After Adria Airways announced on September 23, 2019, that it is temporarily suspending flights, the situation looked quite grim for the airline. Now, the Slovenian Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) has decided not to terminate Adria’s Air Operators Certificate (AOC) – the carrier can continue flying for at least a week.
Adria Airways now has until October 2, 2019, 23:59 (GMT+2) to submit a proper restructuring plan to the CAA, including plans on how it will restore profitability. If the airline fails to provide the required documents, its AOC will be terminated, grounding every single aircraft that Adria Airways operates.
The shareholders of the airline will have a busy week ahead of them, as several lessors have already canceled leasing agreements with the Slovenian carrier due to unpaid commitments. Adria Airways has ten aircraft left: six Bombardier CRJ900-LRs and four Saab 2000.
Whether the airline will actually continue flying is still unclear. AeroTime has contacted Adria Airways‘ representatives, however, no answer was provided. Flights are still scheduled to fly on September 26, except for a canceled early night journey from Ljubljana (LJU) to Tel-Aviv‘s (Israel) Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), according to flightradar24.com data.
UPDATE 26-09-2019, 09:44 (UTC +3) While the airline was still unavailable for comment, Adria Airways has announced that it will continue flying. However, it will only operate flights on the route Ljubljana (LJU) – Frankfurt Airport (FRA) – Ljubljana (LJU), as it is “its most important hub”. The Slovenian carrier is still negotiating a deal with potential investors or major creditors that would throw the airline a lifeline, as Adria’s management “remains dedicated in reaching positive solution for all”.
Passengers, who were scheduled to fly with the airline, are still advised to check their flight status before going to the airport.