Slovenia in talks over Doha service
The Slovenian Minister for Infrastructure, Jernej Vrtovec, has held talks with the Qatari Minister for Transport and Telecommunications in the Gulf state over the introduction of flights between Doha and Ljubljana, among other matters. Mr Vrtovec noted that despite being a small country, Slovenia is strategically located in Europe, offering benefits to the potential airline operator. There have never been nonstop flights between the two countries. The development comes just days after Flydubai, the only Gulf carrier serving Ljubljana, announced plans to increase its operations to the Slovenian capital from five weekly to daily over the summer, just nine months following the route’s launch.
Qatar Airways has considered introducing services to Ljubljana in the past. In 2017, the airline's CEO, Akbar al Baker, noted that “Ljubljana is being looked at”. However, ultimately, no flights were launched between the two cities. The following year, the Qatari Minister for Economy and Trade, expressed hope for services between Doha and Ljubljana to be established in “the near future”. Although there is little demand for point-to-point travel between the two capitals, with just over 1.000 passengers travelling indirectly on a single itinerary in the pre-pandemic 2019, a potential Qatar Airways service would be primarily used by transfer passengers, with the Qatari carrier boasting an extensive international network.
Based on OAG data, in 2019, the overwhelming majority of passengers, some 65%, used Turkish Airlines to fly between Ljubljana and Doha. Despite not serving the Slovenian market directly, Qatar Airways held a 15% share of indirect passengers between the two cities, primarily via Frankfurt. The Qatari carrier, which is preparing for a major increase in demand due to the upcoming FIFA World Cup being held in Doha towards the end of the year, has launched several new European routes over the past year. In the former Yugoslavia, the carrier serves Belgrade and Zagreb, with plans to restore operations to Sarajevo this June. The airline is yet to resume services to Skopje, which were suspended at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
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