Fire in the SPb air

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   The number of charter flights from Saint-Petersburg to Egyptian resorts has grown during the new season. Two companies at once revealed themselves as independent flight customers: Neva and TEZ TOUR. Neva has left the alliance with several companies – Transbusinessline, Riviera, Travel Council and some other. NEZ TOUR worked as a block customer last season. At the moment six Pulkovo Airlines IL 86 planes are making flights from the north capital to Hurgada, and five planes of the same type and the same airlines are flying to Sharm el Sheikh. Last year only seven or eight planes were making flights to Egypt. As experts note, such redundancy exceeds the market possibilities, owing to which operators are forced to drop the packet prices. For example, TEZ TOUR has named prices starting from $299 for October 12th. Although Elena Khaletskaya, Solvex Tourne director, the price on flight alone is $370–380. At the same time TEZ TOUR representatives don’t see anything unusual in their offers. ‘The flow of tourists is big enough, and our position in Egyptian hotels is strong, so our markup is minimal, and the prices are quite attractive,’ says Artyom Martyshchenko, head of TEZ TOUR PR department in Saint-Petersburg. ‘As for dumping, it is possible on the market, but price wars are not our method.’
   Elena Sadkova, deputy director general of Neva company, calls the situation with flights a difficult one. ’The beginning of Egyptian programs has overlaid with the ending of Turkish ones. I think that after the November holidays the programs will start to shorten, for not everyone will bear the competition.’