The Infrastructure Ministry noted that high terminal charges have long discouraged airlines from choosing Ljubljana over airports in neighbouring states. Under the government decision adopted on 21 November, the unit charge will remain at €317.58 in 2026, instead of rising to the previously planned €375.18. Officials argue that the reduced fee should create more favourable conditions for airlines and stimulate stronger business activity, especially amid limited success of the current subsidy scheme for new air routes.
Despite €5.6 million annually being available for subsidies between 2023 and 2025, only a handful of links—to cities such as Luxembourg, Riga, Madrid, Copenhagen, Berlin and Düsseldorf—have been introduced, with some later discontinued. The latest call saw just one application, an extension by Airbaltic for its Ljubljana–Gran Canaria service. Still, Fraport Slovenija reports a 23% increase in connectivity this year, suggesting gradual improvement.
Alongside the fee cut, the government instructed the Defence Ministry to begin paying for air navigation services for defence-related flights from next year, allocating €200,000 to help further reduce overall unit costs.
