DALLAS – Slovenia recently announced a new round of subsidies to encourage airlines to establish new routes to the country.
This initiative follows Slovenia’s recent ranking as the country with the second worst air connections in Europe, according to Airports Council International Europe. The Ministry of Infrastructure has launched its fifth tender to improve Slovenia’s air connections.
Between 2023 and 2026, the government allocated €16.8 million in subsidies to airlines, of which it spent only €1.1 million. The funding covers up to 50 percent of the costs of new routes.
Previous funding rounds have produced mixed results. Airlines such as Luxair (LG), airBaltic (BT), Norwegian Air Shuttle (DY), Iberia (IB) and Cyprus Airways (CY) have participated, although CY has yet to submit complete documentation.
Luxair will receive 257,960 euros for its flights from 14 September 2023 to 31 May 2025. BT will receive 284,408 euros for flights from 2 May 2024 to 31 October 2025.
Norwegian Air Shuttle was granted EUR 557,518 for flights between April 29, 2024 and October 31, 2025, while IB will receive EUR 18,774 for its flights from July 29, 2024 to September 5, 2024.
The new connections are mainly seasonal in nature. Air Baltic offers flights all year round, LG operated last winter and summer. However, LG will reduce flights next winter.
The subsidies are only available to airlines registered in the European Common Aviation Area (ECAA), which includes EU member states and several non-EU countries such as Albania, Norway and Serbia.
In addition, the Slovenian government is particularly interested in establishing routes from cities such as Vienna, Copenhagen, Madrid and Berlin.
Interested airlines must submit their proposals by 16 September. The Aid Granting Commission will conduct the evaluation in confidence within fifteen days of the deadline.
