SAirLines, the airline division of the Swiss SAir Group, has bought a 34% stake in Italian charter carrier Volare. The shareholding was acquired on 28 August as part of a capital increase by the Italian airline. The Swiss company says this will provide its own charter carrier Balair/CTA with greater access to the Italian market.
SAirLines says the deal is part of a wider strategy to increase its charter business in Europe through partnerships. The company says co-operation could take the same form as its tie-up with Sabena's charter subsidiary Sobelair, with joint operation of routes and sharing of infrastructure. The company says it is continuing negotiations over a "substantial minority" stake in German charter airline LTU.
Balair/CTA operates a fleet of only two Airbus A310-300s. SAirGroup says that although there are longer-term plans to expand this fleet, expansion in the immediate future will be based on its partnership strategy.
Volare began operations from Tiene, near Venice, on 1 April. It operates two Airbus A320s on short-haul European routes and has two more A320s on order for delivery in the fourth quarter of this year, and the second quarter of 1999. SAirGroup's maintenance arm, SR Technics, will undertake Volare's aircraft maintenance.
Source: Flight International
