Slovenia to decide on new national carrier next month
The Slovenian government is expected to make a decision next month on whether it should establish a new national carrier to help improve the country’s connectivity. An expert task force that was set up by the government to determine the feasibility of a new flag carrier has completed its work and its findings will be reviewed by the Ministry for Infrastructure in the coming weeks after which they will be presented to the entire cabinet. According to the “24ur” portal, the review has found that the Slovenian market is too small for other carriers to step in and replace the former national airline Adria Airways. Furthermore, it has reportedly concluded the country will continue to face significant issues with connectivity. In addition, it is believed the task force found that Adria’s bankruptcy had a significant impact on the Slovenian economy, with the tourism sector itself losing 150 million euros as a result.
Slovenia’s Minister for Infrastructure, Alenka Bratušek, previously campaigned in favour of a new flag carrier. “My opinion on the matter is not as important as to what these studies will show. Our country has already had one bad experience with its national airline. Not only was it purchased by a catastrophically bad buyer, which led to its bankruptcy, but a few years beforehand, Adria registered huge losses and continued to do so year after year. We had to provide state aid, and, of course, all of this has to be put on the table so that the government knows all the facts when it decides which way to go. But we can hear the voice of the economy, which of course says that Slovenia needs such a carrier back", Ms Bratušek recently said.
The recent state tender aimed at providing subsidies to airlines for the launch of new routes from Slovenia saw just two airlines apply - Luxembourg’s Luxair and Air Montenegro. A final decision on whether the bidders are eligible for the subsidies will be announced after their proposals have been reviewed by a commission made up of officials from the Ministries for Infrastructure, Finance, and the Economy. The state plans to hold a second tender for the launch of new routes in July. It has previously said that such measures will have no impact on its decision whether a new national airline should be launched.
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