Ljubljana Airport reopens for commercial traffic
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport has today reopened for all commercial flights, both from the European Union and third countries. However, without a local carrier, no scheduled services are expected before June due to the majority of airlines around Europe being grounded. “Fraport Slovenija welcomes the government's decision, as the lifting of restrictions is of crucial importance for operational flight planning by airlines. Most carriers have cancelled passenger flights to our airport until the end of May. Regardless of this fact, in the past few days, we have been preparing for the arrival of our first travellers and implemented necessary safety measures to restart passenger traffic”, airport operator Fraport Slovenija said in a statement. Ljubljana Airport has been closed for all commercial flights since March 17 in an effort to stem the flow of the coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic.
Airlines operating flights to Ljubljana are currently drafting their June schedule. Lufthansa is expected to resume services to the Slovenian capital next month, while Air Serbia has also noted it will reintroduce flights between Belgrade and Ljubljana in June, although frequencies will be optimised. The airport’s busiest airline, easyJet, has said it plans to start gradually resuming services next month. The budget carrier has suspended plans to launch its new flights between Luton and Ljubljana this summer. Turkish Airlines is planning a gradual resumption of services from June and will take four months to return to near-full operations. Finnair, which maintains seasonal operations between Helsinki and Ljubljana, has suspended the route up to and including most of June. Similarly, British Airways has delayed the resumption of its seasonal flights between London Heathrow and the Slovenian capital. Services, which were initially to commence on May 22, will now restart on July 1, although further changes remain possible.
Fraport Slovenija said last month, "We expect for a gradual recovery in traffic and hope that after the restrictions are lifted, a timetable will be compiled as soon as possible, both in terms of the number of destinations and frequencies". The operator has seen its revenue decline 31.7% during the first quarter of the year to 6.9 million euros, as a result of the coronavirus and Adria Airways’ bankruptcy. Overall, it handled 191.680 passengers during the three-month period, down 44.1%. The company has now put forward a proposal to the Slovenian government for measures that could help it maintain liquidity and complete the ongoing construction of its new passenger terminal, which is scheduled for opening in late June of next year.
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