Germany’s major low-cost carrier Germanwings, which started serving the Malta route to and from Cologne and Stuttgart just three weeks ago, may increase flight frequency on these routes next autumn.
The airline’s PR manager, Andreas Engel, who spoke to The Malta Independent during a visit to Malta, said the airline would have liked to begin operations between the island and Hamburg next autumn, but this may not be possible since Air Malta currently serves this route.
The Maltese airline also operates to and from Berlin, the low-cost carrier’s fourth base (the others being Cologne, Stuttgart and Hamburg).
Mr Engel said that should it not be possible for the airline to operate between Malta and its other two bases, it will try to negotiate with the Maltese government to increase flight frequency on the two current routes.
By summer, the airline’s fleet will include three new aircraft, bringing the total fleet up to 27, which will mean an improved capacity and this will allow for the possibility of increasing flight frequency to Malta.
Mr Engel added that Germanwings was very happy with its operations on the Malta route so far. The bookings for the coming months, particularly for July and August are very encouraging.
He said the seat load factor on flights to and from Malta at present is about 80 per cent, two percentage points less than the airline’s average, but this could be the result of the fact that the airline has only recently launched a marketing campaign promoting the Malta route in Germany.
The low-cost carrier – which Mr Engel insisted is more like a legacy carrier with cheaper fares, because passengers still travel in comfort – started operating to Malta on 27 March.
Germanwings’ aircraft of the type Airbus A319/320 are market leaders in terms of space, noise protection and energy consumption, but they are also continuously maintained using state-of-the-art technology.
The airline makes full use of the experience and skills
of its parent company Eurowings Luftverkehrs AG and Deutsche Lufthansa AG to maintain its aircraft.
Mr Engel said Germanwings chose to expand its business operations in Malta, because the airline “sees it as a country with great potential for tourism and business.”
Following a deal secured last September, Germanwings now flies to and from Cologne and Stuttgart, with two weekly flights from each airport, one on Tuesday and another on Saturday.
“Germanwings is happy to launch operations to Malta. The company, with its headquarters in Cologne, focuses on offering routes to the main European business cities,” said Mr Engel.
At present, a total of 42 per cent of passengers flying Germanwings are business travellers.
By summer, the airline’s fleet will include 27 aircraft and the company has set itself high growth rates for 2007. With a turnover of e560 million last year, the airline aims to increase its profits to well over e600 million this year.
Besides the introduction of two new regions in Germany, passengers will also be able to purchase tickets to destinations such as Gothenburg, Stockholm, Helsinki, Oslo and St Petersburg, all of which are served by Germanwings through their Cologne base.
This summer, the low-cost carrier will be flying to no fewer than 66 destinations, the departure points strategically chosen to serve all of Germany.
The airline sells seats exclusively online, through its website www.germanwings.com and it launched its selling of seats to and from Malta at prices starting from e19 one-way, excluding taxes.