“The main growth factors have been the introduction of new foreign destinations and increased frequencies for most existent routes”, said Monica Boar, a marketing referent with Carpatair.
The newly introduced destinations were Dusseldorf and Turin and thus the company currently operates flights from six Romanian cities to 14 destinations in Italy, Germany, Hungary and the Republic of Moldova.
The total number of passengers carried by the company rose by 50%, last year, to 291,000.
Set up in 1999 by a group of Swiss and Romanian investors, Carpatair has become one of the main air operators in Romania.
Carpatair this year expects turnover worth 60 million dollars, accounting for a 20% increase as compared to last year.
Data pertaining to profit derived last year have not been disclosed yet, but in 2003 the company’s profit reached 67 billion ROL (2 million dollars). The company currently has 330 employees.
“Starting March the 21st, the company will introduce connections on two new routes, namely Constanta and Naples. In Romania, Constanta will be the main point of departure to Italy and Germany, with daily flights to Europe year-round. In Italy, Naples is the ninth city connected to the network operated by Carpatair. At the same time, this year we are considering new routes, to be disclosed in due time”, Boar also stated.
Another target for this year is a larger aircraft fleet, with Carpatair planning to acquire new jets. According to the company’s management, the firm is in talks with Fokker and Boeing groups.
At present, the company’s fleet is made up of 12 airplanes of Swedish origin, six Saab 2000 planes of 50 seats each and six Saab 340 planes, each with a capacity of 33 seats.
One of Carpatair’s highly sought destinations is Italy. “Routes to Italy have a special growth potential, both due to the economic ties between the two countries, and to the labour force traffic between Romania and Italy. Of Carpatair’s destinations to Germany, Munich proves to be one of the most popular”, the company’s representatives also said.
Last year’s turnover growth was registered in the context where tariffs dropped by 10-15% in the spring of 2004 against 2003, a level that has not changed since. The airlines market was one of the most dynamic last year, with airlines reporting higher demand both from the part of persons going to work abroad and on the business and tourism segments.