The licence for a fleet of six Fokker 50 airliners of VLM Airlines, which was being mentioned as the one to lead the revival of the country's airport, was granted by Slovenian authorities on Wednesday. VLM airlines is now waiting for the licence in Belgium.

"We have filed for the licence in Belgium last September, but failed to obtain it until now," head of the company Harm Jan Prins said. He hopes that the obtained licence in one EU member would speed up the procedures in Belgium.

VLM Airlines said on Thursday that regular lines from Maribor would start operating this year, but further information, including on destinations, timetables and planes would be announced later.

VLM Airlines has the same owners as SHS Aviation, which bought airport operator Aerodrom Maribor from the trade union-controlled savings bank Delavska hranilnica at the end of last year.

SHS Aviation director Pang Siu Yin announced in March after signing a 15-year lease contract for the state-owned airport infrastructure that Maribor airport would get eleven regular routes by the end of this year.

He announced flights to London, Berlin, Hamburg, Barcelona, Zurich, Belgrade, Split and Podgorica as well as to the Chinese cities of Xian, Chongqing and Nanchang.

SHS Aviation plans to invest at least EUR 300m in the airport, build new terminals, hotels and a shopping mall.

Apart from boosting the passenger and freight transport to two million passengers and 160,000 tonnes of cargo by 2028, the new investors also plan to set up a simulation and maintenance centre.