CEO of Vueling: Turin will be our new base for low cost flights
"We got here to stay". Says Alex Cruz, chief executive officer of Vueling, a Spanish airline that just arrived in Turin: at first a daily flight to Barcelona, form September 2014 there will be 4 daily flights to Rome, then two new destinations in 2015 and two more in 2016. And the decision to use Turin as a base, the third one in Italy after Florence and Rome.
Vueling, with British Airways and Iberia, is part of one of the biggest airline groups in the world: IAG. And while the air transport industry is suffering from the crisis, they're growing by 20% every year. For Caselle it can be a way to start again to grow.
"Cruz, why Turin, in a time of so strong crisis for the city?"
"We're the second low cost airline after Ryanair. And we developed at the same time a quality product for business travelers. 56% of our customers are business travelers, while the remaining 44% are flying for leisure. It is a balance that no one managed to reach. This allows us a unique flexibility. Turin perfectly reflects our model: it is a city with a strong touristic vocation; and it has a consolidated business tourism. Here, we think we could replicate our Barcelona model. The beginning was comforting."
"Which will be the new routes in 2015 and 2016?"
"At the moment we need to focus on connecting Turin to Barcelona, where we can reach 117 destinations, then Rome. We will start cautious. During next summer, we'll decide the new routes."
"Will You expand the base at Turin? and are You interested in opening a low cost base?"
"We are interested in stimulating the traffic, but with balance, and with an unusual model: low-cost and business together. We want to give an option to everyone. In this, the public financing is not important. The important thing is that we have a real interest for Turin: we got here to stay. To offer new flight deals and to convince the business community that we have nothing to envy to Alitalia or Lufthansa."
"Talking about Alitalia: there are rumors of strong reductions in Turin. Is Vueling ready to catch the chance?"
"Alitalia is passing through strong difficulties as other big airlines are, and as them they are reacting: they reduce capacity on routes and focus on high yield routes. We are not interested in these trends: we do not look at what other airlines are doing, but at where there are margins to grow and chances to do so. We did not arrive in Turin to supersede Alitalia, but to offer a valid alternative."
"Also Caselle is passing an enduring crisis, while nearby airports keep growing. Do You have any idea why?"
"We work at one hundred airports in Europe and each one is different. But what's determining it the health factor of the territory. Thinking about Spain: Barcelona is growing, while Madrid is suffering. But they are part of the same country. The difference is that the Madrid area is in a strong crisis. In Turin, the area is dynamic and we believe in a recovery. We give ourselves one-year time, then we will sum up the results."
"We got here to stay". Says Alex Cruz, chief executive officer of Vueling, a Spanish airline that just arrived in Turin: at first a daily flight to Barcelona, form September 2014 there will be 4 daily flights to Rome, then two new destinations in 2015 and two more in 2016. And the decision to use Turin as a base, the third one in Italy after Florence and Rome.
Vueling, with British Airways and Iberia, is part of one of the biggest airline groups in the world: IAG. And while the air transport industry is suffering from the crisis, they're growing by 20% every year. For Caselle it can be a way to start again to grow.
"Cruz, why Turin, in a time of so strong crisis for the city?"
"We're the second low cost airline after Ryanair. And we developed at the same time a quality product for business travelers. 56% of our customers are business travelers, while the remaining 44% are flying for leisure. It is a balance that no one managed to reach. This allows us a unique flexibility. Turin perfectly reflects our model: it is a city with a strong touristic vocation; and it has a consolidated business tourism. Here, we think we could replicate our Barcelona model. The beginning was comforting."
"Which will be the new routes in 2015 and 2016?"
"At the moment we need to focus on connecting Turin to Barcelona, where we can reach 117 destinations, then Rome. We will start cautious. During next summer, we'll decide the new routes."
"Will You expand the base at Turin? and are You interested in opening a low cost base?"
"We are interested in stimulating the traffic, but with balance, and with an unusual model: low-cost and business together. We want to give an option to everyone. In this, the public financing is not important. The important thing is that we have a real interest for Turin: we got here to stay. To offer new flight deals and to convince the business community that we have nothing to envy to Alitalia or Lufthansa."
"Talking about Alitalia: there are rumors of strong reductions in Turin. Is Vueling ready to catch the chance?"
"Alitalia is passing through strong difficulties as other big airlines are, and as them they are reacting: they reduce capacity on routes and focus on high yield routes. We are not interested in these trends: we do not look at what other airlines are doing, but at where there are margins to grow and chances to do so. We did not arrive in Turin to supersede Alitalia, but to offer a valid alternative."
"Also Caselle is passing an enduring crisis, while nearby airports keep growing. Do You have any idea why?"
"We work at one hundred airports in Europe and each one is different. But what's determining it the health factor of the territory. Thinking about Spain: Barcelona is growing, while Madrid is suffering. But they are part of the same country. The difference is that the Madrid area is in a strong crisis. In Turin, the area is dynamic and we believe in a recovery. We give ourselves one-year time, then we will sum up the results."
