Ljubljana Airport welcomes its millionth passenger amid significant traffic growth, a month earlier than last year

Zgornji Brnik, 13 September 2024 – At the beginning of September, Ljubljana Airport welcomed its millionth passenger of 2024. Thanks to a significantly expanded flight network during the summer schedule—at the peak of the season, 22 airlines flew to 25 destinations—this milestone was achieved a full month earlier than in the previous year. The winter schedule for 2024/2025, which takes effect at the end of October, will also offer some reinforcements compared to last winter season. Fraport Slovenija expects to serve 1.4 million passengers by the end of the year.

“We are delighted to have reached the milestone of our millionth passenger already in early September, a full month ahead of last year. This demonstrates the stable and steady growth in traffic in recent years, which we have achieved by expanding the range of destinations and flight frequencies, as well as providing quality services for both passengers and airlines. At the peak of this summer season, passengers could travel to 25 destinations on regular flights and choose from 57 holiday charter destinations. We have also seen good occupancy rates on new regular routes added this year, such as Copenhagen and Riga,” said Dr. Babett Stapel, Managing Director of Fraport Slovenija.

In 2024, up until the end of August, Ljubljana Airport's passengers most frequently traveled to or from Istanbul, London, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Paris. The most popular charter destinations based on passenger numbers were Hurghada, Antalya, Rhodes, Monastir, and Karpathos.

From January to the end of August this year, Fraport Slovenija recorded more than 979,500 passengers, an 18% increase compared to the same period last year. The projected passenger traffic for 2024 is approximately 1.4 million. This will bring them to 92% of pre-pandemic traffic levels, taking into account that in 2019, the airport permanently lost its role as a Balkan hub, as direct connections have since been established in these markets. In 2019, this accounted for 200,000 transfer passengers who never set foot on Slovenian soil. Encouragingly, routes to Istanbul, Zurich, Brussels, Warsaw, Belgrade, and Skopje have already exceeded pre-pandemic traffic levels, and Frankfurt and Paris are close behind.

Current forecasts for the winter timetable, which will be in effect from the end of October 2024 to the end of March 2025, promise two reinforcements compared to last winter season. Lufthansa will increase its weekly frequency of flights to Munich from 7 to 10, and Swiss will offer more flights to Zurich, increasing from 11 to 14 per week. The enhanced Zurich connection will also offer more convenient early morning flights, providing passengers with more flexible and efficient travel options.

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