Face-to-face: Jerome Newton, sales director, Germania UK and Ireland
Contributors are not employed, compensated or governed by TD, opinions and statements are from the contributor directly
What’s the extent of your UK operations to date (scheduled and chartered – routes, frequencies, etc)?
We launched Germania in the UK just two years ago and we now operate four aircraft. The airline flies from two major hubs, London Gatwick and Manchester, and one regional base, Norwich, which is used during the summer season. All three aircraft are based at Gatwick during the winter season. The fourth aircraft has been temporarily taken out of service for planned maintenance.
Over the course of the year, 95 per cent of our aircraft utilisation is on charter services, primarily to Greece and other well-known leisure destinations. The remaining five per cent comprises our own year-round scheduled operations from Gatwick to niche destinations such as Erfurt in Germany and Pristina in Kosovo.
What growth are you witnessing on these routes/charters/services and what’s driving demand?
Our growth in the UK comes primarily from UK tour operators who are utilising our charter services. Germania offers highly competitive rates, but we are not a low-cost carrier so we deliver a high-quality product. We therefore provide an attractive alternative to the competing airlines, low-cost carriers and the traditional flagship carriers that operate in the UK market.
Our on-time performance also helps, as does our product, product delivery and fleet type.
What opportunities are there for Germania to expand its UK presence and what’s your strategy in this respect?
Germania’s fleet composition and business model offers an amazing level of flexibility. This means that we can make the most of opportunities that arise and meet the needs of tour operators in a way that impresses their customers and supports their businesses. We therefore believe that we can compete very successfully and offer the market something that is both different and sustainable. That differentiation is enabling us to build a strong presence here.
Where do you see gaps in the market that you could fill?
Niche airports offer us great opportunities, enabling us to use the good range and performance capabilities of our fleet of smaller 737-700 and A319 aircraft. We are also looking to introduce new scheduled routes which either complement or compete with the dominance of the low-cost carriers.
What’s your USP?
We offer highly competitive prices and good traditional service using new, smaller aircraft, combined with and the reliability of German engineering and maintenance.
How do you intend to improve brand awareness amongst trade and consumers?
This will come in time. As with our operational growth, awareness of our brand will increase in an organic and sustainable way, as part of our growth plan. As we introduce more scheduled routes, we will publicise them to our trade and consumer audiences, increase brand awareness and build on the profile we are developing through our charter services.
How important is the UK travel trade as a distribution channel for Germania and what’s your UK trade strategy going forward?
Because the majority of our UK operation is engaged with the charter sector, the UK travel trade as a distribution channel is not vital to us at the moment. However, it is absolutely crucial to our direct clients. Having said that, because of the anticipated growth I mentioned earlier, the trade will become increasingly important to us and will become an integral part of the success of our business. The importance of building up networks and building brand awareness within the trade is therefore quite considerable and we plan to develop those relationships naturally as the business progresses.
Comments are closed.