Ljubljana Airport bears brunt of Adria collapse
Ljubljana Jože Pućnik Airport has seen its passenger numbers decline almost 40% in October as it feels the full force from the bankruptcy of its once busiest customer Adria Airways. It handled 99.231 travellers last month, representing a decrease of 38.5%. It shed 62.215 passengers in October compared to last year. The number of aircraft movements declined 46.2%, standing at 1.771 arrivals and departures. Overall, during the elapsed ten-month period, Ljubljana Airport welcomed 1.550.080 travellers through its doors, down 2.3%, while movements declined 7.9% to 28.161. Compared to last year, it handled 35.718 fewer passengers. The airport’s finances have also been affected, with the operator reporting a net profit of 4.9 million euros during the first three quarters, down 24.6% on 2018.
| Month | PAX | Change (%) |
|---|---|---|
| JAN | 103.525 | ▲ 3.1 |
| FEB | 105.470 | ▲ 6.3 |
| MAR | 133.641 | ▲ 3.0 |
| APR | 157.992 | ▲ 0.1 |
| MAY | 170.307 | ▲ 1.8 |
| JUN | 188.622 | ▲ 6.7 |
| JUL | 207.292 | ▲ 4.2 |
| AUG | 211.431 | ▲ 4.5 |
| SEP | 172.387 |  10.1 |
| OCT | 99.231 | 38.5 |
The airport has previously said it would be hit by the bankruptcy of its primary customer in the short-term but that it should rebound within a year and a half. Operator Fraport Slovenija expects for Ljubljana’s figures to decline between 100.000 and 200.000 travellers this year. “It's hard to say exactly how business will perform until the end of the year. However, there will certainly be consequences”, General Manager, Zmago Skobir, said recently. He added, “Fraport Slovenija is working with airlines to meet the traffic demand left by Adria’s exit from the market. This includes quick-start capacity increases, as well as new scheduled flight services in the near future. Furthermore, Fraport Slovenija remains strongly committed to developing Ljubljana Airport and to further growing passenger and cargo traffic”.
The rate of the passenger decline is expected to slow in November, with several airlines launching new services to the Slovenian capital covering key markets. Furthermore, a number of carriers already serving Slovenia have increased both frequencies and capacity. During the 2019 summer season, Adria Airways had the greatest capacity allocated onto flights to Germany, followed by Albania, Switzerland, Belgium and Macedonia. The airport’s busiest routes were Istanbul, Frankfurt, London Stansted, Paris, Amsterdam, Zurich and Munich. The airport’s operator has refused to comment on the government’s interest in setting up a new national carrier, noting only that “all airlines are welcome in Ljubljana”. However, it has spoken out against the state’s initial plans of offering subsidies to foreign carriers, noting that the market should first settle before any such measures are adopted.
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