Silverjet nearing revenue target, US trade strong
- <LI class=publication>Reuters
- Tuesday January 15 2008
LONDON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - British business-class-only airline Silverjet has just had a record week of U.S. bookings and is nearing its target of charging 1,100 pounds ($2,157) per seat, its Chief Executive said on Tuesday.
Lawrence Hunt told Reuters the airline would become cash positive in the next few months as he clarified his strategy the day after a brokerage note wrote off Silverjet as "doomed to fail".
"On forward bookings, we're near to 1,100 pounds per seat, just slightly under that at the moment, which is an incredible feat for an airline that's only a year old," he said.
"We had a record sales week last week in the U.S.," he added. "We've seen a massive increase in corporate enquiries by companies looking to cut costs."
Hunt also said he was in early joint venture discussions with investors who want to replicate the Silverjet business model in India, China, South Africa and the Middle East.
The airline will put two new aircraft into service in late May or early June, and is looking at the U.S. west coast, Miami, India and South Africa as possible destinations, he added. (Reporting by Pete Harrison; Editing by Rory Channing