easyJet Expands into Icelandic Market
UK carrier easyJet is to launch a new route between London Luton and Reykjavik, its first route into Iceland. The airline will offer a three times weekly service from March 27, 2012 adding to the existing links from London offered by Icelandair and budget carrier Iceland Express. “It is hugely exciting to be able to offer easyJet flights to Iceland for the very first time,” said Paul Simmons, UK Director, easyJet. “Our new route will not only be attractive for business travellers, but also for those looking for culture-rich city breaks or adventurous travellers looking for unrivalled scenery and activities.” easyJet’s flights will land at Keflavik International Airport; the country’s main gateway. Set against a backdrop of snow-topped mountains, Reykjavik is known for its weekend nightlife, health spas, world-class restaurants and countless museums. It is also famed for its natural wonderland of spouting geysers, gigantic glaciers, blue lagoons and hot springs - as well as benefitting from an impressive 22 hours of daylight a day during summer.
Ryanair Brings Third Aircraft to Leeds Bradford
Irish budget carrier Ryanair is to introduce a third based aircraft at Leeds Bradford Airport during summer 2012 and will launch a further six routes from the Yorkshire facility, expanding its network to 26 destinations. The airline will inaugurate services to the popular Greek islands of Corfu, Crete (flying to Chania) and Kos, add links to Bergamo, Dinard and Tenerife and launch summer flights on its current winter-only routes to Kaunas and Riga in the Baltics. The airline expects to increase its Leeds Bradford traffic to around 900,000 passengers per year through the new flights, and hopes to take advantage of the current economic situation in Greece to generate additional traffic. Ryanair Chief Executive, Michael O’Leary, dressed in traditional toga, announced the new routes at the Yorkshire airport this week, and said he would even accept payment in “mountain goats” should Greece be forced out of the Euro.
Monarch Airlines Builds Scheduled Network
Monarch Airlines has announced a significant expansion of its network into the Mediterranean for summer 2012 launching 14 new flight routes across Italy, Croatia and Greece. The new flights are part of Monarch’s expansion strategy revealed earlier this year that is focusing on its scheduled services and expanding its network to new leisure destinations across Europe. The airline will take delivery of two additional Airbus A320s in March 2012 and this will facilitate the network expansion for the summer season. In the longer-term, Monarch plans to expand its fleet from 30 to 40 units with further expansion expected in the charter market, particularly on routes between the UK and North America. The Mediterranean expansion will be spread across four UK airports. From Birmingham, Monarch will offer a five times weekly link to Rome; four times weekly flights to Milan Malpensa and Venice as well as twice weekly rotations to Dubrovnik and Heraklion. At Manchester, Monarch will introduce a four times weekly service to Milan Malpensa; three times weekly flights to Dubrovnik and Venice, and a twice weekly rotation to Verona. From London Gatwick it will introduce a six times weekly flight to Milan Malpensa, a four times weekly service to Venice, a three times weekly flight to Dubrovnik and twice weekly to Heraklion. Meanwhile, from London Luton it will offer a three times weekly service to Rome. “The strategy for Monarch Airlines is now firmly focused on its scheduled operations and we are delighted to be adding these new routes to our already extensive network of leisure destinations across Europe,” said Kevin George, Managing Director, Monarch Airlines. “Adding Italy to our network will further reinforce our position as the leading leisure focused airline serving the Mediterranean and the Canaries.
Malta International Airport Drops Landing Fees for Winter
Malta International Airport has confirmed that for the current Winter Schedule – November 2011 to March 2012 – it will be giving a 100 per cent refund to all scheduled airlines of their landing fees with the aim to stimulate traffic during the quieter months. The airport has witnessed a strong year with record traffic levels and this special incentive related to commercial scheduled passenger traffic is being enacted to keep the momentum over the winter schedules. “With the success registered during this summer, we see the need to invest in the shoulder/winter months by making it easier for airlines to operate to and from our airport,” said Austin Calleja, Chief Executive Officer, Malta International Airport. “All our scheduled airlines – which include Air Malta, Ryanair, easyJet, Lufthansa, Emirates, Alitalita and EgyptAir – will benefit from this initiative, and consequentially so will our tourism industry.” Mr Calleja acknowledges the crucial role the airport plays in supporting the islands’ tourism industry, which is one of the most important revenue generators for the country and notes that this initiative will support airlines to bring additional visitors, especially on the increasingly popular city/weekend breaks during what is traditionally a difficult period of the year for local tourism operators. “This initiative will mean that the Company will forfeit its revenue from the landing fees within this period, but it considers this as an investment aimed specifically at addressing the ever-present issue of seasonality,” he added.
