Ten airlines operating flights to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport will share 1.83 million euros amongst themselves following the completion of a government tender aimed at improving the country’s connectivity. All ten carriers that applied were granted funds. These include Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines, Air Serbia, Air Montenegro, Turkish Airlines, Wizz Air, LOT Polish Airlines, easyJet and Flydubai, with the latter two included for the first time. The remaining carriers have all been beneficiaries of a similar funding mechanism last year. The Slovenian Ministry for Economic Development and Technology did not specify how much each individual airline received. Funding was distributed based on passenger numbers, frequencies and capacity. Last year, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and Air France were the largest beneficiaries. Notably, neither Air France, nor its low cost subsidiary Transavia applied this time around, despite meeting the tender requirements.
Commenting on the matter, the Slovenian Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han, said, "It is of vital importance for Slovenia to be included in global trends. We are an export-oriented economy, and we can only compete if our businesspeople are physically present on the world markets, which is precisely what regular and reliable air routes provide us with. Good air connections are even more important during the summer tourist season, which is why we want to attract as many foreign guests to Slovenia as possible". He added, "We are aware that the return of all carriers and the establishment of new routes will be a longer process, but with these subsidies we have nevertheless taken appropriate steps to preserve international connectivity".
Ljubljana Airport has been struggling to retain passengers since the bankruptcy of Adria Airways in September 2019, which was exasperated by the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. During the January - May period, Ljubljana was the least busy operational capital city airport in Europe and has been ranked amongst the lowest on the continent for direct air connectivity. The Ministry noted, “Subsidising air transport has so far proven to be a successful measure in ensuring air connectivity. It is about subsidising routes that are strategically important for Slovenia and the Slovenian economy, which provide us with good connectivity with the EU and the world. Regular and reliable flights are not only important for Slovenian citizens, but also for foreigners who want to conduct economic or tourist activity in Slovenia”. The ten subsidised airlines maintain thirteen destinations from Ljubljana including Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Brussels, Belgrade, Niš, Tivat, Istanbul, London Luton, London Gatwick, Charleroi, Warsaw and Dubai.
Why wouldn't Air France apply if they did the last time around and got a lot of money?
ReplyDeleteProbably knew they wouldn't get money.
DeleteBut why wouldn't they. They got it last time.
Delete"Last year, Lufthansa, Turkish Airlines and Air France were the largest beneficiaries."
They probably simply missed the deadline. Or couldn't be bothered for 180,000 euros.
DeleteEasyjet last year had all requirements. They didn't get the money. They were the busiest airline at LJU before pandemic and biggest competition to LH. Now they have just 5 weekly on one route, while before they had more than three daily. Now the biggest competition to LH is AF-KLM group which I doubt they would get any money. Funny thing, British Airways also didn't get any money. LHR is one of the biggest hubs in the world, and one of the biggest competition to LH. We all know how LH-Fraport-SLO Govt. are close. Way too close.
DeleteCorrect. And remember how Swiss got money even though it did not fulfill the tender requirements at all? Crazy.
DeleteAnd todays flight FRA-LJU LH1458 A319 canceled. They got the money so they cancel flights?
DeleteCome on EasyJet, where are the flights from the north of England ? Plenty people waiting to use this route!!!
Delete"Subsidising air transport has so far proven to be a successful measure in ensuring air connectivity" giving money to airlines who would fly to LJU even without money is a success?!?
ReplyDeleteI doubt these subsidies have any result. None of these airlines would have suspended flights to LJU. But they should give money to attract new airlines.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThese funds divided by 10 - TEN - airlines is so little its laughable.
ReplyDeleteCompletely right. This is basically 180,000 euros per airline. It really is peanuts.
Delete|t's probably more like LH group for 800,000 and the rest was shared by the remaining airlines.
Delete1,83 million in total, so LH cartel got around 1 million, if not more.
DeleteFor the amount of money offered, we can't expect much better than what we have.
Deletethis coming Monday 04JUL, all 3 LH flights to FRA and MUC operated with A319 and LX to ZRH with A320NEO
ReplyDeleteLH cartel making big profits.
DeleteNo points for guessing who got the most money.
ReplyDeleteThis is so shortsighted from the government. One of the worst aviation policies in Europe.
ReplyDeleteLJU had around 385.000 passengers in first 6 months of 2022. Disaster if you ask me (not for fanboys).
ReplyDeleteAnd how many should there be?
DeleteJAN-JUN 2019 around 850.000
DeleteJAN-JUN 2022 around 385.000
Not even half of 2019 traffic, and according to you this is perfectly fine?
Never said this is fine but I'm just curious at what point the "dick measurers" would be happy.
DeleteLook at other "normal" airports % of 2019 traffic. No need to say more.
DeleteSo basically you just want LJU to be average and in the same metrics as others, noted.
DeleteYou wouldn't like it to be same as others? Or is it better to be in 40% of 2019 traffic category (LJU is the only one). I wonder why are others cheering for BEG or ZAG when they are above 90%? Or that SJJ is above 2019 stats? Or PRN? It seems like its better to be at 40%, and it looks like only LJU wants to be there.
