Slovenia reviews Cyprus Airways’ Ljubljana plans


The Slovenian Ministry for Infrastructure has confirmed the receipt of an application from Cyprus Airways for the launch of several routes from Ljubljana. However, it highlighted that the application is incomplete and needs to be rectified before any decision can be made. The Cypriot flag carrier submitted its proposal as part of the Slovenian government’s open call for subsidies for the launch of new routes from the country. In a statement to the daily "Delo," the Ministry for Infrastructure stated, "In the fourth public tender aimed at enhancing Slovenia’s air connectivity, an application was received from Charlie Airlines, operating under the Cyprus Airways brand. The aid allocation committee has formally assessed the application and identified deficiencies that hinder a decision based on its merits. The carrier has been requested to address these shortcomings. A comprehensive review of the application and a final decision will be made following the necessary modifications."

The Slovenian government has so far held four public calls with the aim to attract new carriers to Ljubljana, yielding mixed outcomes. Luxair, airBaltic, Norwegian, and Iberia have all benefited from the aid, with the latter two to launch operations to the Slovenian capital this summer season. With fourteen million euros remaining in unallocated funds earmarked for enhancing the country’s air connectivity, Cyprus Airways could potentially secure a portion of this sum if its application proves successful. For its part, Cyprus Airways has said it is “part of our strategic plan to grow with new bases around the Mediterranean and beyond”. The carrier currently operates a fleet of two Airbus A220-300 aircraft and two A320s.

During this week's Routes Europe conference, Hermes Airports, the operator of Cyprus’ Larnaca and Paphos airports, said it was targeting flights to Ljubljana as it focuses on closing existing connectivity gaps to European capitals. Maria Kouroupi, the Director of Aviation Development, Marketing and Communication at Hermes Airports, highlighted Ljubljana as a strategic objective. Slovenia last boasted flights to Cyprus in 2007 when Adria Airways operated a total of seven roundtrips to Larnaca in July and August of that year with its Airbus A320 aircraft.



Comments

  1. Anonymous09:02

    So we can expect that they will operate flights to Larnaca. Which other routes could they have applied for?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:15

      Probably some routes like Berlin, Manchester, Rome. Major cities with no flights to LJU yet that could benefit from p2p both ways

      Delete
  2. Anonymous09:03

    This would be a fantastic addition to LJU. I really hope the government gives them approval.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      The government does not need to give them any approval. As an EU carrier, they can freely start routes within EU. The talks here are whether the government will sponsor any of their costs for opening new lines.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:13

      I was referring to that and it is obvious Cyprus Airways won't do it without the subsidies.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous01:45

      I think at least LCA will happen with or without subsidies.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous09:04

    How many routes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:06

      Depends on the approval (they applied for some routes outside EU), the guesses are around 7

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:07

      wow that's huge

      Delete
    3. From Bratušek; "ciperski prevoznik je oddal namero za kar nekaj destinacij", simply from slovenian language perspective, that means that there are at least 5:

      -je oddal namero za eno destinacijo
      -je oddal namero za dve destinaciji
      -je oddal namero za tri, šti destinacije
      -je oddal namero za kar nekaj destinacij


      So in my opinion at least 5 were submited

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:55

      Let's say it is five. Which ones could they be? Larnaca is a given obviously but what other ones?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:00

      From their already existing destinations:
      -Prague
      -Rome
      -Barcelona
      -Heraklion

      From what is missing:
      -Replace Heraklion with Manchester
      -Bucharest

      Delete
    6. Anonymous01:46

      Stockholm, Madrid, Lisbon...

      Delete
  4. Anonymous09:04

    From the comments of the ministry yesterday at the LJU-RIX route ceremony it seems like they are fairly certain that something will happen, mentioning active corporation between ministry and the airline, as well as "this is not all".

    Also director of marketing in Larnaca seemingly announced the route already.

