Ljubljana Airport

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport (Slovene: Letališče Jožeta Pučnika Ljubljana) (IATA: LJU, ICAO: LJLJ), also known by its previous name Brnik Airport (Slovene: Letališče Brnik), is the international airport serving Ljubljana and the largest airport in Slovenia. It is located near Brnik, 24 km (15 mi) northwest[2] of Ljubljana and 9.5 km (5.9 mi) east of Kranj, at the foothills of Kamnik–Savinja Alps.

Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport

Letališče Jožeta Pučnika Ljubljana
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerFraport Slovenia d.o.o.[1]
OperatorFraport Slovenia d.o.o.
ServesLjubljana, Slovenia
LocationZgornji Brnik
OpenedDecember 1963
Elevation AMSL388 m / 1,273 ft
Coordinates46°13′28″N 14°27′22″E
Websitelju-airport.si
Map
LJU is located in Slovenia
LJU
LJU
Location of airport in Slovenia
LJU is located in Europe
LJU
LJU
LJU (Europe)
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 3,300 10,827 Asphalt
Statistics (2022)
Passengers970,152
Aircraft movements21,571
Cargo (metric tons)12,480
Source: Slovenian AIP at EUROCONTROL[2]
Statistics from Ljubljana Airport[3]

History

The airport was officially opened in December 1963.[4] It replaced Polje Airport in the former Municipality of Polje near Ljubljana,[5] which served as the city's airport from 1933 and was Slovenia's first civil airport.[6] Regular flights from the new airport at Brnik began in January 1964.[4]

In the 1980s, Jat Airways offered flights from Chicago to Belgrade that included a nonstop segment between New York City and Ljubljana. The airline employed McDonnell Douglas DC-10s on the route. However, the flight from Belgrade to Chicago did not stop in Ljubljana.[7]

On 27 June 1991, two days after Slovenia's Independence from Yugoslavia, the Yugoslav People's Army began its military operations within the country. The airport was bombed during the first day of the war. The next day, 28 June, two journalists from Austria and Germany, Nikolas Vogel and Norbert Werner, were killed from a missile that struck their car near the airport, where they were both driving by during that time. Four Adria Airways airliners also took serious damage from the Yugoslav Air Force.

Finally on 29 June, the JPA soldiers at the Airport surrendered to Slovenian TO forces, who surrounded the entire facility overnight. The fighting ended on 7 July with the Brioni Agreement.[8][9]

On 8 December 2004, the airport received its first annual millionth passenger. Overall, the airport handled 1,721,355 passengers in 2019, representing a 5% drop in traffic figures compared to the previous year.

In 2007, the right-wing government proposed renaming the airport from Aerodrom Ljubljana to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. Jože Pučnik was a Slovene right-wing public intellectual, dissident, politician, and leader of the Democratic Opposition of Slovenia (Demos) between 1989 and 1992.

Due to growing air traffic and Slovenia's EU entry, which requires the separation of traffic into Schengen and non-Schengen, Aerodrom Ljubljana Airport Authorities have prepared a redevelopment plan for the passenger terminal. The expansion was to be carried out in two phases. Works on the first phase began in early July 2007 to accommodate Slovenia's entry into the Schengen Area in December 2007. The terminal building (T1) was extended with a new upper level which added an additional 4,000 m2 (43,000 sq ft) to the departure lounge and four jetways have also been installed for easier passenger access to and from the terminal. In 2013, the second phase of terminal expansion which included a new terminal T2 was scrapped by the minority stakeholders.[10]

In 2014, the Slovenian government initiated a privatisation process of the airport. The bid was won by Fraport which, in turn, acquired 75.5% stake in the airport.[11] The remaining shares were acquired in the following months resulting in Fraport taking 100% ownership of the airport.

Facilities

Runway

The airport has a 3,300 m × 45 m (10,827 ft × 148 ft) paved runway which is equipped with ILS Cat IIIb on runway 30. NDB and VOR approach are also available. The runway of Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport was closed to air traffic in April 2010 during which time, the entire length of the asphalt surface of the runway was renovated, as well as the asphalt surface on some parts of the taxiways.

