Malev: Romania is the third largest European market for us

Malev airline, one of the leading airline operators on the local market, will transport over 200,000 passengers this year on flights to and from Romania, according to ZF estimates, which are based on the growth rate announced by the company. “If we exclude the flights to and from Cluj-Napoca operated by Malev in April 2008, the other Malev destinations recorded an average 10% growth in the number of passengers,” said Madalina Cretu, Malev’s country commercial manager. Last year, Malev transported 180,000 passengers to and from Romania, while this year, the company has started to operate the Cluj-Budapest route directly. Prior to this, flights between these destinations were operated under a code sharing partnership with Carpatair. Despite the decline in oil prices, the airline market is now facing the global economic crisis. However, this has not prompted Malev to revise its local routes, but it is more careful when it comes to new prospective destinations. “Fortunately, dropping flights operated in Romania has not been considered, with the Romanian market being the third largest in Europe for Malev. The company is involved in expanding our presence in Romania, but, clearly, under the current circumstances, nobody can take on the risks of making decisions that could prove inefficient. That is why we continue to examine very carefully the possibility of introducing new routes and destinations and we are hoping to reach a final decision soon,” Madalina Cretu said.