Low cost carrier easyJet has strengthened its presence at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport by acquiring the maintenance provider Adria Tehnika, as outgoing owner Avia Prime looks to exit the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul sector. easyJet will take control of hangars comprising of five maintenance lines at Ljubljana Airport. The airline plans long-term investment into Adria Tehnika following the takeover. The maintenance company has been providing services for the budget carrier’s fleet for several years. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals, with completion expected in early 2026.
Over the past eighteen months, easyJet has already brought a significant portion of its maintenance operations in-house, most recently through the acquisition of SR Technics in Malta. The planned takeover of Adria Tehnika is a continuation of that strategy. “We are thrilled to have the Adria Tehnika team join the easyJet Group. We have worked closely together for almost a decade and have entrusted them with more than 200 major maintenance operations on our Airbus fleet”, Brendan McConnellogue, Director of Engineering & Maintenance at easyJet, said. He added, “We are very pleased to be taking over the Slovenian facility along with its highly skilled workforce, as it will help us move more maintenance in-house, with plans for continued development and expansion in the years ahead”. Barbara Perko Brvar, CEO of Adria Tehnika, noted, “With a strategic investor such as easyJet, we will be able to grow faster and further strengthen our capabilities and the expertise of our employees”.
easyJet operates flights between London Gatwick and Ljubljana, having carried 73.295 passengers on the route during the first three quarters of the year, positioning the service among the busiest from the Slovenian capital . In November, the airline also launched flights between Ljubljana and Manchester, while a new route from Edinburgh will begin on April 4 next year. The carrier is also considering further expanding its network from the Slovenian capital.
Will they provide maintenance services to other airlines too?
ReplyDeleteI hope so. As long as other airlines continue to bring their aircraft to Ljubljana the company will remain diversified and stronger in the long run.
DeleteIf they do JU could be a prime candidate for it's Airbus fleet.
DeleteNaples takes wayyyyy too long currently.
No, they will have just their aircrafts, once the contracts with other companies expire, so in the future they will have 5 lines for c and d checks
Deletewow
ReplyDeleteHow realistic is a EasyJet base now?
ReplyDeleteA base?? EasyJet only has three routes in LJU!
Delete@9.31 two of which are opening within several months.
Delete@9:31 and Ryanair had zero routes to ZAG before opening base.
DeleteWizz had two routes from BEG before it announced a base.
DeleteIf major maintenance will be done here, there’s more incentive to also base aircraft or add flights. Operational logic could work in LJU’s favour.
DeleteIt's a maintenance deal. Let’s not oversell it as a miracle solution for connectivity problems.
Delete09.42
DeleteAnd Ryanair had zero routes from ZAG before announcing a base. It would be nice in my opinion, Wizz in BEG, Ryan in ZAG and Easy in LJU.
I see they are really committing to LJU. Does anyone know when they could put Berlin tickets on sale?
ReplyDeleteWho said they are starting Berlin?
DeleteIt's reported in the article "The carrier is also considering further expanding its network from the Slovenian capital." and one person, who correctly revealed Manchester and Edinburgh before, said it's gonna be Berlin.
DeleteThis could finally mean more long-term stability and investment in the aviation sector here.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely!
DeleteFingers crossed.
Delete"as outgoing owner Avia Prime looks to exit the aviation maintenance"
ReplyDeleteThis means they will be leaving Jat Tehnika too. Will be interesting to see who buys them, if anyone.
JU should get it back for sure.
Delete^ Absolutely correct.
DeleteIt is a far more important investment for the airline than the hotel.
+1
DeleteDefinitely JU should get back JatTehnika
DeleteIf easyJet is willing to invest locally hopefully that will translate into more destinations and better year-round coverage in the future
ReplyDeleteWow, perfect. easyJet’s acquisition of Adria Tehnika is important for Ljubljana Airport because it secures a major airline’s long-term maintenance presence on site, strengthening LJU’s role as a regional MRO hub. It brings stable investment, protects local aviation jobs, and increases aircraft traffic tied to maintenance operations. It may also encourage easyJet to expand its flight offerings from Ljubljana over time.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteMRO hub??? Hahahaha so Ljubljana just changed its core strategy from a charter hub to MRO hub?
DeleteYes, like it or not LJU is a MRO hub in the region. Adria, Solinair and 3 smaller MROs
DeleteMRO traffic to LJU is proportionally pretty big. There's always a lot of planes that don't have scheduled flights here for maintenence, mostly A320s
Deletepeople should understand that HUB doesn't mean only one thing.
DeleteHUB: the effective centre of an activity, region, or network.
If easyJet sees Slovenia as a real strategic market, we could see significant growth in traffic over the next few years. Stability in infrastructure often precedes route development.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this development will impact commercial traffic. We will see but I highly doubt it.
DeleteImpressive. Well done!
ReplyDeleteEasyJet coming to stay in LJU
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteSeeing a major airline commit to Slovenian aviation could encourage more international players to look into opportunities here.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely.
DeleteWhat else is there to commit to in Slovenian aviation? The airport is owned by Fraport for the next 80 years or so and Adria is now owned by easyjet. What else is left?
DeleteMaribor Airport...
DeleteFeels more like opportunistic purchase than a Ljubljana focus, but I could be wrong
ReplyDeleteWell they could have bought Avia Prime's maintenance operations in Poland and/or Serbia but they chose LJU.
DeleteBecause they have a 1p year relationship, not because they are in Lju
DeleteCould it be because LJU facility is better than the other two?
DeleteI doubt the technicians wages in Poland or Belgrade are as high as they are in LJU.
