Fresh calls for new Slovenian national carrier
The former Slovenian Prime Minister, Alenka Bratušek, who was the Minister for Infrastructure at the time flag carrier Adria Airways declared bankruptcy in September 2019, has said she would establish a new national airline - Air Slovenia - if her party were to be part of the next government. The campaign promise comes just five months ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections. The European Union yesterday confirmed that Slovenia saw the biggest drop in passenger numbers during 2020 among its 27-member states, as it was impacted both by the coronavirus pandemic and Adria’s demise. Its passenger numbers tumbled 83% year-on-year followed by Slovakia and Croatia.
Ms Bratušek previously said she repeatedly warned against the sale of Adria Airways to the German capital fund 4K Invest, noting that the then government of Slovenia should have found a strategic partner within the aviation industry that would have ensured the long-term existence and development of the carrier. Key people at 4K Invest are under investigation over their role in Adria’s collapse and are accused of fraud and theft. However, it was during Ms Bratušek’s reign as Prime Minister that Adria was listed among fifteen state-owned companies for privatisation. The current government recently said it was still looking into ways to fill the void left by Adria. Its attempt to set up a new national carrier using European Union Covid-19 recovery funds were dropped earlier this year following the block’s objections.
Since Adria Airways’ bankruptcy, a number of routes served by the airline in its final year have not been restored from the Slovenian capital. These include Copenhagen, Prague, Pristina, Sarajevo, Skopje, Sofia, Tirana and Vienna. Ljubljana Airport had previously maintained the position that the establishment of a new national airline would be too costly, however, the airport’s new General Manager, Babet Stapell, said over the weekend, “We will support any solution that is sustainable and improves connectivity”. The Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Economic Development and technology, Zdravko Počivalšek, said, “If we want to have better air connectivity in Slovenia, we will have to do something in this sector and find a way forward to enable progress, in cooperation with a private stakeholder. Currently, we do not have a national carrier, and air traffic is severely affected by the pandemic”.
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