Cyprus-Forum.com

[twinkle]

‘No deal with north airline’

EASYJET yesterday said reports in the Turkish press on Saturday that the low-cost airline was cooperating with Turkish airline Pegasus to bring tourists to the north were untrue.

“This information is false and does not correspond to the facts,” said an email statement from easyJet, which was founded by Cypriot entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou who holds some 16 per cent of the airline’s shares.

According to Kibris newspaper on Saturday, easyJet would operate the flights to Istanbul and Pegasus would bring tourists over to the north.

“This is completely inaccurate. There are no relations of any type between easyJet and Pegasus,” the British-based carrier said.

EasyJet said last week it would be starting flights to Istanbul from this summer. The airline is expected to fly daily from Luton to Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen airport from June 29, with return fares from £62 sterling.

It is the first time that a low-cost carrier is stepping outside of the normal three-hour flight time limit, as longer-haul flights are generally not cost-effective for such airlines.

The airline will also begin four weekly flights between Basel and Istanbul on May 24.

Pegasus, Turkey’s oldest and biggest charter airline announced in January that it would open an office in the north to facilitate up to 14 flights per week due to the increased demand.

Pegasus was set up in 1990 as a joint venture with Irish airline Aer Lingus.



Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005

[davidp]

If this turns out to be true it would be a shame that easyjet was dicouraged to fly cut price to Southern Cyprus.
Cut price flights will bring in tourist cash to wherever they land so it looks like Turkey will be the winner.
Bring on the competition I say

[twinkle]

CA won't allow it. They have to keep their pilots on the payroll so the pilot's wives can own prada handbags and get their hair done everyday.....

[davidp]

I thought it was the pilots that had their hair done every day and wore matching Prada uniforms and underwear.

[andri_cy]

I thought it was the pilots that had their hair done every day and wore matching Prada uniforms and underwear.

I think it's a family pastime. they do it together

[Tuberider]

I hear from a pilot friend of mine that the only reason Easyjet does not fly into Cyprus is because the landing fees are too high.

The airport refuses to drop them down as they know Cyprus Airways will be crushed by the likes of Easyjet and Ryan Air

Therefore to keep the lovely cash rolling in they exclude the competition

Anyone know more about this ? My knowledge here is very sketchy but it does sound like typical cypriot business behaviour

[davidp]

The Cypriot view of business seems to be if you are not earning enough money, put your prices up.
If as a result you have fewer customers, increase your prices again to maintain the same profit from fewer customers.

No wonder Stelios made his fortune outside Cyprus