On Wednesday, Prime Minister Janez Janša attended the opening ceremony of the new passenger terminal at the Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, from which the first passengers will be able to take off on the 1st of July. So, on the very day when Slovenian will begin its Presidency of the Council of the EU. There will be a new bus stop in front of the new terminal, and there will also be a parking lot and park, in which pine trees will be planted in autumn.
The functional design of the renovated Brnik airport was mostly determined by the investor Fraport Slovenija. “We are opening a new terminal, which had been built during the epidemic, when the aviation industry received one of the worst hits in modern times,” Prime Minister Janša pointed out.
“In a few days, 30 years will have passed since the main Slovenian airport looked entirely different from what we see now,” Prime Minister Janez Janša said at the opening ceremony of the new passenger terminal, adding that the airport is named after Dr. Jože Pučnik, whose vision and efforts were key for Slovenia being an independent country today. He proudly added that the new terminal had been built during the epidemic, at a time when the airport industry received one of the worst hits in modern times. “Nevertheless, you had the courage and the vision; you believed that the sun would shine again. Today, we can see the results of all of your efforts. We can see a big difference between what was here before Fraport became the owner of the airport and what we see today. We are especially happy when we hear your plans for the future. We are obliged to support and upgrade the plans with what Slovenia still has to do,” he pointed out.
Janša also pointed out that one of the main things that still needs to be constructed is a fast railway connection between the airport and the capital of Slovenia. A lot has already been said about it. However, the current government is determined to take a step further in this direction. The Prime Minister also pointed out that the opening coincided with the first day following the end of the second wave of the epidemic, which was declared last October. “This makes the sun shine even more brightly today.”
Nevertheless, certain preventive measures will have to stay in place for a while longer. The forecasts for Slovenia for this year are favourable. Slovenia will be able to make up for the shortfall we faced in economic growth last year. Unemployment figures are already lower today than they were before the epidemic. Forecasts about the opening of new air connections are also very promising. “The investment we see before us today is what makes the actual changes. Congratulations to all contractors who, with their work, made it possible for the terminal to be built at the right time,” the Prime Minister added.
The functional design of the renovated Brnik airport was largely determined by the investor – Fraport Slovenia, but the decision on how it should reflect the national identity was mainly left to the architects from the Plan B architectural firm. “Thus, there will be a new bus stop in front of the terminal, as well as a parking lot and park, in which we will plant pine trees in autumn and also work out the final details. The park, which will be a symbolic link to the nearby nature, will become a kind of junction, along with the space in front of the new terminal, which will unite the existing and the new buildings, including those that may grow in the coming years,” the architect told the Delo newspaper.
“The new passenger terminal is not only important for stimulating air traffic, but also as an investment in the future of the Slovenian economy. It is vital that we maintain regular lines and acquire new ones, to improve connectivity and contribute to the revival of our economy, including tourism,” wrote the Minister of the Economy, Zdravko Počivalšek, who also attended the opening of the terminal.
Sara Bertoncelj