Expansion plan

In April 2017 the airport operator Fraport Slovenia announced a plan to expand the existing passenger terminal.[12] A modular solution was proposed which can be carried out in phases that are effectively and continuously adapted to traffic development needs.

The first phase of the terminal expansion was opened for traffic in July 2021.[13] The capacity of the departures area was increased from 500 passengers per hour to 1,250 passengers per hour. A new 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft) extension was built to the west of the old terminal building.[14] It includes a large duty-free shop, a new business lounge, one new air bridge, as well as renovated food & beverage and promotional areas. There are 22 check-in desks and 5 long security lines available. A new baggage sorting area was also added and the baggage reclaim area was expanded and equipped with two long carousels.

The existing passenger terminal, which covers 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft), was partly renovated and functionally incorporated with the new building. The construction began in July 2019[15] and was completed in June 2021 in time for Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The entire renovated and expanded terminal complex covers a total of 28,587 m2 (307,710 sq ft).

In 2017 Fraport Slovenija also published a revised Master Plan for the period 2010–2040.[16] It includes a plan to construct a new 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft) cargo terminal to the east of the airport complex, expansion of passenger and aircraft maintenance aprons and a relocation of the general aviation apron to the west. To the north, a business and logistics center named Airport City is planned. It will include various business and logistic facilities as well as a new hotel, there are multiple subsidies as well as incentives for the potential investor.[17] In January 2018 a new road from Kranj to Mengeš that will enable the development of the Airport City has been opened.[18]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and seasonal flights to and from Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport:[19][20]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal: Athens[21]
Seasonal charter: Lemnos[22]
airBaltic Seasonal: Riga (begins 2 May 2024)[23]
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Montenegro Podgorica
Seasonal: Tivat
Air Serbia Belgrade, Niš
British Airways London–Heathrow[24]
Brussels Airlines[25] Brussels
Corendon Airlines Seasonal: Antalya (begins 16 June 2024), Heraklion (begins 7 June 2024)
easyJet[26] London–Gatwick
Finnair Seasonal: Helsinki[27]
flydubai Dubai–International[28]
FlyEgypt Seasonal charter: Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh
Israir Tel Aviv
LOT Polish Airlines[29] Warsaw–Chopin
Lufthansa[30] Frankfurt, Munich
Luxair Luxembourg[31]
Sun d'Or Seasonal: Tel Aviv
Swiss International Air Lines Zürich[32]
Trade Air[33][34] Seasonal charter: Heraklion, Kos, Samos
Transavia[35] Amsterdam[36]
Seasonal: Paris–Orly[37]
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Wizz Air[38] London–Luton, Skopje[39]

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
DHL Aviation Leipzig/Halle[40]

Statistics
Construction site of the airport in 1963
The airport in 1967
Passenger terminal in 2007
Terminal interior
Aerial view of the airport and its surroundings

