This follows a strategic re-orientation of the airline, which plans to reduce operations to North America and instead focus on leisure traffic in Europe. The Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure said that measures to improve Slovenia’s air connections, including subsidies for new routes, have been presented.
Play already serves Split in Croatia and will add Pula to its route network from next year. Ljubljana Airport currently offers charter flights to Reykjavik and over 2.600 passengers used this connection last year. The Slovenian government has published a public tender to promote new air connections to the country, with a deadline of 27 October.
Play CEO Einar Orn Olafsson explained that the strategic change was due to disappointing returns on transatlantic traffic. The company plans to focus on profitable leisure destinations in southern Europe and reduce capacity on North Atlantic routes by 2025.