PREMIUM
Low cost carrier easyJet will become Slovenia’s largest airline in terms of offered capacity this year and second largest in terms of the number of operated flights despite its current service suspension to Ljubljana as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
London has been central to the airline’s operations from the Slovenian capital, serving the city from Stansted and Gatwick, with plans to launch operations from Luton. However, the onset of Covid-19 hit the budget airline hard. In August of last year, it announced the closure of its Stansted base, marking an end to its Ljubljana flights from the airport. Stansted – Ljubljana was easyJet’s busiest route in Slovenia and, overall, the fourth busiest in the country. It has been in operation since 2004. “We have had to take the very difficult decision to close three UK bases as a result of the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and related travel restrictions, compounded by quarantine measures in the UK which is impacting demand for travel”, easyJet said of the route termination.
easyJet passenger performance on London Stansted - Ljubljana route
Flights from Luton to Ljubljana, which were initially to launch last year have been pushed back until March 28. They will operate daily during the summer and replace the Stansted service. Luton was previously served by Wizz Air between 2012 and 2019. On the other hand, operations from Gatwick to the Slovenian capital, first launched in December 2016, are due to be restored on February 12, however, this is unlikely to materialise due to the new strain of coronavirus in the United Kingdom, with a new national lockdown prohibiting all non-essential travel. In addition, easyJet used to link Berlin and Ljubljana until March 2020, however, the service was terminated following the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, it carried 38.631 passengers on the route.
Wizz Air passenger performance on London Luton - Ljubljana route
* Service suspended October 2019
easyJet passenger performance on London Gatwick - Ljubljana route
easyJet attempted several other destinations out of Ljubljana in the past. In December 2010 the airline was due to commence services from Milan Malpensa but the route was cancelled prior to its launch due to poor ticket sales. The no frills carrier also maintained flights between Paris and Ljubljana from December 2010 until March 2012, but they too were cancelled. Asked about new opportunities in Slovenia, the airline said, "easyJet is always evaluating new options and opportunities to be more profitable and continue growing in Europe with the primary focus being to thicken our presence in our core markets". High refuelling prices, state taxes and other charges, most of which are not set by the airport itself, continue to act as a deterrent for low cost airlines in Ljubljana. At a recent tender launched by the Slovenian government to provide funds for the upkeep of flights to the country, easyJet was disqualified. No reason was given for the decision.
As it currently stands, easyJet plans to operate 1.305 flights to and from Slovenia in 2021 (both directions included) with 211.890 seats on sale. Based on the number of flights it will be the second largest carrier in the country after Lufthansa with a 12.7% market share. Capacity-wise, it will be the largest, with a 17.3% share, ahead of Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa. At this early stage of the year, figures are likely to change in the coming months as airlines continue to update their schedules and adjust capacity.
Largest carriers by frequencies and capacity in Slovenia in 2021
