easyJet to Acquire Adria Tehnika MRO in Ljubljana, Early 2026

(LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA) easyJet has agreed to buy Adria Tehnika, the aircraft maintenance company based at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport, in a move that will lock in hundreds of heavy checks on the carrier’s Airbus fleet and secure a long-term maintenance base in Slovenia. The deal, announced this year and expected to close in early 2026 subject to regulatory approval, will bring the five-bay heavy maintenance hangar fully into easyJet’s control after nearly a decade of close cooperation between the two companies.

Scope of the deal and operational impact

Adria Tehnika has carried out over 200 heavy maintenance inputs on easyJet’s Airbus aircraft during that period, becoming one of the low-cost airline’s core technical partners in Central and Eastern Europe. The company’s hangars at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport already host orange-tailed jets through the winter maintenance season, with local engineers working on complex structural checks, cabin refurbishments, and system overhauls that keep aircraft flying safely and on time.

The transaction forms part of a wider easyJet strategy to bring more maintenance work in-house rather than rely solely on third-party providers scattered across Europe. In 2024, the airline bought the SR Technics heavy maintenance facility in Malta, and the purchase of Adria Tehnika is seen as the next step in building a tighter internal network of heavy maintenance bases.

• Strategic goals for easyJet:
  • Gain better control over costs, scheduling, and staff planning
  • Increase operational resilience and reduce dependency on overloaded external suppliers
  • Create a network of owned heavy maintenance bases across Europe

According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, large airlines have increasingly moved in this direction, particularly after the disruption experienced during the pandemic years.

Leadership and local management

Under the agreed structure, Barbara Perko Brvar will stay on as chief executive of Adria Tehnika once ownership passes to easyJet. She has welcomed the deal, stressing that the airline’s backing will let the company:

• grow faster
• widen its technical skills
• offer more stable careers to engineers and mechanics

While the detailed wording of her statement was not released, company officials said she believes the partnership will help both the Slovenian workforce and the wider European airline market.

On the airline side, Brendan McConnellogue, easyJet’s Director of Engineering and Maintenance, pointed to the long history between the two companies and the need for a strong, predictable maintenance base. He said the acquisition will support the carrier’s plans to build:

• “operational resilience and efficiency,”
• the ability to avoid last-minute aircraft groundings caused by slow or overloaded maintenance suppliers

By owning key facilities like Adria Tehnika, easyJet hopes to plan checks more smoothly and react faster when unexpected repairs arise.

Benefits for Slovenia and the local workforce

For Slovenia, the deal places Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport more firmly on the map as a regional center for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO). Adria Tehnika already offers:

• heavy maintenance
• line maintenance
• engineering services
• technical support

Mainly for Airbus and CRJ aircraft, and serving airlines from across Europe. With easyJet pledging long-term investment, local officials expect:

• a steadier workload
• more training for young technicians
• protection of existing aviation jobs
• strengthening of airport-area employment beyond passenger operations

Immigration and workforce considerations

MRO companies across Europe, including in Slovenia, depend on a mix of local staff and specialist engineers from other EU and non-EU countries. As Adria Tehnika expands under easyJet’s ownership, the facility may need to bring in more workers with rare skills, especially in:

• avionics
• structural repair

Within the European Union, citizens of member states can move and work freely under rules explained on the European Commission’s official home affairs pages, which makes it easier for a company in Slovenia to hire technicians from, for example, Poland, Spain, or Croatia.

For workers from outside the EU, airlines and maintenance firms must go through national work permit and residence procedures. While easyJet and Adria Tehnika have not disclosed any specific recruitment plans, labor specialists in the region note that large MRO hubs often rely on a global workforce. In practice, that can mean engineers from countries such as Ukraine, Turkey, or Balkan states outside the EU applying for permits to live and work near Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport.

Any future growth at the facility is therefore likely to link directly to Slovenian and EU migration policy, even if those details sit in the background of the corporate announcement.

Historical context and industry trend

Adria Tehnika’s history as a well-known MRO provider gives the deal added weight for the local community. The company grew out of the former Adria Airways technical division and survived the flag carrier’s collapse, keeping its hangars busy by winning contracts from foreign airlines. easyJet has been one of the main clients during the last decade.

The airline’s choice to buy rather than walk away offers a measure of security for engineers who previously faced the risk that a major customer could shift work elsewhere at short notice.

The acquisition also highlights a wider change in how low-cost carriers view their physical footprint. For years, many budget airlines preferred to keep assets light and rely on outside suppliers for heavy work. Now, with large fleets of Airbus aircraft that need regular deep checks, easyJet is tying itself more closely to specific locations such as Malta and Slovenia.

For cities like Ljubljana, this can give new life to airport zones that might otherwise see only passenger traffic and limited employment beyond check-in desks and security lines.

Remaining steps, timing, and industry watch

Regulators still need to approve the transaction, and the parties have set early 2026 as the target for completion. Until then, Adria Tehnika will continue to operate as a separate company, servicing easyJet and other airline customers under existing contracts.

Industry watchers will be looking at several open questions:

1. Will the hangar space at Ljubljana Jože Pučnik Airport remain open to a mix of clients?
2. Or will easyJet gradually fill most of the capacity with its own orange fleet as it grows across Europe?

These outcomes will determine how the acquisition affects third-party work and the wider regional MRO market over time.

Key facts at a glance

If you want, I can convert the timeline, leadership quotes, or immigration details into a separate one-page brief or a slide-ready summary.