INDONESIAN CARRIER Garuda and Japan Airlines (JAL) have withdrawn from services to Munich Airport, leaving the airport management company, Flughafen Munchen (FMG), defending its growth record.
According to the airport authorities, JAL pulled out over a question of traffic rights, while Garuda's decision was part of an overall reduction in European services. "It is very difficult for us to see the reasons for Garuda's decision," says FMG.
JAL's withdrawal was triggered by the fact that it had insufficient traffic rights to start up a planned second Boeing 747 service between Munich and Tokyo. Its rights would, however, have allowed a smaller-capacity MD-11 service, but the airline did not have an aircraft of this type available. It decided that a once-weekly frequency is unsatisfactory.
According to FMG, Garuda was unwilling to bend to attempts to prevent its withdrawal from the airport, saying that it wants to "...improve its product with a slimmed-down flight timetable". The airline has also recently withdrawn from Berlin, Madrid and Vienna.
FMG points out, however, that other airlines' European winter timetables have left Munich expecting 6% more aircraft movements overall, offering 8% more seats, than in the previous year.
Munich is Germany's third-largest airport, and has reported 10% passenger-traffic growth in the first nine months of 1995, compared with the previous year.
Lufthansa recently announced that it is planning to create its second international hub at Munich, introducing intercontinental flights and increasing its European services (Flight International, 8-14 November).
Source: Flight International
