Foreword W
elcome to this bumper edition of Routes News, which is tailored to the European air services
market. This is our biggest ever edition for a regional event and it has been a fascinating one to put together.
On one hand we have had a fl urry of long-haul air service announcements from major European carriers over the past few weeks, such as Air France’s plan to serve Cancun and Cape Town directly from this winter, while on the other hand we have seen another European economy, Portugal, seeking a EU bailout.
In a better fi nancial state than that beleaguered southern European state is Spain’s Vueling Airlines. As its CEO, Alex Cruz explains on page 38, it has plans to continue to strengthen its position with plans to provide feed for certain airlines at key gateways. We also caught up with Vueling’s senior manager network planning, Javier Suárez, as he explains about the airline’s ‘airport shortlist’ and what the airline is looking for from potential new bases.
However, with oil prices remaining at all-time highs due to the continued political instability across the Middle East and North Africa, there are fears over the future of smaller, regional, and niche carriers in Europe. Despite this, regional airlines rolled out a raft of new routes for this summer season. The UK’s Eastern Airlines’ CEO, Richard Lake, explains why there remains a market for specialised carriers even in the face of the low-cost revolution on page 35.
A regional airport that has fl ourished since the entry of low-cost carriers is Cagliari Elmas Airport, whose chairman, Vincenzo Mareddu graces this cover. The Sardinian gateway has managed to achieve phenomenal growth throughout the recession, shrugging off the traffi c declines experienced elsewhere in Italy through a competitive air service programme and a destination with strong market appeal (page 26). I know that all delegates at Routes Europe will experience the very best in Sardinian hospitality and culture, and will no doubt want to return soon.
Finally, although we are now focused on Europe, the Asian region clearly demonstrated why it is the fastest-growing and most dynamic air transport market in the world today at Routes Asia, hosted by Incheon Airport in March. Make sure you read our exclusive report with comments from AirAsia X’s CEO, Azran Osman-Rani, and the round up of the event’s news and winners on page 88. And remember that all the video interviews are available on
www.routesnline.com
Editor-in-Chief Lucy Siebert
R™ is a registered Trade Mark of UBM Aviation Routes and is used under licence. © Copyright 2011 The content of this publication is Copyright UBM Aviation Routes and shall not be copied or stored in digital format without the written permission of the Copyright holder. Content is correct at time of printing. UBM Aviation Routesroute shall not be liable for any errors or omissions contained herein.
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Editor-in-Chief Lucy Siebert
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