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
IATA: LJU ICAO: LJLJ
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Fraport Slovenia d.o.o.[1]
Operator	Fraport Slovenia d.o.o.
Serves	Ljubljana, Slovenia
Location	Zgornji Brnik
Opened	December 1963
Elevation AMSL	388 m / 1,273 ft
Coordinates	46°13′28″N 14°27′22″E
Website	lju-airport.si
Map
LJU Location of airport in Slovenia Show map of Slovenia LJU LJU (Europe) Show map of Europe
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 12/30 3,300 10,827 Asphalt
Statistics (2024)
Total Passengers 1,438,713 Aircraft movements (2022) 21,571 Cargo (metric tons) (2022) 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 a 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 × 60 m (10,827 ft × 197 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 five 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 was opened.^[18]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

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

Airlines	Destinations
Aegean Airlines	Athens[21][22]
Air Baltic	Riga[23][24]
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle[25]
Air Montenegro	Podgorica Seasonal: Tivat[26]
Air Serbia	Belgrade,[27] Niš[28]
arkia	Seasonal charter: Tel Aviv[29]
British Airways	Seasonal: London–Heathrow[30]
Brussels Airlines[31]	Brussels[32]
Corendon Airlines	Seasonal: Antalya[33] Seasonal charter: Heraklion[34]
EasyJet[35]	London–Gatwick[36]
Eurowings	Düsseldorf[37]
Finnair	Seasonal: Helsinki[38]
Flydubai	Dubai–International[39]
GP Aviation	Seasonal charter: Pristina[40]
Iberia	Seasonal: Madrid[41]
Israir	Seasonal: Tel Aviv
KLM	Amsterdam[42]
LOT Polish Airlines[43]	Warsaw–Chopin[44]
Lufthansa[45]	Frankfurt,[46] Munich[46]
Luxair	Seasonal: Luxembourg[47][48]
Nesma Airlines	Seasonal charter: Hurghada[49]
Norwegian Air Shuttle	Copenhagen[50]
Swiss International Air Lines	Zürich[51]
Trade Air[52][53]	Seasonal charter: Heraklion, Kos, Samos
Transavia[54]	Amsterdam[55][56] Seasonal: Paris–Orly[57]
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul[58]
Wizz Air[59]	Skopje[60]

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
DHL Aviation	Leipzig/Halle[61]

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^[62]

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%	24,874	8.2%	31,489	11.3%
2020	288,235	83.3%	10,559	57.5%	12,980	58.8%
2021	430,943	49.5%	17,461	65.3%	11,401	12.1%
2022	970,152	115.1%	12,480	28.5%	21,571	23.5%
2023	1,276,857	30.6%	26,927	8.9%	22,750	5.5%
2024	1,438,713	13.3%
Source: Fraport[63][64]Exyuaviation[65]

Busiest Routes from LJU in 2023

Busiest routes to/from Ljubljana Airport (2023)^[66]

Rank	Airport	Passengers 2023	Airlines
1	Istanbul, Turkey	175,014	Turkish Airlines
2	Frankfurt am Main, Germany	112,285	Lufthansa
3	Zürich, Switzerland	98,629	Swiss International Air Lines
4	Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France	86,970	Air France
5	Belgrade, Serbia	79,205	Air Serbia
6	London-Gatwick, United Kingdom	73,930	EasyJet
7	Brussels, Belgium	61,482	Brussels Airlines
8	Warsaw-Chopin, Poland	60,261	LOT Polish Airlines
9	Dubai-International, United Arab Emirates	56,804	Flydubai
10	Munich, Germany	54,537	Lufthansa
11	Amsterdam, Netherlands	44,092	Transavia
12	London-Heathrow, United Kingdom	43,191	British Airways
13	London-Luton, United Kingdom	40,521	Wizz Air
14	Hurghada, Egypt	36,841	FlyEgypt, Trade Air
15	Tel Aviv, Israel	25,339	Israir, Sun d'Or
16	Helsinki, Finland	20,085	Finnair
17	Athens, Greece	17,685	Aegean Airlines
18	Antalya, Turkey	16,697	Trade Air
19	Paris-Orly, France	15,386	Transavia
20	Skopje, North Macedonia	13,216	Wizz Air
21	Niš, Serbia	7,488	Air Serbia
22	Luxembourg City, Luxembourg	2,744	Luxair

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.

See also

• List of airports in Slovenia
• Transport in Slovenia