Ljubljana Airport expects United Airlines’ upcoming Newark service to support the development of further long-haul connectivity. In an interview with EX-YU Aviation News, Ljubljana Airport's CEO, Juergen Deischl, discussed how the landmark route was secured following six months of intensive talks, the airport’s preparations for Boeing 767 operations and the potential for additional long-haul services. United’s four weekly seasonal flights, launching next May, will provide Slovenia with its first nonstop connection to the United States since the country gained independence.
How significant is United’s arrival for Ljubljana Airport and Slovenia as a whole?
United’s decision to launch nonstop service between Newark and Ljubljana marks a defining new chapter for Slovenian aviation. For the first time since Slovenia gained independence, the country will have a direct, nonstop connection to the United States. Previous services belonged to a different era and operated under fundamentally different circumstances. This is Slovenia’s first direct transatlantic gateway to America.
It is far more than a new route. It connects Slovenia directly with one of the world’s most important aviation markets, provides seamless access to United’s extensive network across North America and places the country more firmly on the global aviation map. For Ljubljana Airport, it is a powerful statement of confidence in the market, the destination and the airport’s future as the leading gateway for the wider region.
What are your expectations for the new service, both in terms of its initial performance and its potential development in the years ahead?
We approach this service with confidence and a clear long-term vision. The fundamentals are strong, with demand spanning leisure and business travel and the wider regional market that Ljubljana Airport serves.
We expect the route to build momentum from the outset and establish itself as a sustainable and strategically important part of United’s transatlantic network. But the real opportunity extends well beyond the launch. As the service gains visibility and Slovenia’s international profile continues to grow, we see considerable potential to develop the route further and broaden its reach across the region. Our ambition is clear: to make this not simply a successful new service, but an enduring transatlantic connection that creates long-term value for United, Ljubljana Airport and Slovenia.
How did Ljubljana secure the United service, and how long were negotiations between the airport and the airline underway?
Long-haul routes of this significance are not secured through a single presentation or meeting. They are built through relationships, market intelligence and the ability to see an opportunity before it becomes obvious to everyone else.
While engagement with United had been under way for some time, the decisive phase began at the end of March this year, when we intensified the dialogue and jointly developed the full strategic potential of the route. From my experience in airline development at Frankfurt Airport, such a process would typically take two to three years. To move from focused discussions to a shared commitment within six months is therefore an exceptional achievement.
United deserves considerable credit for approaching the opportunity with vision and entrepreneurial courage. Rather than relying solely on conventional traffic models, the airline recognized the wider story: Slovenia’s tourism appeal, its economic and trading links, the demand across the wider region and the potential of a market that had never before enjoyed a nonstop connection to the United States.
That combination of insight, speed and shared ambition transformed an opportunity into a route. It is a powerful example of what can be achieved when two partners look beyond the obvious and act with confidence.
Does United’s arrival potentially open the door for additional long-haul services in the future, and is Ljubljana Airport actively pursuing other long-haul opportunities?
United’s arrival changes the perception of what is possible from Ljubljana. It demonstrates that the airport and the wider region can support a high-quality long-haul service when the right market opportunity is matched with the right airline partner. That will undoubtedly attract attention across the industry.
We are ambitious about the future of Ljubljana Airport and are actively pursuing further long-haul opportunities. We take a focused and disciplined approach, targeting markets where Slovenia’s tourism appeal, economic links and the wider regional catchment create a compelling and sustainable proposition for both passengers and airlines.
Our immediate priority is to make the United service an outstanding and enduring success. At the same time, we see it as the beginning of a new chapter rather than the conclusion of one. It gives us a powerful platform from which to advance Ljubljana Airport’s global connectivity and strengthen its position as the Airport of Choice for the Region.
How will Ljubljana Airport accommodate United’s Boeing 767 operations? Will the aircraft be handled at a remote stand, and does the lounge have sufficient capacity to comfortably accommodate passengers, given the route’s relatively premium-heavy profile?
Ljubljana Airport is no stranger to widebody operations. We have successfully handled a range of widebody aircraft in the past, including long-haul charter services, and we continue to welcome aircraft such as the Boeing 747 on special operations. From both an airside and terminal perspective, the airport has the infrastructure, operational expertise and dedicated people required to support United’s Boeing 767 service to a high standard.
Naturally, a route of this significance requires every aspect of the operation and passenger journey to be examined in detail. We are doing this in close cooperation with United, whose operational experts will visit Ljubljana as part of the preparations. The final operating concept, including whether the aircraft will be handled at a contact or remote stand, will be determined jointly based on safety, efficiency and the best overall passenger experience.
Our facilities, including our premium services, provide a strong foundation for the new route. We will nevertheless make targeted enhancements where they add value and ensure that the entire experience meets the standards expected by United and its customers. Passenger satisfaction at Ljubljana Airport consistently exceeds 90 per cent, and we intend to bring that same focus on quality, efficiency and personal service to this important new connection.
Our objective is not merely to accommodate a Boeing 767. It is to deliver a seamless transatlantic experience that reflects the quality of United’s product and the standards for which Ljubljana Airport is recognised.
This new CEO is so much better than the last
ReplyDeleteHe is crazy, where will they get the staff for all the traffic. They are already strugling
DeletePressumibly, they will hire more staff.
DeleteBut is there enough people to hire?
DeleteI mean joke about him or call us Fraport fanboys, I don’t really care because he is taking his job seriously unlike the previous CEO and even doing what he is supposed to do seems a lot compared to the previous one, which does tell a lot. Hopefully Ljubljana airport will grow further like this, in terms of both transatlantic flights and more European connections. Hopefully we soon get the results of the tender to see who did really apply and if they were successful.
