newstodate.aero

Aug 04, 2023 (newstodate): Slovenia has been without a national carrier since the bankruptcy of Adria Airways on October 1, 2019, and is in dire need for connectivity.
   Efforts to return connectivity to former levels have been following two strategies: one is to establish a new national Slovenian carrier, another is to lure foreign airlines to establish scheduled services with an incentive scheme.
   In June, consultants called in to analyze the issues around Slovenia's connectivity and potentials for a new national carrier presented their findings, concluding that launching a new flag carrier could be economically viable.
   The report sees four models for a new national carrier: a virtual carrier cooperating with an ACMI operator; a carrier operating aircraft on dry-lease contracts; a carrier acquiring own aircraft - or a Public Private Partnership between the state and a private entity, which ends up as the most viable option.
   A prospect future Slovenian airline might serve a network comprising 11 destinations, including Copenhagen Airport, with sixty weekly flights operated by a fleet of three aircraft
   Alternatively, a network with 12 destinations would also include Stockholm with three weekly rotations, as well as adding a fourth weekly rotation to Copenhagen.
   As for the strategy to lure airlines through a new incentive scheme, this has so far attracted only one carrier, according to Slovenian media.
   The carrier is Latvia's airBaltic that is now mulling plans for launch of a new route between Riga and Ljubljana from summer 2024, which would be the first direct route between the two markets, while airBaltic is already active with routes to other destinations in the Balkan region, including Belgrade, Tivat, Split and Dubrovnik.
  Today, the Polish carrier LOT is the main provider of direct air services between Ljubljana and Baltic destinations via its hub at Warsaw Airport.