Ljubljana Airport starts work on new terminal

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport has begun preparatory work for the construction of its new passenger terminal. It comes a week following the signing of a 17.3 million euro deal with contractors GIC Gradnje and Elcom. The joint bid was the lowest out of the six companies which were vying to build the new facility. According to the airport's planned timeline, construction is set to run for some eighteen months. Testing of the new terminal and its equipment is scheduled to commence in January 2021, while its opening is set to take place in June that same year, just ahead of Slovenia's six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which begins in July.

Stretching over 10.000 square metres, the new terminal will feature a new departures hall with 22 check-in counters, five security lanes, three baggage carousels, a new baggage sorting facility, a large duty free shop, a new premium lounge, as well as new food and beverage facilities. The existing passenger terminal, which stretches over 13.000 square metres, will also be partially renovated. The two facilities will then be joined to form a single functioning unit. “The new terminal will allow us to serve peak traffic periods better, as well as future-proof the airport for the next fifteen to twenty years, resulting in an improved experience for passengers and airlines", Ljubljana Airport's General Manager, Zmago Skobir, said. The new terminal will significantly boost capacity from 500 to 1.280 passengers per hour. Mr Skobir previously noted that part of the existing terminal which will not be overhauled will likely be utilised by low cost and charter carriers in order to provide product differentiation and allow further passenger growth.

Operator Fraport Slovenija is also pushing ahead with its Airport City project, which aims to develop the airport’s commercial infrastructure in order to meet the needs for logistic services, hotel accommodation, office space and commercial premises. "The development of the surrounding business zone has been enabled with the recent relocation of the road passing by the airport. We will start building internal road infrastructure in the near future, and we have already attracted some investors to build their facilities in the business zone. Negotiations are also underway with a large international chain for the construction of a hotel near the airport", Mr Skobir previously said.