KLM Royal Dutch Airlines forecasts that its ticket sales on the Romanian market will reach 25 million euros in fiscal year 2005, which started in April.
"Last year, we had ticket sales worth 23 million euros, but once we introduced the third daily Bucharest-Amsterdam flight, late last year, our transportation capacity soared by 50%. We estimate we will carry 150,000 passengers in 2005 on the Bucharest-Amsterdam route and worldwide, and ticket sales will tend towards 25 million euros," stated Radu Dumitrescu, a marketing manager with KLM Romania.
The higher number of passengers is primarily due to the introduction, at the end of last year, of a new daily flight. Until October 30th, 2004, KLM operated two daily flights and carried about 100,000 passengers per annum from Bucharest to Amsterdam.
Though they have been one of the most dynamic segments of the air transportation market recently, low-cost companies are not at this moment a strong contender, the KLM official believes.
"Companies like these only provide flights linking two cities, while KLM, through its hub and with the aid of air partners, offers more than 600 destinations worldwide. And ground and air services, including operational services, are better," the representative of the company also noted.
The potential of the domestic air transportation market has so far pushed major airlines like KLM, Air France and British Airways to introduce extra daily flights.
"Airlines are a kind of economic barometer and if we are to take this barometer into account, Romania is clearly faring well. The present and the future of air transport primarily depends on the economic situation, on economic growth, the purchasing power of the population, the development of tourism, national and regional security and not least on the elimination of political barriers, visas and other restrictions," said Dumitrescu.
Recently, KLM has launched a new price concept for Europe and North America. "The seasonal variations and price differences disappear this way, but the new tariffs are much more restricted in terms of availability and application conditions," explained Dumitrescu. Tariffs for Europe start from 200 euros for a return ticket, and those for Canada and the United States from 345 euros, airport taxes not included. lavinia.marin@zf.ro
Pentru alte știri, analize, articole și informații din business în timp real urmărește Ziarul Financiar pe WhatsApp Channels