    Israel situation is hurting the airline so I fully can see an A220 being stationed in Ljubljana, operating the likes of Berlin, Amsterdam, Oslo, Bucharest, Sarajevo, Barcelona, Madrid, Manchester, Prague

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous09:06

    I assume they would base a plane in Ljubljana?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous09:07

    Manchester please.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:10

      This guy

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:16

      Manchester didn't work and will never work as a P2P year round destination from LJU

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:41

      True only FRA works year round.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:17

      And Munich

      Delete
    5. Anonymous10:55

      And Paris, Amsterdam, London, Brussels, Belgrade, Priština, Istanbul.. stop being salty.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous11:04

      and Skopje

      Delete
  7. Anonymous09:07

    Could be a gamechanger for LJU

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:09

      +1

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:46

      It really needs this to happen

      Delete
  8. Anonymous09:08

    From a few people in Ministry I hear, that what the airline is planning is securing the rest of the money or large portion if it, to base an aircraft there. So they would practically be paid €14.000.000 to have one aircraft stationed.

    Let's not forget that Norwegian is being paid 500.000€ for one route, twice weekly. So just with that you can get your number of destinations

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:49

      I still think it would have been wiser to give those 14 million to Ryanair. They would have made a real difference to LJU and it would have been immediate.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:18

      Is 500k really for one route alone? 50% in airport subsidies is probably closer to 100k

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:21

      Vrednost pogodbe o sofinanciranju s prevoznikom Luxair znaša 257.960,30 evrov, s prevoznikom airBaltic 284.407,53 evrov, s prevoznikom Norwegian Air 557.518,37 evrov in s prevoznikom Iberia Airlines 18.773,70 evrov. V tem trenutku obratuje samo proga Luksemburg–Ljubljana–Luksemburg, v zvezi s katero je bilo doslej prevozniku Luxair izplačanih 31.226,90 evrov.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous10:22

      Ryanair is free to apply. The public funds can’t be just given.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous01:47

      This is peanuts for what Ryanair wants/gets at other airport. That's why they are not applying.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous12:39

      Vsekakor je dajanje subvencij tujim prevoznikom mnogo lažje kot nacionalnemu prevozniku. To je slovenska posebnost v svetovnem merilu!

      Delete
    7. Anonymous23:03

      Oh yeah, I forgot these airlines will fly for multiple years, not just one. At least that

      Delete
  9. Anonymous09:08

    Can't wait to see what routes they plan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous01:47

      I'm really interested to see how many routes are actually planned. Government says "numerous"

      Delete
  10. Anonymous09:09

    Ljubljana Airport could completely recover sooner rather than later.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous15:55

      But it's already later

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:48

      Exactly. Most airports in the region have recovered long ago.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:45

      Ljubljansko letališče je z izgubo nacionalnega prevoznika izgubilo tekmo v regiji in zelo verjetno nikoli več ne bo imelo vloge, ki jo je imelo pred uničenjem Adrie. Večina komentarjev so samo sanjarjenje.

      Delete
  11. Anonymous09:11

    Bravo Fraport!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:14

      Yeah they really did a lot to attract Cyprus Airways... not

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:30

      Basically they had no role in attracting Norwegian, air Baltic, Iberia or Luxair.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous02:06

      Other than Aegean Fraport has not attracted a single airline since Covid. All of them came thanks to the government subsidies.

      Delete
  12. Anonymous09:12

    They have 8 A220 on order, when are deliveries planned?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:59

      They will get 2 A220 in 2024, so 4 in the fleet this year: https://cyprus-mail.com/2024/01/22/cyprus-airways-to-double-a220-fleet-in-2024/

      Delete
    2. Anonymous11:20

      Sounds perfect - use one for home base expansion, and try opening new markets with the second

      Delete
    3. Anonymous01:48

      I just don't get that they are betting their luck with LJU. To be honest I think there are larger and more profitable markets.

      Delete
  13. Anonymous09:16

    Just saying that Slovenia is added as a destination on their website ;)
    https://cyprusairways.holiday/eu/destinations/slovenia

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:40

      That doesn't mean much but hope it happens.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:35

      From what you sent, it looks like LCA-LJU will start soon. Probably without subsidies, but hardly.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous12:44

      How did you come to that conclusion

      Delete
    4. Anonymous12:48

      Well the list lists all their destinations, so LJU is missing in reality. So this is a new destination.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous01:49

      Didn't they also announce Dubrovnik late last year but they never put these flights on sale.

