MAX KINGSLEY-JONES / BIRMINGHAM
Birmingham's new low-fare operator eyes potential move to 16-Airbus A320 fleet
UK low-fare start-up MyTravelLite is planning to expand its initial two- aircraft fleet, which could result in it operating up to 16 Airbus A320s.
The airline, a spin-off from UK leisure group MyTravel, launched operations earlier this month from its Birmingham hub with two 180-seat A320s transferred from its charter sister airline MyTravel Airways. Its initial network comprises five points in France, Northern Ireland, Spain and Switzerland, but it has so far announced modest plans for two aircraft to be added to its fleet for its summer 2003 schedule.
"We are now looking at various scenarios which could see us expanding to up to 16 aircraft, and I will present these to the [MyTravel] board next month," says MyTravelLite managing director Tim Jeans. "These include a second operation in the UK," he adds. A timescale for the proposed expansion has not been revealed, but Jeans says it will not take place before next summer.
The airline was created to address the market erosion by low-cost carriers that its tour operator parent has been experiencing. It is believed that the next phase of expansion could include the creation of an off-shore hub. MyTravel already has an airline operation in Scandinavia, which makes the region a potential location for any additional bases.
Although it has its own flight operations manager, the low-fare division is structured as an arm of the charter airline with flight and cabin crew seconded for short periods. The second batch of two aircraft due to arrive next year are being sourced from MyTravel's Scandinavian arm, and have been subject to lease extensions. Jeans says any additional aircraft will have to be sourced from outside MyTravel Group, but he does not envisage the need for a separate dedicated flight and cabin crew pool until the fleet has grown beyond 12 aircraft.
MyTravel Airways and FLS Aerospace have launched their 50/50 engineering joint venture at Manchester Airport. The company, MyTravel Aircraft Engineering, will provide maintenance and technical services for the tour operator's fleet.
Source: Flight International
