Name: Beibei Wang
Company: Mega Maldives
Job title: Director of planning, financial & routes
Hometown and current residence: Beijing
Why is your network focused on Chinese Tier 1 and 2 cities?
When we look at the Chinese market, we primarily target those cities that have potential to launch with low frequency and can quickly increase frequencies to at least three to four times a week. With the Maldives’ unique four-night travel pattern, getting the right schedule and frequency is key. China is the fastest growing tourism market, especially its Tier 1 and 2 cities (Chinese arrivals to the Maldives increased 15.6% year-on-year, from 198,655 in 2011 to 229,551 in 2012, and is expected to surpass 300,000 for 2013). From no direct service in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong when we started three years ago, we have been able to develop these markets to five times a week. Other carriers have since followed our lead and jumped into the market.
Last year, you announced plans to serve Melbourne, Johannesburg, Tokyo and cities in Germany – how are these plans progressing?
We have been talking with those markets and planning the right aircraft and the timing for each market. The European economy has not bounced back yet and with the Gulf carriers expanding their network with attractive prices, direct service airlines are pulling back. We believe next year will be good timing for us to enter these markets. This year, we have been focusing on maintaining and increasing our existing routes, improving our overall service from online sales to inflight services, and planning our fleet expansion. With the addition of more aircraft, we will move into the above-mentioned markets.
What are your fleet plans?
We have two B767-300ERs and one B757-200ER. We plan to introduce another three or four aircraft in the coming year.
How is the inbound market to the Maldives performing?
Inbound arrivals to the Maldives totalled 958,027 last year, up 3% from the previous year. Asia was the main driver, with Asian arrivals in 2012 totalling 384,506 – a 10.2% increase over the prior year. This made up 40% of total arrivals.
What are the plans for Mega Maldives’ network?
We would like to enter other underserved areas in China and other places in Asia with scheduled service or charter services. We are also looking to expand and connect our network to Africa, including Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and other points. We will build up our European network next year targeting cities with strong historical demand but that currently don’t have any non-stop services. And we have some exciting plans for our unique fifth freedom rights to China and beyond.
What sort of information would you like from airports?
It is always important to have start-up support, but for our model, we really need to identify the right marketing partners. We appreciate airports with good market knowledge. We would like to know the volume from each region historically, the seasonality and the current direct or indirect airline services, not just to the Maldives but also to comparable destinations (this can be both a positive and a negative). Of course, we need to know about the airport operation requirements and costs, and the slot availability.
How did Korea perform for Mega Maldives?
The Korean market traditionally has very lumpy seasonality, with a peak in May and October for only a few weeks. We worked hard with our charterer to provide a Sunday departure with a four-night stay in the Maldives. But due to the highly seasonal market, the charterer eventually defaulted on our contract and we had to close the route. Korea has market potential but it needs to be developed. Even now with Korea flying via Colombo, the market has not really taken off. The Maldives may also need more than just sun-and-sea marketing to build up markets like Korea and Japan.
routenews
Company: Mega Maldives
Job title: Director of planning, financial & routes
Hometown and current residence: Beijing
Why is your network focused on Chinese Tier 1 and 2 cities?
When we look at the Chinese market, we primarily target those cities that have potential to launch with low frequency and can quickly increase frequencies to at least three to four times a week. With the Maldives’ unique four-night travel pattern, getting the right schedule and frequency is key. China is the fastest growing tourism market, especially its Tier 1 and 2 cities (Chinese arrivals to the Maldives increased 15.6% year-on-year, from 198,655 in 2011 to 229,551 in 2012, and is expected to surpass 300,000 for 2013). From no direct service in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong when we started three years ago, we have been able to develop these markets to five times a week. Other carriers have since followed our lead and jumped into the market.
Last year, you announced plans to serve Melbourne, Johannesburg, Tokyo and cities in Germany – how are these plans progressing?
We have been talking with those markets and planning the right aircraft and the timing for each market. The European economy has not bounced back yet and with the Gulf carriers expanding their network with attractive prices, direct service airlines are pulling back. We believe next year will be good timing for us to enter these markets. This year, we have been focusing on maintaining and increasing our existing routes, improving our overall service from online sales to inflight services, and planning our fleet expansion. With the addition of more aircraft, we will move into the above-mentioned markets.
What are your fleet plans?
We have two B767-300ERs and one B757-200ER. We plan to introduce another three or four aircraft in the coming year.
How is the inbound market to the Maldives performing?
Inbound arrivals to the Maldives totalled 958,027 last year, up 3% from the previous year. Asia was the main driver, with Asian arrivals in 2012 totalling 384,506 – a 10.2% increase over the prior year. This made up 40% of total arrivals.
What are the plans for Mega Maldives’ network?
We would like to enter other underserved areas in China and other places in Asia with scheduled service or charter services. We are also looking to expand and connect our network to Africa, including Mauritius, Saudi Arabia and other points. We will build up our European network next year targeting cities with strong historical demand but that currently don’t have any non-stop services. And we have some exciting plans for our unique fifth freedom rights to China and beyond.
What sort of information would you like from airports?
It is always important to have start-up support, but for our model, we really need to identify the right marketing partners. We appreciate airports with good market knowledge. We would like to know the volume from each region historically, the seasonality and the current direct or indirect airline services, not just to the Maldives but also to comparable destinations (this can be both a positive and a negative). Of course, we need to know about the airport operation requirements and costs, and the slot availability.
How did Korea perform for Mega Maldives?
The Korean market traditionally has very lumpy seasonality, with a peak in May and October for only a few weeks. We worked hard with our charterer to provide a Sunday departure with a four-night stay in the Maldives. But due to the highly seasonal market, the charterer eventually defaulted on our contract and we had to close the route. Korea has market potential but it needs to be developed. Even now with Korea flying via Colombo, the market has not really taken off. The Maldives may also need more than just sun-and-sea marketing to build up markets like Korea and Japan.
routenews