Ryanair rules out Ljubljana flights


Low cost carrier Ryanair has ruled out the possibility of introducing flights to Ljubljana in the near future. It comes after Ljubljana Airport said late last year it was willing to resume discussions with the budget carrier, confirming that talks have taken place between the two sides in the past. However, in a statement to EX-YU Aviation News, Ryanair said, “Ljubljana is well served by our base in Zagreb and is in close proximity to Trieste Airport, from which we also maintain flights to a number of destinations”. The airline pointed out that Ljubljana Airport is managed by Fraport, which it has accused of “high and uncompetitive fees”, which will lead to the closure of its base at Frankfurt Airport on March 31. “There are currently few chances for Ljubljana to be included in our network”, Ryanair concluded.

Ljubljana Airport has said that while it is willing to hold talks with Ryanair, it is satisfied with existing low cost carriers serving the Slovenian capital which include easyJet, Transavia and Wizz Air. “We have already held talks [with Ryanair] and we are ready to continue them. We welcome all airlines that fit into our business model. 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”, Ljubljana Airport’s General Manager, Babett Stapel, recently said. Currently. Wizz Air is serving Slovenia from London Luton and Charleroi, easyJet from London Gatwick, while Transavia will add Paris Orly to its existing Amsterdam flights. Since the pandemic hit, easyJet has terminated its operations from London Stanstead and Berlin to Ljubljana and has cancelled plans to launch services from Luton.

Ryanair has considered introducing 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”. Last year, 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 and used the slots for other routes instead.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:04

    Surprise surprise

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous09:04

    Their reasoning is exactly why no LCC wants to open a base in LJU. Simply too close to other airports.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:11

      Well in my opinion, this was the perfect opportunity to attract Wizz Air to open a base and compete against Ryanair's base in Zagreb.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:12

      They were interested in doing just that but the Slovenian government didn't want to give them initial financial support. So now we have what we have.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:20

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

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:21

      Anon 09:11 That would be pretty difficult, considering that LJU's market size is less than half of ZAG and Wizzair is 1/3 or 1/4 of Ryanair in all metrics.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:55

      You really think the government would have helped @ anon 9.20? They rejected 5 airlines that were willing to base planes in LJU and start flights.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:49

      And you know all the details government got from those airlines? I suppose that they simply asked for to much money..

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:17

      The amount of money Slovenia is loosing to Zagreb Airport, Trieste Airport, reduced tourism, reduced MICE for having poor connectivity is for sure more than what any airline was asking for.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous14:40

      I totally agree with you, but on other hand I'm sure that establishing a national carrier would be much cheaper then paying LCC to base aircrafts at LJU.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:05

    And I'm assuming they have quite a few passengers from Slovenia on their Zagreb flights.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous09:07

    Good

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      Why?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      I hate Ryanaur so that's partly why I don't want them.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:52

      lol ok

      Delete
    4. Anonymous13:17

      Glad your wishes have been met haha

      Delete
  5. Anonymous09:08

    Expected

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:10

    The real surprise would be if someone actually didn't rule out LJU.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous09:14

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:16

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

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:19

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

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:39

      Ljubljana needs much better coverage with Northern Europe and Iberian peninsula.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:40

      @anon 09:19

      with all those new routes I'm quite sure that LJU will reach 900k in 2022! :)

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:48

      Again with these "new routes". ORY and TLV for sure are not new destinations as they are already served. And KBP is still not on sale and will probably be canceled.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous10:21

      Anon 9:16 now we also need London to cover.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:15

    Remember Fraport got aid from the Slovenian government and I believe LJU ended last year with a financial loss again. They are in no position to offer anything to Ryanair which wants all costs waived.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:19

      Well Zagreb Airport isn't in a great financial position either. They took out several loans and another one last 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
    2. Anonymous09:21

      Ironically Ljubljana has a greater variety of LCCs than Zagreb - easyjet, Wizz and Transavia.

      Zagreb has Ryanair and Eurowings.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:23

      ^ And now calculate how many LCC routes each airport has...

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:30

      And Norwegian and Vueling @9:21

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:15

    Ljubljana is right not to accept Ryanair's ridiculous business terms.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous09:16

    Looks like Fraport will be the loser of this pandemic, despite having a state like Germany behind.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous09:16

    "We welcome all airlines that fit into our business model."

    What is their business model?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      High fees

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:27

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

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:55

      Fraport management does not want to convert LJU into a LCC. I respect that.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:57

      They didn't mind converting it into a Lufthansa Group airport.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:56

      Maybe they should start with farming instead. They could grow corn and wheat along the aprons. Might be more profitable than their current business model

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:18

    For Ryaanair to launch flights from Ljubljana they would have to get support not just from the airport but also from city authorities (tourism board) and even government.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:34

      That's how it usually works with them, especially when entering new markets.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:20

    Then use MBX. It is still Slovenian owned. Has low fees and enough potential for FR

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:22

      If there is anyone wise enough at MBX, they should immediately get in touch with them.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:24

      Wasn't MBX supposed to have dozens of wide-body aircraft by Chinese investors? :)))

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:26

      That's the wise management at MBX for you ;D

      Delete
    4. Unfortunately, MBX probably makes even less sense, since it's only 45min from Graz Airport.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:26

    Can't get "Market will take of itself" out of my head...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      Haha almost 3 years and counting since market is taking care of itself

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:27

    Slovenia is the last EU country that is not served by Ryanair. Doesn't seem it will change anytime soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Actually not that bad. They need LCCs not Ryanair specificly.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous13:13

      If Slovenia can't get one of the largest airlines in Europe to fly to LJU...

