Ryanair in talks with Slovenian government over potential flights
Low cost carrier Ryanair has held talks with the Slovenian Ministry for Economic Development and Technology last week over the potential introduction of flights from the country next year. According to the “Sierra5” portal, during the meeting, Ryanair officials emphasised that Slovenia is the only market within the European Union that is currently unserved by the budget airline and criticised Ljubljana Airport's high passenger fees. On the other hand, the Ministry pointed out Maribor as an alternative to Ljubljana, noting that it plans to give the airport up for concession in the coming period. It also conceded the Slovenia is in need of improving its air connectivity, which has suffered since the demise of Adria Airways and has been hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
The two sides agreed to meet again in August when discussions will be held over potential destinations and ways in which to establish greater cooperation. In March, Ryanair told EX-YU Aviation News it was monitoring the Slovenian market. The Director of Operations for Ryanair’s subsidiary, Lauda Europe, Tadej Notersberg, said at the time, “We are tracking the Slovenian market. It is interesting to us for different reasons. If we can see that we can turn around this potential into a profit, I’m sure that the Ryanair Group would take the decision and enter this market”. The budget airline briefly maintained flights between London Stansted and Maribor in 2007 and 2008. Despite solid loads, the route was terminated after Ryanair and local authorities were unable to agree over subsidies for a joint advertising program.
Ryanair has considered introducing flights to Ljubljana on several occasions over the past decade. In 2011 Ljubljana Airport proposed for Ryanair to operate services out of Dusseldorf, Madrid, Oslo and London to the Slovenian capital, however, the deal never materialised. In 2013, Ryanair requested for the European Commission to act swiftly and conclude its investigation into whether Adria Airways received state aid and benefits from the Slovenian government to the tune of up to 85.5 million euros from 2007 to 2011, contrary to European Union competition laws. The Commission subsequently ruled in favour of Adria. Three years later, in 2016, Ryanair’s David O'Brien said the Slovenian government’s privatisation of Ljubljana Airport to “monopolist” Fraport was a “disaster”. In 2020, Ryanair applied for slots from London Stansted Airport to maintain flights to the Slovenian capital. Although the airline was granted its request, it never launched services to Ljubljana and used the slots for other routes instead. Late last year, the General Manager of Ljubljana Airport, Babett Stapel, said, “We have already held talks [with Ryanair] and we are ready to continue them. We welcome all airlines that fit into our business model”.
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