Aerodrom Ljubljana dd : Increase in traffic a feature of 2015

The year now ending will be remembered at Aerodrom Ljubljana in particular for integration into the Fraport Group, and for a sharp increase in passenger numbers. By the end of the year passenger numbers are forecast to be up 10.3% on 2014.

A major feature of the year now ending was the change in ownership. In the early months of the year a new owner, Fraport AG of Germany, obtained a 100% holding in Aerodrom Ljubljana, and on the final day of March the company was converted from a public limited company into a limited liability company. Its shares were withdrawn from the Ljubljana Stock Exchange, and the company has since been headed by a general manager, the former president of the management board, Mr Zmago Skobir. A great deal was subsequently done in the area of integration into the Fraport Group. Financial reporting, planning and analysis were adapted as part of this process. Certain costs were optimised, and certain work processes were modified.

We were pleased to record a sharp increase in passenger traffic throughout the year. The millionth passenger was welcomed to the airport on 2 September, approximately three weeks earlier than in 2014. To date passenger numbers in public transport are up 10.3% on last year at 1,433,888, while the number of aircraft movements in public transport is up 3.8% at 23,131. Total cargo tonnage is comparable to last year (18,491 tonnes, down 0.2% on last year), while air cargo tonnage is up 2.7% at 10,054 tonnes. Passenger numbers in 2015 are estimated to be up 10.3% on last year, although the final figure will be known in early January.

The increase in traffic is the result of new and upgraded routes, and the resulting more competitive services, which are allowing passengers to choose Ljubljana Airport more frequently for travelling directly to nearby destinations, and to more remote destinations via major European hubs. Swiss International Air Lines launched daily flights to Zurich in March, but unfortunately will withdraw the route in the new year. The domestic airline Adria Airways began flying to Berlin and Stockholm in April, while Turkish Airlines and Air Serbia increased their number of flights to Istanbul and Belgrade respectively. In general airlines have made increasing use of larger (and heavier) aircraft, and load factors have also improved. To date the domestic airline's passenger numbers are up 5% on last year, while the foreign airlines' passenger numbers are up 22.2%. Traffic is growing faster at Ljubljana Airport than at competitors in the region. Passenger numbers over the first eight months of the year were up 10.8% at Ljubljana, compared with 6.7% at Zagreb, 5.7% at Graz, 1.7% at Venice and 1.5% at Klagenfurt, and a fall of 0.5% at Trieste.

Other notable achievements of the year now ending include the sale of the participating interest in Adria Airways Tehnika and the work done to reduce harmful impact on the environment. This work was confirmed with Airport Carbon Accreditation Level 2 certification and ISO 14001:2014 certification.

Integration into the group will continue in the future. Moderate growth in traffic is forecast. Two new scheduled airlines are coming to Ljubljana Airport. LOT Polish Airlines will operate five flights a week to Warsaw from 1 March, while Greece's Aegean Airlines will serve Athens twice a week from June.

If the focus this year has been inward, on internal projects and changes, next year the focus will once again be on a series of project that will be outwardly evident. The main objective for 2016 is to improve the passenger experience. In this connection we will begin the refurbishment of the passenger terminal next year. It will be undertaken in phases and will be completed by 2018. The project to move the road running alongside the airport, thereby improving access to the airport and allowing the development of a commercial and logistics complex on the north side of the airport.

Before the holidays we would like to thank all of you who shared last year with us. We wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy and healthy new year. Let 2016 evolve as you like!

Brnik, 29. 12. 20154