Air France Reinforces Marseille Offering
Air France has confirmed it will add another three routes from its new Marseille base during the Northern Summer 2012 schedule. The airline inaugurated a host of new services from the regional city at the start of October as part of a revised business focus outside of Paris, aimed at winning back some of the market share it has lost during recent years to its European low-cost rivals. The French national carrier says traffic from the airport is in line with objectives and has been growing steadily throughout the past month, providing evidence of its economic potential. “These good results reflect intensive efforts and involvement of all ground-based and in-flight teams to ensure the initiative’s success,” said the airline, revealing a 95 per cent on-time performance during the first weeks of service. To further expand its activities, Air France has revealed it will add three new routes from Marseille in summer 2012, as well as increasing its Rome flights to a twice daily basis. The new destinations comprise Venice, with five weekly flights, Hamburg with four weekly services and Barcelona with two weekly rotations. Ahead of then there have been some minor frequency changes on its current network for the winter with additional weekly flights to Biarritz, Copenhagen and Prague and two additional services per week to Algiers and Nantes, the latter now being served 24 times every week. A similar network initiative will be introduced in Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nice from the spring of 2012 and proposed routes will be announced in the coming months.
Helvetic Builds at Bern Belp
Swiss carrier Helvetic Airways is to expand its activities at Bern Belp Airport in Switzerland. The airline that flies under an ACMI contract with Swiss International Air Lines and on its own charter basis will launch scheduled flights during summer 2012 to Catania as well as charter services for local tour operators to Saïdia (Morocco); Djerba and Enfidha (Tunisia); Corfu, Heraklion, Kos and Zakynthos (Greece); Brindisi and Olbia (Italy) and Palma de Mallorca (Spain). Elsewhere, Helvetic will offer a three times weekly Zurich – Bristol link between December 5 and March 19, 2012.
Air Vallée to Establish Base in Parma
Italian regional carrier Air Vallée has confirmed it will open an operational base at Parma Giuseppe Verdi Airport in spring 2012, where three newly acquired Embraer E-Jets will be stationed. The airline is currently finalising its proposed network plans from the Italian city but revealed it will launch flights this winter to Paris CDG as a pre-cursor to the base opening. The link to the French capital will operate for a two week period between December 21 and January 8, 2012 to support the strong the strong demand over the Christmas and New Year period. The flight will be operated by a 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145. Air Vallée confirms that Paris CDG will be one of the destinations it will serve when the base opens in spring 2012. Speaking at a press event to market the announcement, Michele Costantino, President, Air Vallée said: “This is not a decision which was taken lightly and the investment in the new aircraft and the base at Parma will be significant and valued in excess of $90 million. The central and well connected location of Parma Airport were critical factors in the decision.” Sogeap SpA, the management company at Parma Airport has been working on bringing new routes to the facility for a long period. The region is densely populated and there are higher than average economic indicators in the catchment area when compared with the rest of Italy and wider European markets. There are also a high volume of enterprises as well as some of Italy’s most important head offices, particularly in the food and technology arena, in its vicinity. “Air Vallée as a based carrier will be able to operate multiple destinations from Parma Airport,” explained Paul Whelan, the recently appointed Chief Executive Officer of Sogeap SpA. “We are now working together in partnership to explore the most viable new destinations. We welcome the decision to launch the based activity with the announcement of Paris Charles de Gaulle, a critical route for the catchment area in Italy and Europe considering the strong links with France and Paris.”
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