Meanwhile a total of 15 publicly-owned businesses will be sold off, including the second biggest bank, Nova KBM, the flag-carrying airline, Adria Airways, and Telekom Slovenia.

BBC: Slovenia unveils reforms as it seeks to avoid EU bailout

At many big hub airports, airlines do provide motorized carts to help passengers, disabled or not, with long distances. (You can flag one down or ask an airline agent to request a pickup.) Most carts run between gates for connecting flights.

WSJ: Airports Battle Bogus Requests for Wheelchair Assistance

When Sir Richard Branson this week announced plans to enter space tourism with a company called Virgin Galactic, his Virgin group also unveiled a new online music store and a start-up airline in Nigeria that will become that nation's flag carrier.

ECONOMIST: Sir Richard Branson aims for the moon

This abolition of national flag carriers will, in turn, make it easier to complete cross-border European airline mergers.

ECONOMIST: Why the Americans are happy and the British are moaning