Ljubljana Airport is in talks with several airlines over the introduction of new routes. After securing a nonstop service to the United States for next year, Fraport Slovenija Managing Director Jürgen Deischl said, “I can promise you that we are currently working on different route cases and further away international destinations as I believe there is still enough potential in Slovenia and the wider Adriatic region to attract more international carriers”. The airport is expected to secure several new European services, which are due to be announced in the coming weeks and months. Separately, the final submission deadline for Slovenia's tenth public tender aimed at improving the country's air connectivity closes on August 31 at 23:59 local time.
Mr Deischl noted that United’s upcoming seasonal service between Newark and Ljubljana is expected to generate an additional 40.000 passengers per year and hinted at further potential for long haul development from the Slovenian capital. “What makes this achievement particularly remarkable is the excellent cooperation between United Airlines and Ljubljana Airport. Through the strong commitment, mutual trust and dedication of the teams on both sides, we were able, within an exceptionally short and intensive period, to demonstrate the route’s business potential and create the conditions for its launch”, Mr Deischl said.
Ljubljana Airport has also been pursuing services to China for some time. The airport’s Head of Airline Management, Janez Krašnja, recently said, “We've been in talks with Chinese carriers for years about launching flights to Ljubljana”. China has also proposed for the establishment of nonstop flights to Slovenia. Ling Ji, China’s Vice Minister of Commerce and Deputy China International Trade Representative, previously said the two would work on “establishing an air bridge”. Nearby Zagreb Airport will welcome its first service from Beijing next week.
They have really got the momentum going now!
ReplyDeleteFinaly after so many years and incompetent CEOs.
DeleteUnited seems to have completely changed the mood around Ljubljana.
Delete^ +1 definitely
Delete@9.25 lol
DeleteYes, let's fill up LJU staff brains with even more specifics with each new airline 🥳 LJU doesn't need dedicated staff, we are robots 🤪
Delete16:18 Zato ste tam! Moj Bog Slovenci, služba ni samo pobiranje denarja. Zato ste tam, da delate. Ne da pobirate denar pa da mine čas. Gremo.
Delete10:41 Jealous.
DeleteLJU needs a connection to VIE and Scandinavia, preferably CPH. It would be great if SAS introduced flights, especially now when they are part of the AF/KLM alliance.
DeleteAlso, I could never understand why LJU was never successful in having flights to FCO, MXP, SPU or DBV.
People drive to Split nowadays. Its not thr early 2000s.
DeleteOh wow, I like the new CEO more and more. Although they still haven't added United to the airline list on their website :D
ReplyDeleteThey have until May next year :D
DeleteMaybe the list is for airlines that actually currently operate there? Just a thought.
DeleteIt's not, it was always a list of airlines that have scheduled flights to Ljubljana. Otherwise half of them should be gone in the winter.
DeleteOk so we know that Berlin and Tirana are coming. What else?
ReplyDeleteWasn't PRN also rumoured?
DeletePrague, Lisbon?
DeleteUnless they get TAP I think LIS is very difficult due to slot constraints.
Delete"further away international destinations" this sounds like long haul, or am I crazy?
ReplyDeleteyes. Or mid-haul
DeleteCould mean something in the Gulf too.
DeleteQatar Airways from Doha would be amazing. Although I doubt it.
DeleteCould very well be Flynas to Saudia as well
DeleteAir Arabia (they just announced Katowice) or Riyadh Air are all possibilities too.
DeleteImagine if Emirates announces flights haha. I remember years ago there was an interview here with some Emirates official who said that from ex-Yu, Slovenia had the highest point of sales.
DeleteHere it is!!
Deletehttps://www.exyuaviation.com/2016/10/serbia-and-slovenia-strongest-markets.html
Riyadh Air said they plan to serve every European capital by the end of the decade. Their first A321neos are expected later this year.
DeleteEmirates would come only because they have more belly cargo space compared to FlyDubai. As someone who uses the service 2-3 times yearly, sadly Turkish will be more convinient to us in any case, apart some specifics. Would love to have Riyadh Air, but any connection to KSA would be great. Lovely country and a lot of companies do a lot of bussines there
DeleteEtihad has been launching a lot of new destinations lately.
DeleteI do think Etihad is potential. They have been starting many niche routes in Europe lately. Gothenburg, Luxembourg... Somehow Ljubljana fits that profile.
Deleteand canibalize flydubai?
