The website of the Agency for Civil Aviation of Slovenia since today shows the authorisation for the carriage of passengers and cargo (AOC and operating licence) granted to VLM Airlines, the airline owned by the same investors as Aerodrom Maribor, i.e. SHS Aviation.

As a reminder, on March 27 afternoon VLM conducted a technical flight from Antwerp to Maribor and back in order to obtain the AOC licence. This is also a condition for the start of announced flights from Maribor. The licence is otherwise also issued for the type of aircraft Fokker 50 registered OO-VLN.

It is also reminded that in March this year the director of SHS Aviation Siu Yin Pang made a presentation  showing air routes from Maribor to eight European cities, in which he said that commercial flights can be started one month after obtaining the certificate.

Belgian online Travel Magazine confirmed that Harm Jan Prins, which manages operations of VLM Airlines in Belgium and Slovenia, announced also the forthcoming flight operations from Maribor, while VLM Airlines Newco in Belgium asked for an AOC in September last year, and is still waiting.

The aforementioned web portal writes that the VLM will base its six Fokker 50 at Edvard Rusjan Airport (Maribor), due to existing licences.

Source: Slovenian newspaper Ve?er, corrected after a contact between Luchtzak.be and the spokesman for VLM Airlines

Note: Ve?er also announced that the first two Airbus aircraft registered in Slovenia should also be announced soon. These are only unconfirmed rumours, denied by VLM

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PRESS STATEMENT OF VLM AIRLINES

Slovenia has granted AOC to VLM Airlines d.d.

SHS Antwerp Aviation hopes to receive Belgian AOC soon

Yesterday, the Slovenian Ministry of Infrastructure issued an air operator’s license (AOC) to the Slovenian company VLM Airlines d.d., which is 100% owned by the Belgian company SHS Antwerp Aviation NV. The procedure for an AOC for to be delivered by the Belgian Ministry of Mobility to SHS Antwerp Aviation NV is still ongoing.

VLM Airlines will commence operating scheduled flights from Maribor Airport later this year.  Details regarding the number of aircraft to be used, the planned routes and the timetables will be announced at a later stage.

Both SHS Antwerp Aviation and VLM Airlines d.d. want to start joint aviation activities under the common trading name VLM Airlines. To this end, two AOCs were requested, one in Belgium and one in Slovenia.

Harm Prins, CEO of SHS Aviation Antwerp, said:

SHS Antwerp Aviation, the Belgian parent company of VLM Airlines d.d., has applied for an AOC with the Belgian Ministry of Mobility already in September 2016, but the certificate has unfortunately not yet been granted yet. We hope that the fact that a subsidiary of SHS Antwerp Aviation has acquired an AOC in another EU Member State can speed up the process in Belgium.  The delivery of the AOC for the Slovene subsidiary of SHS Antwerp Aviation does not mean that the the Belgian AOC has become obsolete. The procedure for the Belgian AOC remains ongoing despite the delivery of the Slovenian AOC, because both AOCs are essential to implement our business plan. We hope to receive the AOC for SHS Antwerp Aviation as soon as possible. Once that is done, we are able to create new jobs in Belgium.

SHS Antwerp Aviation NV is a subsidiary of SHS Aviation B.V. (Netherlands) and is the successor to VLM Airlines NV, which went bankrupt on June 22, 2016.

SHS Aviation B.V. (The Netherlands) is owned for 60% by Dutch investors and for 40% by Canadian investors.