Speaking at a press conference in Brnik on Wednesday, Aerodrom Ljubljana commercial director Janez Krašnja said that the line operated by Swiss would be interesting both for business travellers and tourists.

He believes that many passengers will connect from Zurich to North America, elsewhere in Europe, Africa and the Middle and Fa East. "Our expectations are greatest in the North America segment."

Head of Swiss Austria and Central Eastern Europe Bernhard Wodl added that the airline did not see Ljubljana only as a summer destination, and that Swiss would operate the route in the winter, expectedly four times a week.

Slovenian flag carrier Adria Airways already operates 20 weekly flight on the Ljubljana-Zurich route. Krašnja believes that the two routes will complement each other, and the two airlines are expected to sign a codeshare agreement.

Swiss is a successor of Swissair, which operated a connection with Ljubljana between 1989 and 2003, and was the first foreign airline to introduce scheduled flights to Slovenia after the country declared independence in 1991.

From its hubs in Zurich, Basel and Geneva, the flag carrier flies to 106 destinations in 49 countries around the world. With its fleet of 95 aircraft, it carries more than 16 million passengers a year.