Ljubljana Jože Pučnik 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
Elevation AMSL388 m / 1,273 ft
Coordinates46°13′28″N 14°27′22″E
Websitelju-airport.si
Map
LJU
Location of airport in Slovenia
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 3,300 10,827 Asphalt
Statistics (2019)
Passengers1,721,355
Passenger change 18–19 5%
Aircraft Movements31,489
Movements change 18-19 11.3%
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 (Ljubljana) 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]

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. On June 28, the next day, 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.[7][8]

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 then centre-right government proposed renaming the airport from Aerodrom Ljubljana to Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport. Jože Pučnik was a Slovene 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.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] A modular solution is planned which means that construction can be carried out in phases that are effectively and continuously adapted to traffic development needs.

In the first phase of the terminal expansion, capacity of the departures area will be increased from the current 500 passengers per hour to 1,250 passengers per hour. A new 10,000 m2 (110,000 sq ft) extension will be built to the west of the existing terminal building.[12] It will include a large duty-free shop, a new business lounge, one new air bridge, as well as renovated food & beverage and promotional areas. There will be 22 check-in desks and 5 long security lines. A new baggage sorting area will be added to the existing one. In addition, the baggage reclaim area will be expanded and equipped with three long carousels.

The existing passenger terminal, which covers 13,000 m2 (140,000 sq ft), will be partly renovated and functionally incorporated with the new building. The construction began in July 2019[13] and will be completed in 2021 in time for Slovenia's Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The entire renovated and expanded terminal complex will cover 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.[14] It includes a plan to construct a new 6,000 m2 (65,000 sq ft) cargo terminal to the east of the airport complex by 2022, expansion of passenger and aircraft maintenance aprons by 2025 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.[15] In January 2018 a new road from Kranj to Mengeš that will enable the development of the Airport City has been opened.[16]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and seasonal flights to and from Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport:[17][18]

AirlinesDestinations
Aegean Airlines Seasonal charter: Corfu (begins 11 July 2020), Karpathos (begins 11 July 2020), Preveza/Lefkada (begins 11 July 2020), Rhodes (begins 11 July 2020)[19]
Aeroflot Moscow–Sheremetyevo
Air France Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Air Serbia Belgrade, Niš
Arkia Seasonal: Tel Aviv
British Airways Seasonal: London–Heathrow[20]
Brussels Airlines Brussels
Croatia Airlines Seasonal charter: Lemnos (begins 11 July 2020)[21]
easyJet Berlin–Schönefeld, London–Gatwick, London–Luton (begins 6 May 2021),[22] London–Stansted
Finnair Seasonal: Helsinki
Israir Airlines Seasonal: Tel Aviv (begins 1 August 2020)[23]
LOT Polish Airlines Warsaw–Chopin[24]
Lufthansa Frankfurt, Munich
Montenegro Airlines Podgorica
Sun D'Or Seasonal: Tel Aviv
Swiss International Air Lines Zurich
Transavia Amsterdam
Turkish Airlines Istanbul
Windrose Airlines Seasonal: Kiev–Boryspil (begins 2 July 2020)[25]
Wizz Air Charleroi

Cargo
AirlinesDestinations
DHL Aviation Bergamo,[26] Leipzig/Halle[26]

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
Pre-2000[27]
Year Passengers Change Cargo (t) Change Aircraft Movements Change
1964 78,179 / 88 / 2,343 /
1965 133,184 70% 177 101% 3,180 36%
1966 136,584 3% 235 33% 4,099 29%
1967 136,665 0% 306 30% 4,479 9%
1968 68,303 50% 304 1% 3,807 15%
1969 96,108 41% 1,068 251% 4,474 18%
1970 171,503 78% 1,879 76% 5,728 28%
1971 273,946 60% 2,288 22% 6,509 14%
1972 275,460 1% 3,016 32% 8,525 31%
1973 367,872 34% 4,578 52% 8,633 1%
1974 668,599 82% 7,210 57% 13,123 52%
1975 553,565 17% 7,376 2% 11,645 11%
1976 528,490 5% 5,922 20% 10,797 7%
1977 541,592 2% 6,179 4% 10,964 2%
1978 475,242 12% 5,758 7% 8,941 18%
1979 661,254 39% 7,602 32% 12,397 39%
1980 581,103 12% 6,085 20% 11,312 9%
1981 659,465 13% 7,328 20% 11,805 4%
1982 627,931 5% 6,627 10% 10,870 8%
1983 595,260 5% 6,808 3% 9,743 10%
1984 623,588 5% 7,356 8% 10,050 3%
1985 668,285 7% 6,751 8% 11,624 16%
1986 785,281 18% 7,507 11% 12,518 8%
1987 886,281 13% 7,450 1% 14,038 12%
1988 835,206 6% 7,261 3% 13,716 2%
1989 725,064 13% 6,752 7% 14,296 4%
1990 765,033 6% 5,878 13% 16,253 14%
1991 347,583 55% 4,662 21% 8,794 46%
1992 248,851 28% 5,074 9% 8,861 1%
1993 402,563 62% 8,420 66% 12,898 46%
1994 497,456 24% 9,881 17% 15,821 23%
1995 638,268 28% 10,499 6% 17,868 13%
1996 668,532 5% 9,294 11% 18,190 2%
1997 713,696 7% 10,161 9% 20,279 11%
1998 786,600 10% 10,953 8% 25,723 27%
1999 895,540 14% 11,093 1% 27,219 6%
Traffic at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport
Year Passengers Change Cargo (t) Change Aircraft Movements Change
2000 991,693 11% 12,396 12% 29,965 10%
2001 894,130 10% 12,403 1% 29,050 3%
2002 872,966 2% 12,021 3% 28,751 1%
2003 928,397 6% 12,080 1% 31,737 10%
2004 1,048,238 13% 11,780 2% 35,502 12%
2005 1,218,896 16% 11,560 2% 37,767 6%
2006 1,334,355 9% 15,309 32% 40,991 9%
2007 1,524,028 14% 21,717 42% 46,517 13%
2008 1,673,050 10% 17,188 21% 47,926 3%
2009 1,433,855 14% 14,333 17% 45,492 5%
2010 1,388,651 3% 17,310 21% 42,569 6%
2011 1,369,485 1% 19,659 14% 39,267 8%
2012 1,198,911 12% 17,031 13% 35,019 11%
2013 1,321,153 10% 17,777 4% 33,112 5%
2014 1,338,619 1.3% 18,983 6.8% 31,405 5.0%
2015 1,464,579 9,4% 18,852 0.07% 32,894 1,5%
2016 1,411,476 3,7% 19,802 5% 32,701 0,06%
2017 1,688,558 22.7% 24,314 18.7% 34,444 5.3%
2018 1,818,229 7.6% 25,907 6.5% 35,512 3.1%
2019 1,721,355 5.0% 11,365 8.2% 31,489 11.3%
2020 TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
Source: Fraport[28]
Traffic at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport - graphical demonstration
Passenger numbers
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2002
2004
2006
2008
2010
2012
2014
2016
2018
2019