DeleteI think Belgrade and Zagreb are regional frontrunners for Riyadh flights. The Slovenian diaspora is tiny in Saudi compared to Croatia and especially Serbia. I believe Serbia will get flights first because of a growing number of hospitality workers while Riyadh Air could definitely target Saudi tourism to Croatia
DeleteIf any then Etihad with their A320/321neos
DeleteSeems like exciting times at LJU lately.
ReplyDeleteNot words one often hears..
DeleteIt was about time
DeleteFunny how quickly things turned out for the better when Ljubljana Airport's CEO and Slovenia's Minister of Transport changed
DeleteHahaha like minister has anything to do with it
DeleteWell he did immediately reverse that ridiculous decision to ban Israir. Thank God.
DeleteAn interesting statement. Hope Zagreb Airport route planners read it
ReplyDelete"Through the strong commitment, mutual trust and dedication of the teams on both sides, we were able, within an exceptionally short and intensive period, to demonstrate the route’s business potential and create the conditions for its launch”
That's pretty much the confirmation that he wanted it done when he arrived. So in about 6 months he managed to get freaking United :DD
DeleteWhat a xhad
Well kudos to him. ZAG has been talking about New York flights for more than half of my life and in last few years it was a given how United would come but I guess not. And LJU which was completely off the radar manage to secure it in months.
DeleteI've heard that they are talking about bringing Shanghai route to Slovenia a month or so ago but I was sure someone is taking a piss. Are the numbers there for Shanghai - Ljubljana route case? Does anyone know?
ReplyDeleteThere were articles here about Asian demand from/to LJU. I think Shanghai was at the top.
DeleteIf LUX can work from China, I'm sure LJU could too.
DeleteLUX has over 5mil pax
DeleteLUX is also rich as F and has a massive cargo center and is located in a wider region with many millions of population.
DeleteCongratulations Ljubljana. So many new routes announced this year.
ReplyDelete“Several” new routes to be announced soon, damn, this means at least three. So crazy what a single actually competent person can achieve!
ReplyDeleteYes - I think this new CEO really brought a fresh wind.
DeleteNice pic of the airport complex! Is there still room to expand on that one side or does the road block it?
ReplyDeleteThere is a plan yes. Google aeropolis ljubljana
DeleteBravo Fraport!
ReplyDeletePeople criticised them for years but Newark is a huge achievement for an airport the size of Ljubljana.
DeletePeople rightfully criticized them. I remember right after Adria collapsed they went public and said that their goal isn't to have a base for national carrier
DeleteThey also seemed completely unprepared for it even though for months it was known that Adria would go bankrupt (and even the airport itself said so)
DeleteHow dare they not wanting to pay for a national carrier's constant loses by providing unpaid services to them?
DeletePeople criticized Fraport for not bringing in a Ryanair or a Wizzair base while completely ignoring the actual things they could criticize them - cheap terminal, poor arrivals structure, taxi mafia etc.
DeleteArrivals need adjustments, I agree, everyhting else is critisism for the sake of it
DeleteTaxi mafia in a EU capital is a shame. It really looks rotten standing there and listening to them.
DeleteTirana, Prague, Bucharest and Stockholm and year round services to Madrid and Helsinki and Europe is pretty much covered (apart from summer destinations, that are currently charter covered).
ReplyDeleteThen China, Japan, and im pretty sure that destinations for workers would work too - Nepal to cover the wider region (Croatia, Trieste/Venice, Austria)
Thats more like it :)
DeleteOkay I'll bite, who would fly to Nepal?
DeleteNot enough people to ever make a route work. I think its just aviation wishfully thinking.
DeleteAs much as I would love to see LJU be connected to Nepal. it's totally unrealistic. Currently Istanbul is the only city on the european continent that Nepal is connected to.
DeleteYeah, the Nepalese diaspora in the UK is roughly 30 times bigger than in Slovenia and they have no direct flights
DeleteMore connections to the Gulf is far more likely
Tadej Pogačar is an absolute megastar and national hero in Abu Dhabi, possessing a level of popularity that goes far beyond that of a typical foreign athlete. Because he races for the government-backed UAE Team, the emirate treats his victories as historical achievements for the nation itself.. Pogačar serves as an official ambassador for Slovenian tourism, linking Slovenia’s green alpine landscapes to the UAE audience through joint promotional campaigns. This might be a hint.