Traffic figures and development
Annual passenger traffic at LJU airport. See Wikidata query.
Pre-2000[41]
Year Passengers Change Cargo (t) Change Aircraft movements Change
1964 78,179 / 88 / 2,343 /
1965 133,184 Increase 70% 177 Increase 101% 3,180 Increase 36%
1966 136,584 Increase 3% 235 Increase 33% 4,099 Increase 29%
1967 136,665 Steady 0% 306 Increase 30% 4,479 Increase 9%
1968 68,303 Decrease 50% 304 Decrease 1% 3,807 Decrease 15%
1969 96,108 Increase 41% 1,068 Increase 251% 4,474 Increase 18%
1970 171,503 Increase 78% 1,879 Increase 76% 5,728 Increase 28%
1971 273,946 Increase 60% 2,288 Increase 22% 6,509 Increase 14%
1972 275,460 Increase 1% 3,016 Increase 32% 8,525 Increase 31%
1973 367,872 Increase 34% 4,578 Increase 52% 8,633 Increase 1%
1974 668,599 Increase 82% 7,210 Increase 57% 13,123 Increase 52%
1975 553,565 Decrease 17% 7,376 Increase 2% 11,645 Decrease 11%
1976 528,490 Decrease 5% 5,922 Decrease 20% 10,797 Decrease 7%
1977 541,592 Increase 2% 6,179 Increase 4% 10,964 Increase 2%
1978 475,242 Decrease 12% 5,758 Decrease 7% 8,941 Decrease 18%
1979 661,254 Increase 39% 7,602 Increase 32% 12,397 Increase 39%
1980 581,103 Decrease 12% 6,085 Decrease 20% 11,312 Decrease 9%
1981 659,465 Increase 13% 7,328 Increase 20% 11,805 Increase 4%
1982 627,931 Decrease 5% 6,627 Decrease 10% 10,870 Decrease 8%
1983 595,260 Decrease 5% 6,808 Increase 3% 9,743 Decrease 10%
1984 623,588 Increase 5% 7,356 Increase 8% 10,050 Increase 3%
1985 668,285 Increase 7% 6,751 Decrease 8% 11,624 Increase 16%
1986 785,281 Increase 18% 7,507 Increase 11% 12,518 Increase 8%
1987 886,281 Increase 13% 7,450 Decrease 1% 14,038 Increase 12%
1988 835,206 Decrease 6% 7,261 Decrease 3% 13,716 Decrease 2%
1989 725,064 Decrease 13% 6,752 Decrease 7% 14,296 Increase 4%
1990 765,033 Increase 6% 5,878 Decrease 13% 16,253 Increase 14%
1991 347,583 Decrease 55% 4,662 Decrease 21% 8,794 Decrease 46%
1992 248,851 Decrease 28% 5,074 Increase 9% 8,861 Increase 1%
1993 402,563 Increase 62% 8,420 Increase 66% 12,898 Increase 46%
1994 497,456 Increase 24% 9,881 Increase 17% 15,821 Increase 23%
1995 638,268 Increase 28% 10,499 Increase 6% 17,868 Increase 13%
1996 668,532 Increase 5% 9,294 Decrease 11% 18,190 Increase 2%
1997 713,696 Increase 7% 10,161 Increase 9% 20,279 Increase 11%
1998 786,600 Increase 10% 10,953 Increase 8% 25,723 Increase 27%
1999 895,540 Increase 14% 11,093 Increase 1% 27,219 Increase 6%
Traffic at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
Year Passengers Change Cargo (t) Change Aircraft movements Change
2000 991,693 Increase 11% 12,396 Increase 12% 29,965 Increase 10%
2001 894,130 Decrease 10% 12,403 Increase 1% 29,050 Decrease 3%
2002 872,966 Decrease 2% 12,021 Decrease 3% 28,751 Decrease 1%
2003 928,397 Increase 6% 12,080 Increase 1% 31,737 Increase 10%
2004 1,048,238 Increase 13% 11,780 Decrease 2% 35,502 Increase 12%
2005 1,218,896 Increase 16% 11,560 Decrease 2% 37,767 Increase 6%
2006 1,334,355 Increase 9% 15,309 Increase 32% 40,991 Increase 9%
2007 1,524,028 Increase 14% 21,717 Increase 42% 46,517 Increase 13%
2008 1,673,050 Increase 10% 17,188 Decrease 21% 47,926 Increase 3%
2009 1,433,855 Decrease 14% 14,333 Decrease 17% 45,492 Decrease 5%
2010 1,388,651 Decrease 3% 17,310 Increase 21% 42,569 Decrease 6%
2011 1,369,485 Decrease 1% 19,659 Increase 14% 39,267 Decrease 8%
2012 1,198,911 Decrease 12% 17,031 Decrease 13% 35,019 Decrease 11%
2013 1,321,153 Increase 10% 17,777 Increase 4% 33,112 Decrease 5%
2014 1,338,619 Increase 1.3% 18,983 Increase 6.8% 31,405 Decrease 5.0%
2015 1,464,579 Increase 9,4% 18,852 Decrease 0.07% 32,894 Increase 1,5%
2016 1,411,476 Decrease 3,7% 19,802 Decrease 5% 32,701 Decrease 0,06%
2017 1,688,558 Increase 22.7% 24,314 Increase 18.7% 34,444 Increase 5.3%
2018 1,818,229 Increase 7.6% 25,907 Increase 6.5% 35,512 Increase 3.1%
2019 1,721,355 Decrease 5.0% 24,874 Decrease 8.2% 31,489 Decrease 11.3%
2020 288,235 Decrease 83.3% 10,559 Decrease 57.5% 12,980 Decrease 58.8%
2021 430,943 Increase 49.5% 17,461 Increase 65.3% 11,401 Decrease 12.1%
2022 970,152 Increase 115.1% 12,480 Increase 28.5% 21,571 Increase23.5%
Source: Fraport[42]