      Delete
  14. Anonymous09:29

    Exciting times coming

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:39

      About time

      Delete
    2. Anonymous01:50

      Let's hope it does not fall through like with new national airline plans.

      Delete
  15. Anonymous09:39

    I really hope this materializes. It could be a gamechanger for LJU

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous09:40

    It will be interesting what they do if they base the A220 in Ljubljana. Especially since Cyprus Airways has an actual dedicated business class with 2x2 configuration. Would this be competitive of intra Europe routes from LJU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:43

      I think the only reason they have that type of business class is because the A220s they got were destined for some African carrier and they actually have their cabins. I assume the upcoming A220s will be in all economy layout.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous09:50

      Oh didn't know that. Thanks

      Delete
    3. Anonymous09:50

      Which African airline were they supposed to go to

      Delete
    4. Anonymous09:52

      Air Sénégal

      Delete
    5. Anonymous09:53

      The two planes took their first flights over six months ago and were due to join Air Senegal's fleet - however, due to the ongoing issues with Pratt & Whitney's GTF engines, the Senegalese carrier decided to cancel its remaining A220 orders.

      Delete
    6. Anonymous13:30

      The Air Senegal cabin in those A220 look really nice, business class seats can go to bed function, economy seats are leather with movable headrest, usb ports, tablet holders, aft toilet have windows.....
      but the engines are really bad.....

      Delete
    7. Anonymous13:33

      Anyone have some pics of the cabins?

      Delete
    8. Anonymous15:46

      There are all over the internet, e.g. https://www.cbn.com.cy/article/2023/7/21/723928/cyprus-airways-welcomes-the-airbus-a220-to-its-fleet-pics/

      Delete
    9. Anonymous19:55

      And here is the business class cabin
      https://media.licdn.com/dms/image/D4E22AQEOQIug-n5Y2A/feedshare-shrink_800/0/1697289471115?e=2147483647&v=beta&t=M_6H_Qo10Axnjaa8dr6Fl3YR7bGcviNio5KZ5LH3Yws

      Delete
    10. Anonymous01:50

      wow looks nice

      Delete
    11. Anonymous01:50

      But is it economical having a business like that intra Europe?

      Delete
    12. Anonymous01:51

      @Anon 13.30 how do you mean the engines are bad? The planes are flying no?

      Delete
  17. Anonymous09:48

    What was Cyprus Airways' financial performance like last year?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:53

      They have not reported their financials yet.

      Delete
  18. Anonymous09:50

    Let's just hope it does not turn out like Lumiwings in Tuzla

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous09:52

      Tuzla gave them a certain sum of money and hoped that it lasts, while Slovenian tender is made in a way where Slovenia covers 50% of airport cost, so it's automatically on per-flight basis

      Delete
  19. Anonymous09:57

    This would be huge! Hopefully Slo government does not screw this up. Their track record with aviation related matters is appalling.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous10:06

    I just noticed on this photo that they kept the old Cyprus Airways logo on the engines. Nice touch :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:14

      Their livery is really nice in general

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:26

      Love it.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous01:51

      I like it too.

      Delete
  21. Anonymous10:15

    Would they operate flights from Slovenia under the Cyprus Airways brand or would they make up a new one?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous10:20

      I think they would make a new brand.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous10:26

      Not necessary. No need to spend money in branding. Only if they would decided to open a new company with public co-funding that would be logical.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous10:59

      Adria Airways brand is for sale ;)

      Delete
    4. Anonymous11:08

      It would be nice to have the brand of Adria Airways again.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous11:18

      Especially on A220!

