Ljubljana Airport continues bid for Gulf flights
Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport is continuing in its attempt to secure flights from the Gulf, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The airport has been trying to negotiate services to the region for the past six years. In a recent interview to the “Večer” daily, the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Zmago Skobir, said, “We currently have seventeen airlines serving Slovenia. This includes carriers from all three of the major alliances in Europe: the groups focusing around Lufthansa, British Airways and Air France. These three carriers offer connections practically to the entire world, as well as competitive prices. The next one we want is one of the big Arab carriers. Either Emirates, Flydubai or Qatar Airways, which have so far offered very competitive connections to the Asian market".
The Slovenian government has also pursued talks with the United Arab Emirates over potential flights to Ljubljana. Just prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Skobir said, “The East continues to be another big market for us which is mostly served through Turkish Airlines. In my opinion, we do need flights to the Arabian Peninsula, which would act as a transfer point to other destinations. These are primarily Dubai and Doha. We have been working hard on this matter over the past six years, and we expect progress very soon”. Almost all markets in the former Yugoslavia are linked to the Gulf, however, Emirates recently cancelled its service to Zagreb for the rest of the year due to the global health crisis, while both Qatar Airways and Flydubai have delayed their service resumption to Skopje until late October.
Over the years, several airlines have expressed interest in linking the Gulf with Slovenia. In 2017, Qatar Airways' CEO, Akbar Al Baker, noted, "Ljubljana is being looked at. We have many destinations we plan to operate with our narrow-bodies". In 2018, the now-bankrupt Slovenian national carrier, Adria Airways, said, "Further afield we are looking at Dubai. Unfortunately, currently do not have the right aircraft with which we can fly there". Although the coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the aviation industry, it has also opened up new opportunities with some airlines quickly responding to new market conditions and launching new services.
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