International traffic per country
Scheduled flights (2022)[43]
RankCountryDestination airport(s)Airline(s)PassengersChange
(2021)
1Germany GermanyFrankfurt, MunichLufthansa147.150Increase 150,5%
2United Kingdom United KingdomLondon-Gatwick, London-Heathrow, London-LutonBritish Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air121.010Increase 527,0%
3Turkey TurkeyIstanbul-AtatürkTurkish Airlines119.337Increase 181,2%
4France FranceParis-Charles de Gaulle, Paris–OrlyAir France, Transavia99.332Increase 189,2%
5Serbia SerbiaBelgrade, NišAir Serbia61.868Increase 136,8%
6Switzerland SwitzerlandZürichSwiss International Air Lines57.150Increase 225,4%
7Belgium BelgiumBrussels AirportBrussels Airlines57.077Increase 64,6%
8United Arab Emirates United Arab EmiratesDubai–InternationalFlydubai45.263Increase 465,6%
9Poland PolandWarsaw–ChopinLOT Polish Airlines44.699Increase 122,7%
10Netherlands NetherlandsAmsterdamTransavia37.973Increase 69,1%
Charter flights (2022)[43]
RankCountryPassengersChange
(2021)
1Greece Greece50.002Increase 11,1%
2Egypt Egypt30.238Increase 98,1%
3Turkey Turkey18.883Increase 202,0%
4Tunisia Tunisia8.373Increase 1.807,3%
5Malta Malta4.270Increase 738,9%
6Spain Spain2.637Decrease 16,9%
7Portugal Portugal1.932Increase 7,3%
8Iceland Iceland1.915Steady
9Sweden Sweden1.523Steady
10Norway Norway1.357Increase 410,2%

Ground transport

The airport is served by an exit off the A2 motorway and by bus services connecting it with the surrounding cities of Ljubljana, Kranj, Kamnik as well as Klagenfurt and its airport in Austria. Plans for a railway line connecting the airport with the city of Ljubljana and possibly also Kranj and Kamnik have been presented in the past, however the line most likely won't be built in the near future. The Airport is connected with many bigger Slovenian cities by bus and shuttle connections. Klagenfurt is connected by the Alpe Adria bus line. Other means of transportation to and from the airport are limited to the taxi services which are not controlled by the airport authority or Fraport Slovenija, and shared shuttle service with ticket sale point in the main arrival lobby. The price of a taxi will be considerably lower if you book online.[44]

