neither all of them are polite on the "regular" airlines.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous23:58

    Ryanair naj vzpostavi poletno povezavo LJU-OPO, da bo konkurenca TP na liniji ZAG-LIS!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Anonymous00:05

    Ryanair would be an absolute hit and give a lot of airlines in LJU a run for their money.

    ReplyDelete

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