International traffic per country
Scheduled flights (2018)
RankCountryDestination airport(s)Airline(s)PassengersChange
(2017)		Rank
(2018)
1
 United KingdomLondon-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, ManchesterAdria Airways, easyJet, Wizz Air249,100 1.88%
2
2
 GermanyFrankfurt, MunichAdria Airways256,800 11.99%
1
3
 TurkeyIstanbul-AtatürkTurkish Airlines155,600 10.43%
3
4
 SwitzerlandZürichAdria Airways105,600 2.67%
4
5
 BelgiumBrussels Airport, Brussels South Charleroi AirportAdria Airways, Wizz Air107,800 3.65%
5
6
 FranceParis-Charles de GaulleAdria Airways, HOP!102,300 19.65%
6
7
 NetherlandsAmsterdamAdria Airways, Transavia102,100 32.6%
14
8
 AustriaViennaAdria Airways65,300 0.0%
8
9
 SerbiaBelgradeAir Serbia61,300 1.3%
7
10
 MontenegroPodgoricaAdria Airways, Montenegro Airlines61,300 13.5%
9
Source: SURS[29]
    Charter flights (2017)
    RankCountryPassengersChange
    (2016)    		Rank
    (2016)
    1
    		 Greece50,900 11.0%
    1
    2
    		 Tunisia15,200 127.8%
    3
    3
    		 Turkey13,800 45.0%
    2
    4
    		 Egypt9,400 535.8%
    10
    5
    		 Spain6,000 3.8%
    4
    6
    		 Malta4,700 8.7%
    5
    7
    		 Cyprus4,600 113.1%
    9
    8
    		 Italy3,600 8.7%
    6
    9
    		 Israel2,700 29.8%
    7
    10
    		 Iceland2,300 31.2%
    8
    Source: SURS[30]

    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.

    See also

    References
    2. "EAD Basic - Error Page". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
    3. "Ljubljana Airport statistics". Archived from the original on April 26, 2007.
    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. "Slovenia". Political Chronology of Europe. Europa Publications. 2003. pp. 234+. ISBN 978-1-135-35687-3.
    8. "Yugoslav Planes Bomb Key Airports in Slovenia - Los Angeles Times". Articles.latimes.com. 1991-06-30. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
    9. "STA: Mali delničarji Aerodroma Ljubljana zavrnili investicijo v nov terminal". www.sta.si.
    10. Burns, Justin. "Fraport AG buys 75.5% stake in Ljubljana Airport - Airport World Magazine". www.airport-world.com.
    11. "Aerodrom Ljubljana rebrands as Fraport Slovenija, terminal expansion about to begin". lju-airport.si.
    12. "Environmental permit for the new passenger terminal" (PDF).
    13. "Uradni list RS - Portal javnih naročil". www.enarocanje.si.
    14. Fraport Slovenia Sustainability report 2017
    15. "Gorenjski glas | Rastemo hitreje kot letališča v regiji". www.gorenjskiglas.si.
    16. "Promet je stekel po novi cesti mimo brniškega letališča". RTVSLO.si.
    17. "Flight Schedules". lju-airport.si.
    18. "Slovenia to suspend all commercial flights". exyuaviation.com.
    19. "Croatia Airlines, Aegean to run Ljubljana charters". exyuaviation.com. 9 June 2020.
    20. Airways, British. "LOOK AHEAD TO SUMMER AS SCHEDULE SHAPES UP". mediacentre.britishairways.com.
    21. "Croatia Airlines, Aegean to run Ljubljana charters". exyuaviation.com. 9 June 2020.
    22. "easyJet reschedules new Ljubljana service for 2021". exyuaviation.com. 10 June 2020.
    23. "Israir to launch Ljubljana flights". exyuaviation.com. 18 February 2020.
    24. "LOT Polish Airlines suspends International service 15MAR20 – 28MAR20". routesonline.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
    25. "Windrose Ljubljana promotion". windrose.aero. 30 January 2020.
    26. swiftair.com - Routes retrieved 1 November 2019
    27. "Traffic Figures - Aerodrom Ljubljana, d.d." (PDF).
    28. "Fraport Traffic Figures July 2018" (PDF). Fraport. Fraport. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
    29. "Zračni transport, Slovenija, 2017". stat.si. SURS. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
    30. "Zračni transport, Slovenija, 2017". stat.si. SURS. Retrieved 12 August 2017.

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