COMMENT: A Larger Europe
On 1 May 2004 Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia are set to join the European Union. They are currently known by the term "acceding countries". Bulgaria and Romania hope to do so by 2007, while Turkey would like to join but is not currently negotiating its membership. From an airline point of view the arrival of these 10 nations offers both a chance for EU carriers to expand in further unregulated markets and in the other direction it offers opportunities that were but a dream in the past, but in fact are a reality. Over the last week or so we have seen the way things are going.
Air Polonia has sought approval from the regularity authorities and, in advance of Warsaw”s accession to EU membership, will introduce today (Monday 15 December) services from Stansted to a number of Polish cities. By May the airline expects to be flying from its home city to a number of major capitals including Paris and Rome. SkyEurope Airlines of Slovenia has done the same for both Bratislava and Budapest. In what it terms a reprisal move against easyJet, who are establishing a hub at the future Brandenburg International Airport (Schonefeld to the uninitiated), Air Berlin is offering Stansted ” Majorca. Casting aside pique the Air Berlin move is in truth just good commercial sense. The airline already offers eight German destinations from London”s third airport and claims to be the biggest operator at Palma. The biggest success story of all, reference the EU, is of course Ryanair, a two time failure who was able to drive a coach and horses (if that is the right phrase where airlines are concerned) through the regulations, be persuaded by the BAA to move from Luton to Stansted and then expand that airport as the centre of its airline operation with currently no less than 71 destinations.
The enlarged EU offers tremendous opportunities in terms of air travel both for the established airlines and the new upstarts. Business people will want to explore commercial opportunities and as has been proven time and time again, the public love to travel. Hurry on 1 May. The airline map of Europe is about to be re-drawn again.