Low-cost Stansted-Bratislava service begins

[MarkD]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2003/06/22/story103477.html

New airline offers low cost access to Eastern Europe
22/06/2003 - 10:25:44 am

A new low-cost airline offering six return flights a week from Stansted Airport in England to Bratislava in Slovakia is being launched this week.

Slovakia-owned SkyEurope will start services on July 11 and will be operating a Boeing 737 aircraft.
Flying two return flights on three days a week, the new carrier is beginning with £17 (€24.42) fares.

“Bratislava is only 45 minutes by road from Vienna, so effectively we are the only low-fare airline serving the Austrian city now that Ryanair has dropped the route following its takeover of Buzz,” said a SkyEurope spokesman.

Meanwhile, Kyrgyzstan Airlines, the national carrier of the former Soviet Union republic, is to start a service from Gatwick to its capital Bishkek on July 12, with flights going on to Delhi.

And on August 1, Middle East carrier Emirates will launch an extra daily service from Gatwick to Dubai.

[newswatcher]

Kyrgyzstan - exactly how is that pronounced? Cur-gis-tan or Keer-gis-tan?

Can't see a great deal of demand for Bishkek, or is it Asia's best kept secret? Any PPRuNers been there?

[Golf Charlie Charlie]

Kyrgyzstan ("Keer-gizz-stan") is not too bad a place, as Central Asian countries go - at least, it's probably the most easy-going and friendly. It's actually quite green and mountainous and has even been called - ahem - the Switzerland of Central Asia. It's quite a small country and is the only one of the five ex-Soviet '-stans' to have a measure of democracy, though even this has been compromised recently due to rising Islamic fundamentalist expression and pressure for more slef-expression from all groups.

Anyway, the capital Bishkek used to be (maybe still is...?) served by British Mediterranean Airlines via Tbilisi, I think. As I understand BMed services to Tbilisi have been suspended, I don't know whether this service still continues. I think there is likely to be limited demand, though I'd have thought a stop in Frankfurt or Vienna would add to load factors and make the service more cost-effective. Flying onto Delhi might make sense as there is a contingent of Indian/Asian workers there as well. There are some limited business opporunities there, and of course the whole Central Asia region is 'fashionable' now.

[Yak97]

Been there, am there, got the tea shirt.....

Kyrgyzstan Airlines "service" is being operated by Air Holland B767 and is aimed at the 6th freedom UK-India market, being run, it is rumoured, with a UK Asian travel specialist.

Kyrgystan Airlines are virtually bankrupt, they oly have one Tu154M capable of operating long range flights (and that is at least 2 years overdue for a major - 10 year - inspection).

They fly to MOW together with Altyn Air & Itel Air (TU134/154) & Kyrgyz Air (MD82).

BA/British Med still fly via Baku to Bishkek, but loads to Bishkek are sometimes only 30-40 pax (with some pax ex Baku as BA have traffic rights).

Bishkek's not a bad place, very hot (but quite dry) in summer & cold (but not vast ammounts of snow) in winter. The term Switzerland of Central Asia relates to the proximity to the mountains (not to an excess of cuckoo clocks)

[Nothrills]

“Bratislava is only 45 minutes by road from Vienna, so effectively we are the only low-fare airline serving the Austrian city now that Ryanair has dropped the route following its takeover of Buzz”

Well, not exactly: Air Berlin allows booking a through flight Stansted-Vienna, with a change in Berlin. Germania Express also have plans for expansion from Vienna.

[MarkD]

SkyEurope may regret telling people that Bratislava is closer to Vienna than Hahn is to Frankfurt, when EI-reg 738s start flying to "Vienna" after openskies when Slovakia accedes to the EU.