Slovenia eyes new flag carrier in 2024 with seven-year investment
The Slovenian Minister for Economic Development and Technology, Matjaž Han, has said he fully supports the creation of the country’s new flag carrier after an expert commission presented its findings on the economic impacts of Adria Airways’ 2019 bankruptcy. The report concluded that Slovenia has lost hundreds of millions of euros due to its lack of air connectivity. Mr Han said the report’s findings will now be presented to the Prime Minister Robert Golob after which a final decision on the matter will be made. The findings are also expected to be presented to the public this week. All signs point towards the state being in favour of a new airline, with Mr Han saying the process will take around a year to finalise and will also require approval from the European Union.
Commenting on the matter, Minister Han told the daily “Delo”, "Air connectivity is a vital component for Slovenia's development. That's why we organised a tender to subsidise new routes, the results of which disappointed me”. Luxair and Air Montenegro were the only two carriers to apply for the state subsidies. Mr Han added, "I absolutely support it [new flag carrier]. The state will co-finance the project for seven years. However, we should not only look at it from an airline perspective but also consider the multiple advantages that air connectivity would bring".
Mr Han conceded there will be headwinds in gaining the necessary approvals from the European Union to fund a new national airline but remains confident the project would be endorsed. “Slovenia will have to bite into this sour apple and decide as soon as possible. It will take around a year until we get a new airline. Until then, it is necessary to engage much more in bilateral talks with carriers and attract them to start flying to Slovenia. This is also Fraport's job. However, this can either make things more complicated or simpler since Fraport is owned by Lufthansa. Therefore, one could interpret this in different ways”. Slovenia’s previous government administration planned to set up a new flag carrier using seventy million euros in funds from the European Union’s coronavirus Recovery and Resilience Plan, however, Brussels struck down the project.
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