      Delete
    6. notLufthansa11:34

      Let me get this straight: It was major problem to cover for Adria loss; if it was managed better it would be much, much less than 16 mil they will helicopter now to anybody who is willing to fly to LJU? Bratusek is definetly an aviation gravedigger

      Delete
    7. Anonymous11:36

      Once you are in EU, you (sadly) can't keep throwing away the money to your airline, and that's the problem. If Slovenia wasn't in the EU, the privatization would most probably never happened, and if it did, Adria would be bought back in 2019

      Delete
    8. Anonymous11:37

      What are you talking about. These are official figures: Creditors of the bankrupt airline Adria Airways filed claims for a total of 151 million euros, of which the bankruptcy administrator recognised them for 87.7 million euros.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous11:40

      @10.59 Adria brand has been sold
      https://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/11/adria-brand-and-trademarks-ready-to.html

      Delete
    10. Anonymous01:52

      The Adria brand is no longer relevant. It has been 5 years now since it has been retired. Time to move on.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous12:57

      Adria je vsekakor imela boljši ugled v tujini (predvsem Nemčija) kot pa v delu slovenske javnosti. Sicer pa je bolje, da se ime Adria ne umaže s takimi skrpucali, ki bodo nastajali v bodoče. Adria - bilo je nekoč in nikoli več!!

      Delete
  22. Anonymous12:38

    I would really love to see them in Ljubljana, also if they have a Slovenian livery that would be very nice too. I vote for Adria!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous00:05

      5 let prepozno. Vse, kar bo sledilo, bo čuden hibrid. Ne tič ne miš.

      Delete
  23. Anonymous13:01

    CY isn’t even well established in LCA with a small network while most of Cypriots prefer Aegean via ATH to travel to any destination. Y’all think CY can work in LJU?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous13:07

      With the correct buissnes model and tickets not being to expesive yes... otherwise it will be like Tuzla with Lumiwings

      Delete
  24. Anonymous13:43

    Glasujem za Air Slovenija

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous19:54

    This would be a very good development. Whatever the new routes are. I could see LJU reaching pre Covid passenger levels next year in this case.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous01:53

      And if not, when is the airport expected to reach preCovid levels?

      Delete
    2. Anonymous02:00

      2026

      Delete
    3. Anonymous13:01

      Ni važno, kdaj bo doseglo 2019. V vsakem primeru bo zaostajalo za letališči v regiji.

      Delete
    4. Anonymous16:56

      Spet ponavljanje ene in iste laži. Komu v korist? Samo Beograd in Zagreb sta na boljšem, vsa ostala letališča v regiji so 20-30% pod številkami v 2019.

      Delete
    5. Anonymous17:01

      @16:56 couldn't lie more lol

      Delete
    6. Anonymous17:19

      Tole sem napisal na enem drugem forumu. Vir so spletne strani posameznih letališč, z razliko z Italijo, kjer številke objavlja ENAC:

      Od okoliških letališč sta samo Zagreb (+8%) in Trst (+19%) presegla številke iz 2019. Pula je na -45%, Reka -23%, Celovec -27%, Gradec -29%.
      Pa še ostala večja letališča, ki jih Slovenci radi uporabljamo: Budimpešta -9%, Benetke -3% , Bologna +6%, Dunaj -6%.

      Delete
    7. Anonymous00:08

      Pozabil si letališča v ex YU, upam, da ne namerno.

      Delete
    8. Anonymous09:41

      Namerno. Ljubljana namreč najbolj konkurira Celovcu, Trstu, Zagrebu in Gradcu, ne Banja Luki, Podgorici, Prištini, Nišu in Tuzli.

      Delete
    9. Anonymous12:13

      Najprej omeniš da sta v regiji samo Zagreb in Beograd na boljšem, nato rečeš da je še Trst in da Beograd ni več del regije. Make up your mind already.

      Delete
    10. Anonymous13:06

      Ja, omemba Beograda je bila moja napaka, ampak to ne spremeni dejstva da lažeš in zavajaš. Komu v korist? Veš le ti.

      Delete
    11. Anonymous13:42

      Izgleda da si nov na tem portalu, saj se tukaj od nekdaj omenja vsa letališča iz bivše Juge kot del regije. Tako da ti lažeš in zavajaš kako gre Ljubljani "odlično" v primerjavi z drugimi.

      Delete
    12. Anonymous14:00

      Upam, da se boš enkrat že naučil brat. Pa lep pozdrav.

      Delete
    13. Anonymous14:03

      Upam da se boš enkrat že naučil kaj je regija. Pa lep pozdrav.

      Delete
  26. Anonymous19:54

    Even if they just launch Larnaca I will be happy :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous01:53

      It seems like that definitely happening.

      Delete

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.