A new Albanian low-cost carrier plans to start services on 1 December, focusing initially on serving the Albanian community in Germany.
Tafa Air aims to undercut existing carriers' prices to and from Albania, the largely ethnically-Albanian self-declared republic of Kosovo and destinations in Western Europe.
The airline has been set up by Albanian businessman Taf Tafa, who has interests in construction and other sectors. It is financially backed by Albanian and Kosovan businessmen.
The airline intends to start services with two leased Airbus A320-200s, plus a Gulfstream G200 business jet. Ova Sami, assistant to Tafa, says that the A320s will be leased from a European operator on an 'aircraft, maintenance, crew and insurance' (ACMI) basis, but he declines to name the operator in question. Tafa Air also plans to lease two Ilyushin IL-76TD freighters "by the start of January" in order to operate charter cargo services from the Balkans to mainly Middle Eastern destinations.
Tafa Air plans to start daily services between Tirana and Berlin Neubrandenburg, Dortmund and Friedrichshafen, with the same German destinations also being served daily from Pristina, Kosovo. There will also be a twice-daily Tirana-Pristina service.
Sami says that Tafa Air aims to extend its network to include Austria and Switzerland, with services to Geneva due to launch next summer. It also aims to begin services to London in summer 2010 and is currently negotiating with several London airports - although not Heathrow, which Sami says is "too expensive".
The Gulfstream G200, he adds, will be used for VIPs and business travellers. Tafa Air's main focus, however, will be on delivering a low-cost, full-service offering, with tickets selling for a fixed price no matter how far in advance passengers book. Sami says that fares are being set at a level typically around 30% of those charged by existing carriers for next-day services between Western Europe and Albania.
Sami adds that the airline's backers are prepared to accept small margins to facilitate travel for the Albanian and Kosovan diaspora. "The major point of our airline is very simple," he says. "It's an ethnic airline and will be a cheap means for Albanians and Kosovans to travel back and forth to their home country."
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news