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New budget airline to Europe looks at 2007 start
Budget carrier Viva Macau says it plans to launch four-weekly charter flights from Europe to Sydney in the first half of 2007 before moving to a scheduled daily service if the market performs as expected.
The airline, which took delivery of its first Boeing 767 last month, is also looking to fly to Melbourne.
“Sydney is very much on the radar screen,” said Viva Macau chief executive Andrew Pyne. “We’re not talking a tentative [plan]. We’re talking about something which is pretty firm now,” he said.
Pyne said Viva Macau’s strongest selling point was the growing popularity of the fast-growing gambling centre of Macau.
“Macau has entered into its next stage of development with the opening of the Wynn resort here the other week,” he said. AirAsia was now flying five times a day into the territory since launching flights there two years ago, which showed demand for low-cost air travel was high.
“Low prices obviously drive high demand and to get Macau on the radar screen,” he said. “You would see we’d be about 20 per cent below the average fares in the Australia-Hong Kong market,” Pyne said.
The airline hopes to launch its first services from Macau to Jakarta and the Maldives by November with two 767s. The airline plans to have a fleet of 15 767s by 2010. Its main financial backer is the Macau businessman and hotel investor Ngan In Leng.
Viva Macau will have two classes and will offer food and portable video players at an extra cost to passengers.
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