Aegean counting on Star to keep it flying high
Tuesday October 20, 2009
Aegean Airlines expects 2010 and 2011 to be "very difficult years," but it is targeting growth "even in a tough environment" thanks to the Star Alliance membership expected to take effect next May, MD Dimitris Gerogiannis told ATWOnline last week.
Speaking at the European Regions Airline Assn. annual general meeting in Interlaken, Gerogiannis said Star membership "gives us the possibility to get extra feed into Athens, like we have done in the past four years with Lufthansa," with which it already has a partnership. Aegean currently holds a 50% domestic market share but hopes to increase its international profile. It already is planning to launch flights to Moscow and Tel Aviv. It will transfer its twice-daily London service from Stansted to Heathrow on Oct. 25 and will codeshare with bmi.
Gerogiannis said A3 is in better shape than some European counterparts because it never has depended much on full-fare business passengers. It has no plans to introduce long-haul flights. "We have to be realistic," he said, adding that the carrier expects to transport 6.5 million passengers this year, up from 6 million in 2008. Analysts expect another profitable year for Aegean, which concluded last year €29.5 million ($44 million) in the black.
The airline's last four 737 Classics will leave the fleet by December. It also operates 21 A320 family aircraft, six Avro RJs and two ATR 72s on PSO routes to smaller islands from Athens. "The current average age of the fleet is about two years. Leaving out the Avros, the average would be lower," he said. Six more A320 family aircraft are scheduled to join the fleet, with delivery dates depending on Aegean's financial situation and the market outlook.
by Kurt Hofmann
ATWOnline
Tuesday October 20, 2009
Aegean Airlines expects 2010 and 2011 to be "very difficult years," but it is targeting growth "even in a tough environment" thanks to the Star Alliance membership expected to take effect next May, MD Dimitris Gerogiannis told ATWOnline last week.
Speaking at the European Regions Airline Assn. annual general meeting in Interlaken, Gerogiannis said Star membership "gives us the possibility to get extra feed into Athens, like we have done in the past four years with Lufthansa," with which it already has a partnership. Aegean currently holds a 50% domestic market share but hopes to increase its international profile. It already is planning to launch flights to Moscow and Tel Aviv. It will transfer its twice-daily London service from Stansted to Heathrow on Oct. 25 and will codeshare with bmi.
Gerogiannis said A3 is in better shape than some European counterparts because it never has depended much on full-fare business passengers. It has no plans to introduce long-haul flights. "We have to be realistic," he said, adding that the carrier expects to transport 6.5 million passengers this year, up from 6 million in 2008. Analysts expect another profitable year for Aegean, which concluded last year €29.5 million ($44 million) in the black.
The airline's last four 737 Classics will leave the fleet by December. It also operates 21 A320 family aircraft, six Avro RJs and two ATR 72s on PSO routes to smaller islands from Athens. "The current average age of the fleet is about two years. Leaving out the Avros, the average would be lower," he said. Six more A320 family aircraft are scheduled to join the fleet, with delivery dates depending on Aegean's financial situation and the market outlook.
by Kurt Hofmann
ATWOnline