STA, 16 December 2019 - The founding of a new airline in full or partial state ownership after flag carrier Adria Airways went into receivership is not very likely, because this would entail big risks, Prime Minister Marjan Šarec told reporters on Monday.
This was considered one of the ways to keep Ljubljana connected to the world after Adria went into receivership at the end of September.
"There are no major changes, because risks are very high. I think it's not very likely that we get our airline at this point," Šarec told reporters on the sidelines of a parliamentary session.
The prime minister had warned of potential risks such a project would entail on several occasions in the past. At the end of November, he said that a newly founded airline would be destined to operate at a loss.
"All national carriers operate at a loss. When the final figures are released, we'll have to see whether we're ready to go there or not," he said at the time, adding that aviation was quite a risky business.
After Adria entered receivership, the government tasked the bad bank to analyse the possibility of founding a new national carrier.
The bad bank told the STA last week that it had analysed different scenarios, including the setting up of a new carrier. "There are also other possible solutions that would be appropriate for Slovenia," the Bank Assets Management Company (BAMC) said.
BAMC also noted it was regularly reporting on its findings to the relevant ministry.
But both the infrastructure and finance ministries denied for the STA their involvement in any activities related to a potential new airline.
According to unofficial information, Economy Minister Zdravko Počivalšek seems to be more or less the only one supporting the idea.
Some aviation experts say a national carrier would have a hard time competing with strong established airlines flying to Brnik. Adria's flights have been replaced quite well, they say.
Others believe the government should establish a new airline, with a Croatian civil aviation analyst saying this would be in Slovenia's strategic interest.
