December 6 (SeeNews) - Airport operator Fraport expects passenger numbers at Ljubljana airport to reach 900,000 next year, whereas a full recovery from the coronavirus crisis is anticipated to take place in 2025, local media reported.
Fraport Slovenia foresees a net loss in 2021, although its EBITDA is expected to be positive thanks to 5 million euro in state aid granted as a compensation for the coronavirus-induced restrictions introduced last year, news agency STA quoted the managing director of Fraport Slovenia, Babett Stapel, as saying on Friday.
A total of 19 airlines will operate at Ljubljana airport in the winter season, connecting the Slovenian capital to 20 destinations, Stapel said.
Fraport Slovenia expects Transavia to start operating flights linking Ljubljana to the Orly airport in Paris and Windrose to introduce a Ljubljana-Kiev service next year, while Lufthansa and Finnair intend to relaunch their flights to Munich and Helsinki, respectively, she added.
The outbreak of the omicron variant of Covid-19 may hamper the recovery of traffic at Ljubljana airport as it introduces uncertainty among passengers, Stapel added.
Passenger traffic at Ljubljana airport increased 18.8% year-on-year to 331,012 in the first ten months of 2021. Aircraft takeoffs and landings at Ljubljana airport went up 27.8% to 14,836 in the January-October period, while cargo traffic increased by 8.8% to 9,208 tonnes, according to figures published on the website of Fraport Group.