      Delete
  16. Anonymous09:29

    Ljubljana should have reacted immediately after Adria went bust. Instead of focusing so much on Lufthansa and its satellites it should have focused on getting an LCC. Ryanair could have opened a base in Ljubljana rather than Zagreb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:34

      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.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:38

      Of course LCC were fighting over each other to open a base in country with almost no gastoz around the world and very limited tourist potential. They should establish national carrier second day Adria went bankrupt and we would not have such problems with connectivity as we have now.

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:29

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:33

      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
  18. Anonymous09:34

    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
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:38

      Are there any ads in LJU for these Ryanair flights from Zagreb?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:12

      I have already flown to and from ZAG with ryanair, and was surprised to hear that (in my opinion) almost half of the pax spoke slovenian...

      Delete
    3. Anonymous11:15

      Where did you travel?

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:44

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

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous09:45

    Fraport does not want to hurt Lufthansa by bringing in Ryanair.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous09:45

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

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous09:49

    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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

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

      Delete
  23. Anonymous09:49

    Typical Ryanair...

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous09:57

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

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:07

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

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:10

      They reported Croatia Airlines as well :D

      Delete
  25. Anonymous10:05

    LJU keeps on winning!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous10:08

    No chance we will see Ryanair in LJU or any major LCC expansion.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous10:10

    Maribor is more suitable for Ryanair than Ljubljana I believe.

    ReplyDelete
  28. notLufthansa10:22

    hahaha, LJU management finally decided to offer their asses, just to be refused the pleasure by Ryanair...LOL. No surprise either...maybe Mr. Krašnja will organise shuttle connections to ZAG and TRS, hahaha.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:38

      Remember, they are not fazed by Ryanair in ZAG... lol

      Delete
  29. Anonymous11:03

    Could we see Wizz Air maybe launch BEG-LJU in the future? There were over 32.000 Slovenian tourists in Serbia last year and I am sure they could stimulate some demand. They could make two weekly work like a charm, Friday and Sunday afternoon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11:06

      Skopje is needed too

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:18

      Maybe Belgrade-Maribor could work with Wizz if they would get discounts. lol

      I think A320/321 is too big for SKP-LJU. That is why Wizz did not launch it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:54

      Of all the connected airports LJU lost since 2018 you came up with another service to BEG, airport LJU was continually connected with? LJU had almost 2 million passengers back then. Think of new destinations, and a lot of them. Another service to FRA, IST or BEG is not the solution.

      Delete
  30. Anonymous11:32

    If Slovenia gave them money, Ryanair would come in a heartbeat.

    This is how Ryanair operates
    https://news.gtp.gr/2022/02/02/ryanair-seeks-incentives-to-boost-passenger-numbers-to-greece/

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:37

      Investment would be worth it.

      Delete
  31. Anonymous11:48

    Not sure if Fraport is to blame about it. How come they managed to negotiate stationing 3 Wizzair aircraft in Varna since 2017 and launching many routes in Burgas? Also, look at Thessaloniki today.
    Yes, those are coastal airports, but at least the experience of lower fees can be applied.
    Also, Varna has a pretty decent number of routes in winter considered somehow a summer destination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:15

      If the market in Slovenia is small, then Fraport should do a better job lobbying the government to lend its support to airlines. They haven't managed even to persuade them to give peanut subsidies to airlines serving Ljubljana that they offered in 2020/2021.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous23:37

      I think government will give subsidies. We will see.

      Delete
  32. Anonymous13:14

    For an airport like LJU it would be very dangerous to go to bed with Ryanair. Glad it won't happen.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:15

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

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:30

      Exactly.

      Delete
  33. Anonymous13:27

    It also seems Nordwind has cancelled plans to launch LJU. Bad news just keep on coming.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23:35

      And Iberia will again fly just for a month in August. In the last few months LJU was assuring everyone how they would extend the season but nothing has come out of it.

      Delete
  34. Anonymous14:43

    Ryanair changes its mind all the time so I doubt this is definitive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous20:29

      If it hasn't happened in the last 10 years, doubt it will be happening in the next 10 either.

      Delete
  35. Anonymous15:28

    how about LJU-ohrid lcc ryanair flights? is there any demand? ohrid figures went down a lot.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:44

      Lol

      Delete
    2. Anonymous20:29

      There is no demand for an A320 or A321 to fly between Ljubljana and Ohrid.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous23:37

      Even Adria couldn't make OHD work with CRJ.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous00:09

      What is wrong with OHD? No demand from LJU? JU also used to fly OHD but flights were dropped in 2018:

      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2018/02/air-serbia-to-end-ohrid-operations.html

      Maybe Ryanair can try LJU-OHD?

      Delete
  36. Anonymous23:35

    LJU invested a lot of money in building a new terminal, which realistically, won't pay off for many years due to current circumstances. Brining Ryanair which would only be an additional financial burden would not help.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Having almost no carriers makes so much sense.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:09

      They could significantly improve their financial situation for no cost at all. They should simply admit that Slovenia need national carrier and not as they did to be fully against it. What goes around...comes around!

      Delete
  37. Anonymous23:36

    Their best bet was easyjet which had a substantial number of passengers at LJU. Now even that opportunity has been missed.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

EX-YU Aviation News does not tolerate insults, excessive swearing, racist, homophobic or any other chauvinist remarks or provocative posts with the intention of creating further arguments. A full list of comment guidelines can be found here. Thank you for your cooperation.