Swedish regional operator City Airline is to dedicate a third aircraft from its fleet to ad hoc charter as it ramps up marketing activity aimed at attracting music tours. The airline is to take a fourth Embraer ERJ-145 early next year and will base the aircraft at a London airport to complement corporate shuttle aircraft based at its Gothenburg headquarters and Lyons in France, writes Justin Wastnage.
The airline has contracts from French soccer teams in Lyons and Marseilles to fly players to championship matches. It also runs quasi-scheduled corporate shuttles for the Citroën and Volvo car companies.
Tom Ericsson, City Airline managing director, says the operator wants to expand its corporate shuttle work as a risk-spreading strategy as it opens new routes from Gothenburg and Lyons. “We certainly like [ad hoc charter] much better than competing with flag carriers and low-cost carriers,” says Ericsson. The operator is to appoint full-time sales staff to work with brokers to place the ERJ-145s with music companies. He says the 50-seat jet fills a niche below major music tours, for lesser-known artists.
Source: Flight International
