The flag carriers of Luxembourg and Montenegro have applied for subsidies offered by the Slovenian government to improve the country's air connectivity in response to the first call.

Luxair and To Montenegro submitted their bids by the deadline that expired last week, the Infrastructure Ministry said on 8 May.

The final decision on whether the bidders are eligible for the subsidies will be announced after their bids have been reviewed by a commission of the ministries of infrastructure, finance and the economy.

To Montenegro, the Montenegrin flag carrier which is branded as Air Montenegro, has a new CEO, Slovenian Mark Anžur, who was appointed to the post by the Montenegrin government on 4 May.

Anžur served as CEO of Slovenia's flag carrier Adria Airways from December 2012 to March 2016. Adria Airways went into receivership in 2019.

Under the scheme to improve Slovenia's air connectivity, two more calls are to be published this year, one in July and one in November, according to the Infrastructure Ministry.

The government has earmarked €5.6 million a year for the scheme over the next three years, or a total of €16.8 million.

Carriers can apply to get subsidies for new passenger air links covering 50% of airport fees at Slovenia's three international airports, Ljubljana, Maribor and Portorož.

The eligible carriers will receive subsidies based on three-month reports on the flights operated and the number of passengers carried.

The scheme prioritises ten destinations: Brussels, Skopje, Prague, Berlin, Vienna, Copenhagen, Athens, Madrid, Amsterdam and Helsinki.

If any funds remain available after the first round, subsidies will be available to carriers flying to Rome, Stockholm, Oslo, Barcelona, Lisbon, Prishtina and Paris.

If funds are still left to spend after the second round, subsidies will be made available for routes across the European Common Aviation Area, which includes the EU, as well as Norway, Iceland, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.