DeleteGetting LJU's pax numbers to JP era shouldn't be government's prioritety, as there is not a lot of benefit from transfer passenger. Good connectivity to main European hubs is much more important.
DeleteI think the description says it all: "May period, Ljubljana was the least busy operational capital city airport in Europe and has been ranked amongst the lowest on the continent for direct air connectivity"
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine this? If there is no Adria v.2 then the show must come to an end. This telenovela ain'т going nowhere.
And the minister is persuading us how these subsidies work and how LJU has great connectivity.
DeleteSlovenia is also the only EU country that the largest European airline doesn't fly to, so nothing new...
DeleteIndeed. These subsidies are waste of money. Get serious (new national carrier or foreign carrier with the base at LJU) or close the shop. This is ridiculous.
DeleteToday both Fra and Ltn flights were canceled almost on-gate
ReplyDeleteMy employees are currently stuck in Frankfurt
That is crazy. I can't believe they didn't know 30 minutes before departure that they would be unable to operate the flight.
DeletePeople should avoid flying Western European airlines and through Western European airports. My friends were flying from Hamburg yesterday. Passport line was over an hour long (because insufficient number of check in staff), then security line was another hour and the passport line was another hour. They had to cut the line to make it to their flight.
It is the result of fantastic and sound logic of firing everyone. And then these same people come to the Balkans to lecture about efficiency.
I have two transfers in VIE next week, meanwhile OS is cancelling flights left and right. I'm praying at this point.
DeleteIt's absolutely crazy right now; all major hubs in EU are collapsing - I'm trusting WAW and IST the most right now . London, Paris, Amsterdam, and whole germany are melting down
DeleteAnon 10:58: "People should avoid flying Western European airlines and through Western European airports."
DeleteI agree. Connecting with Aeroflot in SVO to fly to LAX is the best option these days.
I wasn't suggesting that but certainly if you want to leave 10 hrs before your flight to the airport with big chance of it being cancelled while waiting endlessly in line packed with other people I strongly advise you to use and experience the 5 star Lufthansa experience. If your flight isn't cancelled, you get a mini bottle of water as your reward on board (if they have enough people to stock it). After landing you will probably be spending another 2 hours in the lost baggage area to file a report as there was no one to load your luggage at Europe's premier airport.
DeleteYou think it's any better here in North America. The airlines have said they are going to start cutting back on schedules. Toronto airport is a mess with also long lines, luggage still waiting 2 weeks at the airport. Happened here too. Many lost jobs,and then they found some other jobs. People gave to be hired at the airport as well as at the airlines. Really don't know when things will be close to normal.
Delete@21:10
DeleteSimple, when terms & conditions improve.
Sad
ReplyDeleteThese subsidies the government is offering are getting smaller and smaller each and every time. First they announced 7 million, then they reduced it to 2 million. Now it turns out it is 1,8 million.
ReplyDeleteThose amounts are laughable, what the heck are they thinking?
ReplyDeleteDidn't Slovenia let JP go because of its losses and subsidies it needed to survive? Kind of funny that they are today handing out subsidies to maintain air travel connectivity.
ReplyDelete1. Those subisidies are still way less than what a national carrier would need to survive.
Delete2. You can stop these subsidies anytime without big losses to connectivity or hundreds of people unemployed.
1. Define way less.
Delete2. Without big losses to connectivity? If an airline stops flying I would say that implies reduced connectivity. How does hundreds of unemployed people pose a problem (in case of Adria some 500)? Nobody cared back then, why should anyone care now? Is it because the unemployment rate will increase by 10^-10?
Transavia didn't even apply and yet they opened a new route to Ljubljana this summer. Just goes to show how useless this money is. This is the definition of wasted taxpayer money.
ReplyDeleteWould it not be more beneficial to offer incentives and subsidies for the launch of NEW routes? That way you might even get new airlines opening up a whole lot of new connections.
ReplyDeleteThe only sensible thing to do would be to offer subsidies on certain routes, not just giving out helicopter money to whoever touches down in LJU.
ReplyDeleteThe issue is the government would end up giving money for FRA, MUC and BRU which need it least.
DeleteNot, if subsidies would be for unserved routes, but of importance for the coutry cconnectivity.
DeleteWhen you have that cringy feeling Ministry is working against own country's interests.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice symbolic support for airlines that fly to Ljubljana. But it didn't attract new ones though.
ReplyDeleteFlydubai did come, but I dobt because of 100,000 EUR :D
DeleteTo concerned tax payer's brigade: do you allow your hard earned money to be given to foreigners instead of a local company (paying taxes in Slovenia and employing local workforce)?
ReplyDeleteI agree that most subsidies (except for LH) are low ... but ... do we really need such subsidies? I seriously doubt some operator will fly to Ljubljana or not based on getting (or not) them.
ReplyDeleteAnyway to fill the documentation you need few minutes, attach the needed files and put the proper official signature. Easy good money for a half hour work and few coordination calls.
That's it.