Slovenian Infrastructure Minister Alenka Bratušek has assessed the likelihood of establishing a new state-owned airline as low, although she has not ruled out the idea entirely. She emphasized that the previous strategy of subsidizing air connections to improve the country's connectivity has been successful. Bratušek acknowledged that establishing a new airline would be a complex undertaking, especially compared to managing subsidy tenders. A restructuring of the former airline Adria Airways along the lines of Alitalia/ITA Airways might have been easier, the minister said.
During the election campaign, Bratušek promised to establish a new airline, but this met with little support from her coalition partners. Both the Slovenian Prime Minister and the Finance Minister, a former head of Adria Airways, publicly expressed their opposition. The Minister emphasized that the country's air transport situation had improved significantly. Passenger numbers at Ljubljana Airport rose from just over 970.000 in 2022 to almost 1,44 million last year, an increase of 50 percent. The number of destinations served from Ljubljana also increased from 19 to 26, with five of these routes secured through a subsidy program launched in 2023. Of the ten targeted routes, six were successfully established.
The Ministry of Infrastructure plans to revise its airline subsidy program following the expected adoption of a new Slovenian aviation law later this year. However, Ljubljana Airport recently recorded declining passenger numbers for the fifth consecutive month. In March, 94.532 travelers were handled, two percent fewer than in the same period last year. Flight movements also fell by 20,6 percent to 1.699. In the first quarter, passenger numbers were 248.326, 3,7 percent lower than the previous year. However, a 16,2 percent capacity increase is expected for April, indicating a possible return to growth.
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