They have had a long running contract with Adria Tehnika. it was reported here too.
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2021/11/adria-tehnika-inks-five-year-deal-with.html
^ True dat. Adria Tehnika had a great reputation in the industry.
DeleteAdria Tehnika is way above JAT tehnika in terms of infrastructure and people.
DeleteIf you need to attract and keep highly qualified technicians LJU is the place.
Wasn't Adria Tehnika previously owned by some company from Poland?
ReplyDeleteIt's a Czech company. It is written in the first sentence of the article.
DeleteFirst sentence of the article:
Delete"Low cost carrier easyJet has strengthened its presence at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport by acquiring the maintenance provider Adria Tehnika, as outgoing owner Avia Prime looks to exit the aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul sector."
So, it doesn't say anything about where the owner comes from.
It says the company's name.
DeleteWith maintenance on-site and growing links to the UK, a seasonal base seems more plausible now. Even one aircraft could diversify the network significantly.
ReplyDeleteSeasonal base?
DeleteYes a seasonal base, like the one Ryanair has in many cities.
DeleteAfter years of uncertainty under Avia Prime, having a financially solid and operationally experienced owner could finally give the company direction and stability. Good for workers and customers alike.
ReplyDeleteThe question is will they keep other customers.
DeleteIf they have multi year contracts in place, I highly doubt they will kick them out. But they probably won't renew.
DeleteI highly doubt they will continue to pursue anyone. Easyjet bought Adria Tehnika for its own needs. They will not be chasing others.
DeleteLH technic or AF Indistries have other clients, so why it will not be the case with the new "Easy Technic Slovenia"?
DeleteThis deal actually brings something tangible. Jobs, investment and hopefully traffic.
ReplyDelete+1
DeleteThose hangars have always been a significant asset
ReplyDeletePlus there are Solinair hangars.
DeleteThis is the kind of strategic deal Slovenia’s aviation sector has needed since 2019! Finally a sign of turning the page.
ReplyDeleteAgree. This is the biggest news for Slovenian aviation since the collapse of Adria in my opinion.
DeleteWhy is it such big news? Im genuinely interested.
DeleteBecause a major established carrier, one of the largest in Europe has purchased a Slovenian company of over 50 years. Because it guarantees jobs for Slovenian mechanics and engineers. Because it secures the company's business over many years and because it gives high hope for future expansion of that business.
DeleteGreat, thanks!
DeleteI wish they purchased Adria Airways 6 years ago 😭
ReplyDeleteOr 9 years ago when it mattered....
DeleteWhy?
DeleteThey had completely different business models.
While everyone focused on Adria Airways, the maintenance side of the business quietly built strong credentials. Good thing they were separated.
DeleteThe real value of Slovenia’s aviation know-how.
DeleteSlovenia had aviation know how in the commercial side as well. Unfortunately most of them left the country to work elsewhere.
DeleteHopefully JAT Tehnika goes back home soon ☀️🍀
ReplyDeleteFingers crossed! JU sure needs a reliable maintenance provider.
DeleteExactly. I believe it's wiser to buy established MRO than build a new one from scratch.
DeleteObviously...
DeleteWhat new routes by EasyJet could come to LJU?
ReplyDeleteBerlin is most likely coming. Basel would be great, something from their bases on the spanish coast maybe.
DeleteIf BER comes back for a third time it will be scrapped after a year max as it never works.
DeleteYear max yet it was operational for 3 years before covid.
DeleteBER was discontinued due to the closure of easyJet's operations from Berlin at the time. It was not related to profitability of the Ljubljana route.
DeleteWe may not have a national airline anymore but we have a growing airport, strong MRO support and growing foreign carrier interest. That’s a foundation and all in all very good.
ReplyDelete+100
DeleteAnd neither of the above costs us tens of millions of Euros every year.
It does cost. The city has lost millions over the past few years due to lack of decent air connectivity. You still have hundreds of thousands of passengers using alternative airports as well. The airport still has very limited LCC options.
DeleteOut of WizzAir, Rynair and Easyjet...Easyjet surely is the best one when it comes to flying comfort and overall experience, not to mention they don't usually throw a hissy fit as soon as something isn't their way
ReplyDeleteYes but easyjet is the most expensive one.
DeleteOur best option right now is 1leg stopover with legacy carrier, any route by Easyjet will be much cheaper in either case
DeleteI see them starting BER, HER, RHO, LCA, PMI, MXP in the next year or so. AMS to replace Transavia for P2P would also work... Let's hope for the best
ReplyDeleteGVA or BSL surely are something they could consider seeing the trade between Slovenia and Switzerland?
DeleteAnon @11:43 what have you been smoking this morning.
DeleteSome people just list cities on every mention of changes in the region.
Delete^ All of these could actually work.
DeleteJU CEO said Bucharest and Sofia are their main transfer traffic from LJU.
DeleteYes, both of these are opportunities too. But not for easyjet.
DeleteGreat news for Slovenia’s aviation industry
ReplyDeleteOne of the best news in recent years.
DeleteThis could be a huge opportunity for more easyJet routes. If Ljubljana becomes an important maintenance hub for their Airbus fleet, it only makes sense to add more traffic through their own network.
ReplyDeleteI just hope they continue working for external airlines and don’t exclusively prioritize easyJet. Adria Tehnika has always served multiple clients. That diversity is important for the business.
ReplyDeleteDoubtful they will. Maybe until current contracts expire, after that adios.
DeleteIf Edinburgh works well and Manchester matures, we might finally see a proper year-round network from easyJet at LJU.
ReplyDeleteLJU turning orange
ReplyDelete