ReplyDeleteI hope it will be handled at contact gate, in the past such operations happened from time to time (767-4 from Atlas…) but I think that the parking position was removed, but that doesn’t mean they can’t bring it back :D.
ReplyDeleteWell done LJU.
ReplyDeleteGreat to hear that more long hauls are planned!
ReplyDeleteAmazing
DeleteVery good interview. What I like is that Deischl is not pretending Newark solves everything. Ljubljana still badly needs better connectivity to major European hubs and more frequencies on existing routes.
ReplyDeleteYes. And good to hear them emphasising frequencies as much as new destinations. Ljubljana has quite a few routes where the schedule is simply not convenient enough for business travellers.
DeleteSlovenia is a small market, so every route cannot be daily.
Delete40,000 passengers in one summer season would be an excellent result for LJU. I think people underestimate how much traffic Slovenia currently leaks to Venice, Zagreb and Vienna.
ReplyDeleteI would still like to know how much incentive money is behind the United deal. Nothing wrong with incentives
ReplyDeleteMaybe there are no incentives.
DeleteFor Slovenian tourism this is huge. Americans are high spending visitors and a nonstop flight makes Slovenia much easier to package and sell in the US
ReplyDeleteImagine telling someone in 2020, when LJU was struggling badly after Adria's collapse and Covid, that United would eventually fly Newark-Ljubljana. Quite a turnaround.
ReplyDeleteThe airport has come a long way in a relatively short period.
DeleteHalf a year has more development that previous 4 years
Delete^ true!
DeleteI remember when there were days with just 5 flights. And this was well past the covid crisis.
DeleteDo we know what the results of the tender are? Presumably Berlin, Dus and Bru... what's the 4th?
ReplyDeleteThere are whispers of Wizz entering Ljubljana next summer for an expansion, so let's wait and see.
DeleteChina is next, while I do think that either Korea or Japan will follow within year or two. Maybe if New York works well another destination from USA is on the table as well?
ReplyDeleteIs there demand from other US cities? I would think there would be more from/to Asia.
DeleteI would think so, Doncic turism is a thing. There's even word of Ljubljana hosting NBA pre-season next year
Deletegosh ^^
Delete@10.14 there is demand from/to Cleveland.
DeleteInteresting that they seem increasingly confident about Ljubljana’s wider catchment area. That is probably essential if they want to attract more major airlines.
ReplyDeleteYes, they realised they are losing too many pax to others.
DeleteLJU fanboys starting to talk about catchment area, well welcome to the club!
Deletebtw what else do you exect from a PR?
Ljubljana is becoming a much more interesting market because airlines can increasingly rely on both inbound tourism and local demand.
ReplyDeleteWhich markets are the biggest remaining gaps for LJU?
ReplyDeleteStill waiting for better connectivity towards Scandinavia. That part of Europe remains surprisingly weak from Ljubljana.
DeleteThe airport now needs to convert strong summer demand into stronger winter traffic. That is probably the biggest challenge for the next few years.
ReplyDeleteSlovenia in Winter for tourism is not an attraction except the Xmas market in LJU. And Ski tourism can not compete with other alpine destinations due to the altitude of most of their ski resorts. For Slovenians the airport can work on warm leisure destinations on top of the DXB, LPA, TFS flights. But for more than AGP or Egypt Charters, I dont see any potential, as for nonstop long hauls the market is too small.
DeleteWell we could get traffic for koroška region where bigger resorts are (nassfield, gerlitzen, katschberg, bad klein kircheim…) along with slovenian resorts which are smaller and cheaper.
Delete+1 These resorts should work together with LJU Airport to attract foreign tourists from the UK for example
DeleteAnd lets not forget all the thermal resorts
DeleteAirMontenegro should codeshare on these flights!
ReplyDeleteLol
Deleteno need for that they fly to DBV anyway
DeleteObviously only we dinosaurs remember American Trans Air operating between LJU and I thing Cleveland in mid nineteens. For a short period but it did. Summer season 1995. Aircraft L-1011
ReplyDeleteIt was Rich International it flew every other wednesday in summer inbound was direct and return had a stop at gatwick
DeleteYes of course! RICH. Dinosaur like I said
Delete:) was a great day for spotting on the good old terrace, it was at the time of day when all Adria fleet had a turnaround + air malta 737-200 charter so it was for long time the liveliest time block at LJU I can remember from those days
DeleteIt’s always interesting how CEOs cite some questionable survey results. Where do they come from? And just because 100 people respond doesn’t mean their answers apply to 200,000. LJU Airport has the advantage of being a small airport, which is a positive. The security check is also usually a positive experience. On the negative side, the quality of the lounge is poor, there are too few seats in the gate area, the retail offerings—such as stores and restaurants—are lackluster, Gate A1 still doesn’t have a jet bridge after 5 years, the lines at immigration are often too long, website maintenance needs improvement, and emails sent to LJU AP frequently go unanswered—which says a lot about how the airport is run.
ReplyDeleteSo there’s still a lot of work to be done to reach 90%.
It remains to be seen whether LJU can hold on to UA. Beyond a seasonal flight to China, I don’t see any further long-haul potential.
+100
DeleteGood luck Ljubjana and well done!
ReplyDelete"the potential of a market that had never before enjoyed a nonstop connection to the United States."
ReplyDeleteEhhh, seriously? He said that?
means the "catchment area" in his mind is not that large
DeleteThe most encouraging thing is that Ljubljana finally seems to have momentum :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure having a big name like United will make some airlines have a think about flying to LJU.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely
DeletePeople said the same when Emirates started flying there but it didn't happen.
Delete