Delete+1
ReplyDeleteUnited selecting Ljubljana proves that catchment area matters much more than Slovenia’s population alone. The airport can attract passengers from Croatia, Austria and northern Italy as well.
ReplyDeletenegative. Its mainly for american tourists visiting the region
DeletePositive. It seems logical UA from LJU would be a reasonable alternative (to VIE, VCE or connecting flights)) for people from Zagreb, Maribor, Celovec, Reka or Trst. Very likely, why not. Maybe even for Gradec.
Deletewhat is Reka and Gradec?
DeleteRijeka and Graz
DeleteLots of people from Marburg utilise Gradec and vice versa :)
Delete13:20: Maribor
DeleteWhere?
DeleteSo what are the real possibilities now? My guess is Tirana, Rome and Berlin, maybe some routes like Finnair even gets extended to year round. All the fuss about flights to China got me a little bit convinced that they are really happening, so I really hope that happens as well.
ReplyDeleteI am more and more thinking ITA is a possibility at Ljubljana. Maybe next summer.
DeleteITA to both Milan and Rome is a possibility, Milan probably up until 2029, and then the fast train should be able to come to Ljubljana, up until then 2-3x weekly on A221 will be possible
DeleteITA to Milan Linate?? i mean come on be realistic
DeleteNo, the connection should be with MXP for transfers
DeleteITA doesn't fly to MXP.
DeleteEveryone is talking about long haul but Ljubljana still does not have direct flights to many European cities.
ReplyDeleteI think its a very few people talking amongst themselves tbh.
DeleteFraport finally seems to have become much more aggressive with airline marketing. For many years it felt like they were simply waiting for airlines to come to them.
ReplyDeleteIt's not Fraport that changes, it's the director who actually wants to make a difference and has balls to do so
DeleteAnother factor is the tourism growth thanks to various factors
DeleteFor example:
Better promotion abroad
New accomodations
Conflict zones, where tourists look for new and safe destinations
Would not be surprised if one of the announcements is another easyJet route. Their Ljubljana operation seems to be doing well for them.
ReplyDeleteWait till Adria deal goes thorugh. Then we will see a lot of changes to the network
DeleteThat was probably meant as Apollo, not Adria - before there is any confusion :-)
DeleteAdria tehnika
DeleteAaah, thanks for the clarification; my head was in the Apollo takeover of easyjet, forgot there is this second deal. Indeed, Adria Tehnika takeover can have a positive impact on the routes from LJU, not necessarily though. I am slightly worried of the takeover of easyjet by private equity; hoping that LJU routes are profitable enough for them, they might have a more short-term perspective.
Delete" The airport is expected to secure several new European services, which are due to be announced in the coming weeks and months. Separately, the final submission deadline for Slovenia's tenth public tender aimed at improving the country's air connectivity closes on August 31 at 23:59 local time."
ReplyDeleteADMIN WHAT DO YOU KNOW?
I hope they manage to keep Norwegian and bring SAS...
ReplyDeleteDoesn't look good for Norwegian...
DeleteOh damn, they are ACTUALLY working on bringing flights to China, I guess one commenter who predicted USA flights really does know something we don't.
ReplyDeleteBeijing might work with enough organised Chinese tour groups, especially if Slovenia is packaged together with Croatia, Austria and Italy.
DeleteOh all these new routes will be so much fun when the unhappy ops staff that is actively seeking employment elsewhere leaves. All of us pushed by planning, work conditions and poor payment + inspired by Jurgen who said that those who are not happy at Fraport Slovenija can go find jobs elsewhere as he doesn't care.
ReplyDeleteThis comment was posted in Zagreb
DeleteNo it was not. But I imagine ZAG staff are not having it much better. Maybe their CEO isn't full of inspirational advices regarding jobs.
DeleteYou can go find jobs elsewhere, perfectly true. You have factories right next to the airport. So go.
DeleteKakšni grozni delovni pogoji, prosim vas? Vmes so časi, ko na letališče več ur ni nobenega letala. Pozimi sploh. Slovenci moramo malo manj jamrati pa malo več delati. Povsod je mobing, nizka plača, slabi pogoji. Stra pa ne gre nihče. Kaj pa lenoba, pomanjkanje angažmaja in predanost delu? Osebna odgovornost in doslednost? Natančnost, zmožnost sprejeti kritiko? Tega pa ni in ni.
