akerosid
23rd Nov 2003, 19:35
I know there's a thread running on this issue in the "Airlines and Routes" forum, but it struck me as rather odd, the cities they have been choosing - and sometimes, not choosing.
Okay, I'm sure GLA has considerable commercial appeal, but Lagos and Accra? Sure, Nigeria is a big oil producer and has a predominantly Muslim population, but it's also generally considered the corruption capital of the world.
I'm particularly curious, because I understand that the Irish govt has been quite keen to get EK to fly to DUB, apparently without success, because the word in Dublin is that GF is to operate a number of charters over Christmas with a view to operating scheduled flights from next year. Given the Irish economy's stability and the country's attractiveness to tourists, especially to/from Aus/NZ and the lack of direct access from outside Europe, Dublin would seem to have been a natural choice. Now, if GF does the route, it would appear that EK "had its chance and blew it". For an airline with EK's expansion plans, it doesn't necessarily seem to be a good thing.
Are the routes announced for 2004 - Glasgow, Shanghai, Lagos/ Accra and Vienna "it" for 2004, or will they be adding more?
Okay, I'm sure GLA has considerable commercial appeal, but Lagos and Accra? Sure, Nigeria is a big oil producer and has a predominantly Muslim population, but it's also generally considered the corruption capital of the world.
I'm particularly curious, because I understand that the Irish govt has been quite keen to get EK to fly to DUB, apparently without success, because the word in Dublin is that GF is to operate a number of charters over Christmas with a view to operating scheduled flights from next year. Given the Irish economy's stability and the country's attractiveness to tourists, especially to/from Aus/NZ and the lack of direct access from outside Europe, Dublin would seem to have been a natural choice. Now, if GF does the route, it would appear that EK "had its chance and blew it". For an airline with EK's expansion plans, it doesn't necessarily seem to be a good thing.
Are the routes announced for 2004 - Glasgow, Shanghai, Lagos/ Accra and Vienna "it" for 2004, or will they be adding more?