See also

References
  1. "About the company – Fraport Slovenija, d.o.o." fraport-slovenija.si.
  2. "EAD Basic – Error Page". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  3. "Fraport Traffic Figures December 2022" (PDF; 246 KB). fraport.com. Fraport AG. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  4. Pirc, Samanta (March 2005). "Zgodovinski pregled letališč v Republiki Sloveniji s poudarkom na cerkljansko letališče" [A Historical Overview of Airports in the Republic of Slovenia with an Emphasis on the Cerklje Airport] (PDF) (in Slovenian). High School of Commerce and Business, Celje. pp. 13–14.
  5. Pataky, Nenad (17 November 2010). "Izgubljena Ljubljana" [Lost Ljubljana]. Dnevnik (in Slovenian).
  6. "7622: Ljubljana – Staro letališče" [Ljubljana: The Old Airport]. Register of the Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (in Slovenian). Ministry of Culture, Slovenia. Archived from the original on 6 July 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  7. "Jat Airways timetable". Winter 1983–1984. pp. 4–5. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  8. "Slovenia". Political Chronology of Europe. Europa Publications. 2003. pp. 234+. ISBN 978-1-135-35687-3.
  9. "Yugoslav Planes Bomb Key Airports in Slovenia – Los Angeles Times". Los Angeles Times. 30 June 1991. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
  10. "STA: Mali delničarji Aerodroma Ljubljana zavrnili investicijo v nov terminal". sta.si.
  11. Burns, Justin. "Fraport AG buys 75.5% stake in Ljubljana Airport – Airport World Magazine". airport-world.com.
  12. "Aerodrom Ljubljana rebrands as Fraport Slovenija, terminal expansion about to begin". lju-airport.si.
  13. "New terminal at Ljubljana Airport opens its doors to passengers". lju-airport.si.
  14. "Environmental permit for the new passenger terminal" (PDF). arso.gov.si.
  15. "Uradni list RS – Portal javnih naročil". enarocanje.si.
  16. "Fraport Slovenia Sustainability report 2017" (PDF). fraport-slovenija.si.
  17. "Gorenjski glas | Rastemo hitreje kot letališča v regiji". gorenjskiglas.si.
  18. "Promet je stekel po novi cesti mimo brniškega letališča". RTVSLO.si.
  19. "Flight Schedules". lju-airport.si.
  20. "Slovenia to suspend all commercial flights". exyuaviation.com. 16 March 2020.
  21. "Aegean Airlines to launch Ljubljana and Split service". 24 September 2022.
  22. "Intelekta". 31 August 2023.
  23. "airBaltic to launch Ljubljana, Skopje and Pristina flights". exyuaviation.com.
  24. "British Airways restores Ljubljana operations". exyuaviation.com. 23 August 2021.
  25. "Timetable | Brussels Airlines". Archived from the original on 11 August 2020.
  26. "easyJet.com | Flight Timetables".
  27. "Finnair to restore Ljubljana operations". 17 January 2023.
  28. "Flydubai schedules Ljubljana service". exyuaviation.com. 14 June 2021.
  29. "Flights schedule". Archived from the original on 17 October 2013.
  30. "Timetable & flight status". Archived from the original on 28 October 2018.
  31. "Luxair to launch Ljubljana flights in September". exyuaviation.com. 29 June 2023.
  32. https://www.exyuaviation.com/2023/09/swiss-to-boost-ljubljana-service.html
  33. "Trade Air bazirao A320 u Ljubljani, obavlja chartere prema Grčkoj i Hrvatskoj". croatianaviation.com. 7 June 2020.
  34. "Trade Air ovog vikenda iz Ljubljane leti na Tenerife, Madeiru, Hurgadu..." croatianaviation.com. 24 April 2021.
  35. "Flight status Transavia | View current flight times". Archived from the original on 5 September 2015.
  36. "Transavia suspends Ljubljana for majority of winter". 27 October 2022.
  37. "Transavia France to reinstate Ljubljana sales". exyuaviation.com. 15 December 2022.
  38. "WIZZ – Dream more. Live more. Be more".
  39. "Wizz Air schedules first two of four new Skopje routes". 18 May 2023.
  40. swiftair.com – Routes retrieved 1 November 2019
  41. "Traffic Figures – Aerodrom Ljubljana, d.d." (PDF).
  42. "Fraport Traffic Figures July 2018" (PDF). Fraport. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  43. "Letališki potniški in blagovni promet glede na prihod/odhod letal ter redne/posebne prevoze po državah prihoda/odhoda letal, Ljubljana, Letališče Jožeta Pučnika, mesečno". stat.si. SURS. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  44. "Booking Ljubljana airport taxi pre-book online transfer to city center, Bled lake, Piran". airportljubljana.co.

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