Slovenian government cuts Ljubljana airport terminal fees
The government has approved a cut in the terminal air navigation service charge in a bid to improve the country's air connectivity and make Ljubljana Airport more competitive.
The Infrastructure Ministry says high terminal charges have been cited by carriers as one of the factors reducing Ljubljana's appeal compared with airports in neighbouring countries, CE Report quotes The Slovenia Times.
Under the decision, adopted by the government on 21 November, the charge per service unit will remain at €317.58 in 2026 instead of rising to €375.18 as initially planned.
"Lowering the unit price will help create conditions for better air connectivity and a stronger business climate," the ministry says.
Limited success of subsidy scheme
To improve Slovenia's air connectivity, the government has made available €5.6 million a year in 2023-2025 to subsidise airport fees to airlines for new air links. The scheme has had limited success.
So far, subsidies have been granted for links to Luxembourg, Riga, Madrid, Copenhagen, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Gran Canaria. Some of these have been since discontinued.
The most recent call attracted only one application, an extension request by Latvian carrier Airbaltic for its Ljubljana-Gran Canaria route until spring 2027, which was granted.
Since not all the available funds were distributed in the previous eight calls, €1.35 million remains available for this year and another €1.2 million for next year.
According to Fraport Slovenija, the operator of Ljubljana Airport, connectivity increased by 23% this year.
Fee for defence-related flights
While reducing the air terminal fee, the government also instructed the Defence Ministry to start paying for air navigation services for defence-related flights at Ljubljana Airport from next year.
These include operations carried out to meet Slovenia's international defence obligations during hours when the airport does not provide commercial services.
The Defence Ministry will allocate €200,000 for this purpose, contributing to the overall reduction in unit costs.
Photo: Daniel Novakovič/STA
