Thomsonfly European Flights
- Posted 5th Aprl 2005
BUDGET airline Thomsonfly are celebrating the first anniversary since they launched flights from Coventry Airport.
Almost one million people have used the opportunity to take cheap flights with the fledgling airline, including around 100,000 jet setters from the Coventry area alone.
Thomsonfly started operating from Coventry a year ago today (Thursday), offering flights to 11 destinations.
Since then they have expanded to 18 routes including recent additions Barcelona and Faro.
The no-frills carrier have also recently started flying to the continent from Doncaster/Sheffield and Bournemouth airports.
Spanish cities Malaga Airport and Alicante Airport have been the most popular destinations while flights to Jersey proved such a hit that the airline continued to the run planes through the winter despite original plans for it to be a summer route only.
The airline's first year has not been without its problems - at one stage there were doubts whether they would be allowed to continue using the temporary passenger terminal built by previous airport owners Air Atlantique after Warwick District Council said it broke planning regulations.
The council ordered Thomsonfly's parent company TUI to close the terminal down, but the German travel giants took the case to the High Court in London, where the enforcement action was quashed.
Months later Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott said the terminal required planning permission and launched a public inquiry into the matter early last month.
There will then be a second public inquiry to examine TUI's application to build a permanent terminal, which was originally refused planning permission by the council back in September.
Thomsonfly's managing director Alex Hunter told The Observer the “hoo ha” over the interim terminal affected ticket sales during the first few months of operation because potential customers were put off by uncertainty over the airport's future.
“Now all the issues over the interim and permanent terminals are being resolved through the public inquiry I am confident we will continue to grow," he said.
"People now realise we are here to stay and are running a serious and sensible business.
“We did a lot of market research and found there was a demand for flights from Coventry, so I've not been surprised by the success we've had, despite all the negative publicity.”
Thomsonfly have won plaudits from travel industry pundits for the range of destinations they offer, and as a result of the popularity of their Valencia route three rival airlines have followed them to Spain's vibrant third city.
The budget airline has also been warmly received by the Coventry business community.
Darren Jones, chairman of the Coventry branch of the Chamber of Commerce, was full of praise for Thomsonfly.
“Quite simply, the Thomsonfly operation from Coventry airport has brought an additional potential customer base of tens of millions of people within an hour and a half of my office front door – and this is the case for businesses throughout Coventry and Warwickshire," he said.
“Not only that, but it makes sure the name ‘Coventry’ is seen on departure boards at airports throughout Europe – the effect this has on raising the city’s profile should not be underestimated.”
Despite the airline being a big hit with thousands of city residents, a vociferous campaign mounted against Thomsonfly has been run by anti-airport protesters over concerns about noise, pollution and traffic since the airline's launch.
Archie Muir from The Community Group said all their fears have been proved during the past year.
Mr Muir, who lives in Stoneleigh, said: “The worst thing has been the noise people have had to suffer since Thomsonfly was launched, particularly in Baginton and Willenhall. Increased traffic has also been a problem.
"Nothing Thomsonfly has done has been positive and they have treated local people with disdain since they started."
In the next 12 months, Thomsonfly hope for a successful end to the public inquiry and have plans to introduce more routes to its schedules.
