BritishJet (Merged)
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Maltese-owned low fares airline British Jet to start flying in May
by MICHAEL CARABOTT
Malta’s first low-cost airline – British Jet – will make its maiden flight from Malta International Airport on 1 May this year, announced chief executive officer Robby Borg yesterday.
Mr Borg, who also operates Bargain Holidays, said he was convinced that the new airline would face very stiff competition and that many challenges lay ahead, but he was sure that the company was equal to it.
He said that the airline would initially operate from Malta to Gatwick with one Boeing MD 90-30 with a capacity of 167 seats, but there are plans to purchase another identical aircraft.
The airline will also fly to Manchester four times a week and East Midlands, Birmingham and Leeds-Bradford on a weekly basis.
Mr Borg said that he originally set up a scheduled service to the UK in 2000 with Sabre Airways with return tickets to the UK priced at Lm49. Mr Borg said he had the choice to operate with Air Malta or British Airways, but prices would have been about Lm180, so he decided to use the cheaper airline, which he now owns.
This led to Air Malta and British Airways also having to reduce their prices. Mr Borg explained: “We became the largest Malta to UK tour operator but the drawback was that our flights were at night.”
Mr Borg said the new aircraft will fly during the day and will feature meals on board. “We have also done away with the ticketing system. You are simply given a reference number and your details are put into our computer system. Then you can check in without fumbling around for pieces of paper, but a boarding card and seat allocation system is still in place,” he said.
He said the airline will employ about 80 Maltese staff, but the number could increase once a second aircraft is added to the fleet. Cabin crew will be Maltese, but engineers and cockpit crew are Swiss and are part of the aircraft lease.
Mr Borg said he spends about Lm1.2m on advertising in the UK every year and the initial investment in the airline was Lm20m, and more will be spent in future.
He expects to increase the aircraft seat market by 70,000, 60,000 of which will be purchased by British tourists and the rest by Maltese travelling abroad from Malta.
He added that the airline had not yet decided which ground handlers to use, but it seemed like it was going to be a choice between Air Malta or Globe Service Air staff.
Mr Borg said the airline will be flying to additional destinations, some of them not in the UK, but all contracts are still under negotiation. “We will, however, be based in Malta, but we will not operate a to and from service. We might fly from Malta to Gatwick, then on to Manchester and back to Malta to economise and be more efficient”.
Mr Borg explained that there will be a higher allocation of cheaper flights once the airline is up and running. “It all moves according to demand. If you book well in advance, you will get a cheap ticket. The later you leave it, the more the price goes up. But you could hit a lucky day and if there are still empty places you could get the flight even cheaper,” he said. He explained that the system employed was simply down to demand as to availability. The more availability, the cheaper the flight or vice versa.
Asked how long it had taken to get the project up and running, Mr Borg said: “We first applied two years ago but we faced heavy objections from Air Malta who simply did not want any competition,” he said. Asked whether the airline would use self-check-in service, Mr Borg said: “As soon as the technology comes to Malta, we will be the first to adopt it.”
by MICHAEL CARABOTT
Malta’s first low-cost airline – British Jet – will make its maiden flight from Malta International Airport on 1 May this year, announced chief executive officer Robby Borg yesterday.
Mr Borg, who also operates Bargain Holidays, said he was convinced that the new airline would face very stiff competition and that many challenges lay ahead, but he was sure that the company was equal to it.
He said that the airline would initially operate from Malta to Gatwick with one Boeing MD 90-30 with a capacity of 167 seats, but there are plans to purchase another identical aircraft.
The airline will also fly to Manchester four times a week and East Midlands, Birmingham and Leeds-Bradford on a weekly basis.
Mr Borg said that he originally set up a scheduled service to the UK in 2000 with Sabre Airways with return tickets to the UK priced at Lm49. Mr Borg said he had the choice to operate with Air Malta or British Airways, but prices would have been about Lm180, so he decided to use the cheaper airline, which he now owns.
This led to Air Malta and British Airways also having to reduce their prices. Mr Borg explained: “We became the largest Malta to UK tour operator but the drawback was that our flights were at night.”
Mr Borg said the new aircraft will fly during the day and will feature meals on board. “We have also done away with the ticketing system. You are simply given a reference number and your details are put into our computer system. Then you can check in without fumbling around for pieces of paper, but a boarding card and seat allocation system is still in place,” he said.
He said the airline will employ about 80 Maltese staff, but the number could increase once a second aircraft is added to the fleet. Cabin crew will be Maltese, but engineers and cockpit crew are Swiss and are part of the aircraft lease.
Mr Borg said he spends about Lm1.2m on advertising in the UK every year and the initial investment in the airline was Lm20m, and more will be spent in future.
He expects to increase the aircraft seat market by 70,000, 60,000 of which will be purchased by British tourists and the rest by Maltese travelling abroad from Malta.
He added that the airline had not yet decided which ground handlers to use, but it seemed like it was going to be a choice between Air Malta or Globe Service Air staff.
Mr Borg said the airline will be flying to additional destinations, some of them not in the UK, but all contracts are still under negotiation. “We will, however, be based in Malta, but we will not operate a to and from service. We might fly from Malta to Gatwick, then on to Manchester and back to Malta to economise and be more efficient”.
Mr Borg explained that there will be a higher allocation of cheaper flights once the airline is up and running. “It all moves according to demand. If you book well in advance, you will get a cheap ticket. The later you leave it, the more the price goes up. But you could hit a lucky day and if there are still empty places you could get the flight even cheaper,” he said. He explained that the system employed was simply down to demand as to availability. The more availability, the cheaper the flight or vice versa.
Asked how long it had taken to get the project up and running, Mr Borg said: “We first applied two years ago but we faced heavy objections from Air Malta who simply did not want any competition,” he said. Asked whether the airline would use self-check-in service, Mr Borg said: “As soon as the technology comes to Malta, we will be the first to adopt it.”
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Who are British Jet and are they using an A320 or a MD80.
They seem to remind me of Airtours in a way, also it most likely looks like an MD80 will be used i mean you wouldnt go onto a Britannia Airways website and see a picture of a 747 would you?
They seem to remind me of Airtours in a way, also it most likely looks like an MD80 will be used i mean you wouldnt go onto a Britannia Airways website and see a picture of a 747 would you?
