A boom in the volume of air traffic between Russia and Crete is set to have
a major impact on tours to the popular tourist destination.
The boom has occurred because companies such as Neva, East Line, IntAir and Megapolus-Aviacharter - all companies that last year bought blocks of seats on existing flights, have this year decided to launch their own Moscow to Iraclion charter programs. Other companies including VKO Travel, Labyrinth, Pantheon and Fenek Air have followed suit.
Not all the companies involved are yet ready to unveil the details of their new charter programmes. It is known, however, that VKO Travel and Labyrinth will each fly the route three times a week using a VIM-Avia Boeing 737. Meanwhile Neva will offer two flights a week using a Kavminvodi TU214 aircraft. And from the end of April IntAir will enter the market, initially using a VIM-Avia TU154 - but using a larger aircraft from June. BANKO has also learned that The Russian Charter Centre also intends to offer three flights to Iraclion and Chania using a VIM-Avia carrier.
As a result, experts forecast ten extra flights per week between Moscow and the holiday island paradise. Due to the island's small hotel base this will represent an excess of flights to the destination; simply, there aren't enough hotel beds available to Russian agents to allow all flights to operate at capacity. Elena Komorova is Tourism Director at the Moscow travel company IntAir; Komorova explained that ‘hotels and travel companies in Crete made many contracts with European companies that resulted in a shortage of hotel rooms available to the Russian market’.
Russian travel industry experts believe that the problem can only be solved through the cancellation of some of the new charter flight programmes. Elena Sorkina is Greek Destination Supervisor of the Moscow agency UTE Megapolus Group; she pointed out that 'to plan charters does not mean to launch them.'
Nevertheless, the majority of companies involved - especially the new players in the market - have confidence in their new flights; some experts do not even exclude the possibility of yet further increases in the volume of air traffic on the route. Anatolyi Garkushin is General Director of the Pantheon travel company in Moscow; he stated that ‘in case of high demand, we will probably launch an additional weekly flight’.
Competition on the route seems likely to be intense.
The boom has occurred because companies such as Neva, East Line, IntAir and Megapolus-Aviacharter - all companies that last year bought blocks of seats on existing flights, have this year decided to launch their own Moscow to Iraclion charter programs. Other companies including VKO Travel, Labyrinth, Pantheon and Fenek Air have followed suit.
Not all the companies involved are yet ready to unveil the details of their new charter programmes. It is known, however, that VKO Travel and Labyrinth will each fly the route three times a week using a VIM-Avia Boeing 737. Meanwhile Neva will offer two flights a week using a Kavminvodi TU214 aircraft. And from the end of April IntAir will enter the market, initially using a VIM-Avia TU154 - but using a larger aircraft from June. BANKO has also learned that The Russian Charter Centre also intends to offer three flights to Iraclion and Chania using a VIM-Avia carrier.
As a result, experts forecast ten extra flights per week between Moscow and the holiday island paradise. Due to the island's small hotel base this will represent an excess of flights to the destination; simply, there aren't enough hotel beds available to Russian agents to allow all flights to operate at capacity. Elena Komorova is Tourism Director at the Moscow travel company IntAir; Komorova explained that ‘hotels and travel companies in Crete made many contracts with European companies that resulted in a shortage of hotel rooms available to the Russian market’.
Russian travel industry experts believe that the problem can only be solved through the cancellation of some of the new charter flight programmes. Elena Sorkina is Greek Destination Supervisor of the Moscow agency UTE Megapolus Group; she pointed out that 'to plan charters does not mean to launch them.'
Nevertheless, the majority of companies involved - especially the new players in the market - have confidence in their new flights; some experts do not even exclude the possibility of yet further increases in the volume of air traffic on the route. Anatolyi Garkushin is General Director of the Pantheon travel company in Moscow; he stated that ‘in case of high demand, we will probably launch an additional weekly flight’.
Competition on the route seems likely to be intense.