Deletesorry but which airport isnt "currently working on different route cases" ?
ReplyDeleteWizz Air should launch LJU-SJJ with subsidies from both Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that now with United arriving in Ljubljana some people from BiH will be interested in flying from LJU to go to North America, and a Wizz Air route would be perfect transport for that - much better than driving for hours to SPU.
absolutely not possible to receive double sub, so much for knowing about it
DeleteWhy not? You can just apply for both tenders. The tenders in two different countries have nothing to do with each other.
DeleteThe Slovenia tender says that subsidy can not be used with any other from other countries.
DeleteWhat if they applied for Slovenian subsidies first then for Bosnian ones at a later tender? They would lose the Slovenian ones, if they accepted the Bosnian as well?
Delete@11.09 trikove made in BiH, eh?
Delete@10:52 Sarajevo to Ljubljana on an A321 is not going to pay dividends for an airline its rock bottom yields from such a route. Get in a car a drive it. Using a LCC to then transit on via United sounds like a niche thing to do for backpackers. Its deeply inconvenient and often risky to do such a thing if the flight is on the same day.
Delete@13:19 Driving from Sarajevo to Ljubljana isn't cheap at all in terms of fuel. It's probably the most expensive option of car, bus and plane. I agree that it's inconvenient to use an LCC on the same day as the long-haul flight, but the same can be said about going by bus on the same day as the long-haul flight. Btw. LJU-SJJ would be useful for so many other things than people who want to cross the Atlantic.
Delete@14:10 but LJU-SJJ would unlikely be a useful utilisation of an A321 for Wizzair, which is what matters to their shareholders. The usefulness to travelling passengers is actually a secondary concern to that fact.
DeleteHonestly, the route just doesn't have enough passengers to fill a massive 239-seat plane. On top of that, Ljubljana Airport's high operating fees would completely eat into Wizz Air's low-cost margins. Big jets like the A321 also hate short, 45-minute hops because the constant takeoff and landing cycles cause too much wear and tear for very little payoff. Legacy airlines like Air Serbia already handle this traffic much better using smaller, cheaper turboprops and connecting flights. Since Wizz Air doesn't do connecting flights, they'd have to rely entirely on locals flying back and forth, which isn't enough to make the numbers work.
Delete@16:22 your broken record comment strikes again you do realise that?
Delete@16:27 lol
Delete16:12 Good point and interesting read.
DeleteLjubljana NEEDS a hotel next to the airport now
ReplyDeleteHotel Nox is 12 minutes away and 4 points by Sheraton is 15 minutes away. But yes, it wouldn't be bad to bould one next to the airport. Weren't there some plans going on?
DeleteHotel Nox is 12 minutes away and 4 points by Sheraton is 15 minutes away. But yes, it wouldn't be bad to bould one next to the airport. Weren't there some plans going on?
DeleteThey are building Hotel Brnik for 25 million euros next to the airport. Google it it’s on Forbes Slovenija.
DeleteLong haul gets the headlines, but restoring a strong network of European capitals would probably benefit far more passengers.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. Launching transatlantic flights also gives credit to Lju and probably attracts other airlines to look into Ljubljana.
DeleteThe airlines in talks with the airport are probably Easyjet, Wizz, ITA, AirBaltic and maybe even SAS. I doubt that Austrian or any other carrier is involved. TAP and Qatar/Etihad would be nice as well though.
ReplyDeleteAirBaltic is scaling back other bases to focus on Riga, so no way
Deletenor ITA when they are giving up MUC to "consolidate"
DeleteITA is even more logical after MUC is scrapped.
Deleteto steal pax away from LH????
DeleteITA is LH Group, so basically LH.
DeleteITA is a massive shame that it’s gone to LH Group. I have a reservation with them and it works awful now trying to connect to the website. It keeps wanting to redirect to LH. And they’ve already scrapped TRS Linate. Such a shame. Lufthansa will gut yet another good airline.
DeleteAnything EY touched went wrong and anything LH touches goes from bad to worse.
DeleteHey #EDI guy, do you know if Ljubljana will be adding the fifth jet bridge on gate A1 and the third luggage belt in arrivals area. On United flights there will be a lot of baggage and if you add other arrivals those belts are way to small for all of that (have seen just 2 a320 flights on one belt and it was way to much)
ReplyDelete2 A320 flights is MUCH more than one premium heavy B767. The capacity is actually less than Wizzair neo
Delete