Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 23/3/2026; Author: Eva Gračanin
Bankruptcy proceedings for Adria Airways began on 2 October 2019, during the government led by Marjan Šarec.
On 3 March, the Media and Cultural Association SLM posted a photograph of Prime Minister Robert Golob and his wife Tina Gaber Golob on its Facebook profile SLM TV captioned: “Government of the Republic of Slovenia You #screwed up Adria …”
The authors of the post wondered why the authorities had not deployed the government jet to assist Slovenians who were unable to return home due to cancelled flights in the Middle East. The post received 269 likes and 275 comments from Facebook users.
Adria Airways was Slovenia’s flag carrier and remained state-owned until October 2016, when the government sold it to the German holding company AA International Aviation Holding. At the time, the government was headed by Miro Cerar. In 2019, during the Šarec government, Stefan Beulertz became the majority owner. According to data from Agency of the Republic of Slovenia for Public Legal Records and Related Services (AJPES), the company has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2 October of that year.
An economic analysis of Slovenia’s air connectivity covering the period from 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2022, commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure, shows that the collapse of Adria Airways significantly affected Slovenia’s air connectivity, the frequency of flights, the availability of destinations, and the cost efficiency of air travel.
The authors of the analysis also found that Slovenia lagged significantly behind in the recovery of air traffic following the COVID-19 pandemic. By autumn 2022, EU member states had on average already recovered to 85% of their 2019 air traffic levels, while Slovenia had reached only 60%, largely due to Adria Airways’ bankruptcy. Between 2019 and 2022, the total shortfall amounted to 1.4 million passengers.
The authorities attempted to counter the decline in air connectivity by giving airlines subsidies to operate scheduled flights to Slovenia. However, as the authors of the analysis noted, these measures failed to significantly reduce the decline in passenger traffic.
The Media and Cultural Association SLM, represented by Matjaž Motaln, was registered in November 2021, according to data from AJPES. Its registered activity is that of “membership organisations not elsewhere classified.” Although the association presents itself on Facebook as a “media company,” it is not listed in the official media register maintained by the Ministry of Culture. The association’s Facebook page was created in January 2021 and currently has more than 54,000 followers.
We have informed SLM our findings and will publish their response once we have received it.
The claim “Government of the Republic of Slovenia You #screwed up Adria …” is false.
