The Slovenian government is seeking a solution to what has become the former Yugoslavia’s least busiest airport - Maribor. During the January - October period it handled just 3.540 passengers. While Maribor does not have commercial flights, neither does Portorož on the country’s coast, however, it managed to welcome almost 30.000 travellers during the same period despite a smaller catchment area. The majority of Maribor Airport’s passenger traffic is generated through charters carrying sports teams. Despite plans to offer the airport up for concession by the end of this year, the process has been delayed. The state has only now begun preparing the tender documentation in order to find a long-term partner.
Maribor Airport has been managed by the state-owned consulting and engineering company DRI since 2019, after Chinese investors terminated their fifteen-year lease contract signed in 2017. A major deterrent for investors is the lack of a spatial plan which would enable the airport to be expanded. The former Chinese concessionaire accused the government of failing to deliver on the plan, which it must adopt. However, the Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure has said the spatial plan is currently being drafted. During recent talks with Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet, the Slovenian government suggested the budget carriers consider operations to the country’s second largest city as an alternative to Ljubljana, which the trio have accused of having high airport fees. However, neither of the three have shown interest in operating to Maribor under current commercial terms. Ryanair briefly flew to the city almost fifteen years ago.
The Ministry for Infrastructure recently held talks with the SIDrone company, which presented its plan to establish an aircraft maintenance centre at Maribor Airport, as well as an aviation school to train aircraft mechanics. The company inquired whether there was a possibility to build a hangar which would have the ability to cater for larger aircraft such as the Airbus A340, and said there was a need for more aircraft parking positions to be built. SIDrone is interested in a long-term partnership with Maribor Airport of at least ten years. Commenting on the talks, the Ministry for Infrastructure noted, “Any additional activities that would contribute to the revival of the airport are supported”.
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A340? This has to be a joke
ReplyDeleteI guess for maintenance purposes. I guess there is only a few facilities int his part of the world that would have this kind of hangar space.
DeleteYou know you're in trouble if you have less traffic than Mostar.
ReplyDeleteMost people visiting Slovenia want to go to Ljubljana so no surprise.
DeleteHad locals in Maribor continued giving subsidies to Ryanair who knows where the airport would be now.
ReplyDeleteCould have done wonders for the region.
DeleteWhat region?
DeleteThat part of Slovenia
DeleteStajerska ima aerodrom u Gracu nema potrebe za dva u Stajerskoj.
DeleteTrue. I am from Maribor and I have a little over 30 min to Graz airport.
DeleteYes until the crazy Austrian government closes its borders again for any reason.
Delete@Anon 22:11, maybe it's 30 km away, but you still need to buy an Austrian Vignette
DeleteGraz airport is so close that they even have the website in slovene language, along with german and english option.
DeleteMaybe they can ask Qatar to introduce flights to Maribor
ReplyDeleteYes they racing to launch Maribor.
DeleteYes, and still nothing
ReplyDeleteSuch a sad outcome for this airport. Hopefully they manage to find a partner.
ReplyDeleteI doubt very much anyone is racing for a concession of Maribor airport.
DeletePity. Nice terminal and infrastructure
ReplyDeleteTrue. It's a shame that such a nice terminal is going to waste.
DeleteThey may as well shut it down. An airport for 3,000 passengers.
ReplyDeleteI feel like Maribor could have attracted LCCs if they made a bit of an effort.
ReplyDeleteWhich route would have the most potential from MBX?
DeleteLondon, Belgrade, Skopje, Amsterdam, Paris
DeleteGratz, Ljublljana, Zagreb...by car.
DeleteThe government should first focus on Ljubljana.
ReplyDeleteShows well how much priority the aviation sector enjoys within the SLO government
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThey have been seeking the same solution for years and have done nothing about it.
ReplyDeleteKoliko zaposlenih radi na aerodromu
ReplyDeleteŠest.
DeleteThe correct number is 30 all paid by DRI.
DeleteSunk cost fallacy.
ReplyDeleteYesterday, Slovenia was featured on the UK Telegraph promoting its ski! What a shame there are no ski charters and flights in winter.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/ski/forget-bulgaria-slovenia-europes-finest-option-budget-skiers/
Have you been to those resorts and can everyone afford going to Austria and France? If yes, which resorts and are there low-cost and convenient links?
DeleteMaribor itself is rather small, only some 100.000 population.
ReplyDeleteObcina Maribor yes, but with surrounding obcinas it is about 150.000, counting in Ptuj and Slo. Bistrica it is around 200.000.
DeleteIt's a relatively poor area -income related- compared to Ljubljana, the coast of Slovenia and the Gorenjska region (NW Slovenija) for example.
DeleteVery few development potential, huge alcoholism and employment problem, good roads to really near airports are already existing.
Limited tourism potential, prices are not so competitive and similar and better attractions can be found not far from that area.
Sure, reading this makes me feel great about being from Krusevac. All the above but three times lower salary. And no airport.
DeleteIsn't Morava Airport near by?
DeleteWe just built new airport in Krusevac for rich Charapans.
DeleteMaribor lost its mojo with Yu break up.
Delete...and open borders to Austra.
DeleteMaribor is clearly unviable and the money wasted is better off spent improving infrastructure elsewhere in Slovenia.
ReplyDeleteCould JU make this work with some subsidies? They seem to be doing quite well in LJU.
ReplyDeleteIn the light of the recent developments at smaller airports in ex-Yu, I feel like Maribor could have gone the same way and attracted LCCs. Now it has nothing.
ReplyDeleteHad Maribor started growing it could have finally forced LJU to lower its charges.
DeleteIf maribor was set up as a cargo airport back when VLM took over, they would be growing rapidly , but now I think their only hope would be for Ryanair to move from Zagreb
ReplyDeleteThe difference betwen Maribor and Portoroz number of passengers is because, at LJPZ they count every person as passenger in LJMB they count only "real" passengers and no pilots and/or student pilots and nothing. The problem is also the goverment, because they helped LJLJ (fraport) with 5mio euros of porst covid help, and LJMB did not get any of this help only cca. 150.00 euros for runway lightning service.
ReplyDeletePortoroz will vey soon get schedule flights.
DeleteMaribor's main problem is Graz
ReplyDeleteMomentarily, that's the least of their worries.
DeleteVery few
ReplyDelete4,956
ReplyDeletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2022/01/former-yugoslav-airports-handle-148.html
Seems like 2021 will be worse.
Why is it taking so long?
ReplyDeletePeople at the ministry of infrastructure really ought to focus more on aviation.
ReplyDeleteNot good
ReplyDeleteIt is Slovenia's government fault that Maribor airport is in a tight sleep and nobody seems to be interested in it. They are promoting just the West of Slovenia to potential tourists, such as Ljubljana, Bled (which is already over crowded by tourists), and the coastline, while they don't draw any attention to Slovenia's south and east which are just as attractive with their nature and spa resorts!
ReplyDeleteMaribor ima preblizu dobar aerodrom (Graz) i relativno blizu mu je Zagreb. Tako da je teško na toj lokaciji postići neki veći napredak osim chartera za sportaše, turističke chartere itd.
ReplyDeleteShut it down.
ReplyDeleteSell this to Rynair for $1. End of story.
ReplyDelete