Brussels-Malmö, 6th March 2003 ? Virgin Express (Euronext Brussels: VIRE; OTC
Bulletin Board: VIRGY) has decided not to continue the present codeshare agreement it
has with SN Brussels Airlines between Brussels and Scandinavia. The Belgian low fare
airline has decided instead to enter into a codeshare agreement with Malmö Aviation, a
respected Swedish regional airline, on routes linking Brussels with Copenhagen,
Gothenburg and Stockholm.
Virgin ExpressThis agreement will enter into effect as from 30th March 2003.
Virgin Express will fly the three daily rotations on the Brussels-Copenhagen route with its
Boeing 737s. Malmö Aviation’s Avro RJ100s will operate the three daily flights between
Brussels and Stockholm and the two daily flights between Brussels and Gothenburg.
On all of these flights Virgin Express and Malmö Aviation will share capacity, which will
be sold through their respective distribution channels.
This is the third new cooperation agreement that Virgin Express has signed with
independent airlines in recent weeks. Together with our partnership with the Dutch
virtual airline BudgetAir on the Amsterdam-Rome route and the codeshare agreement
with VLM Airlines on the Brussels-London market, the cooperation with Malmö Aviation
strengthens Virgin Express’ position. The company has now, for the first time, no
business connection with Sabena or its successor.
Neil Burrows, Managing Director of Virgin Express, commented: “I am very pleased with
this new partnership with Malmö Aviation, which, like Virgin Express, is renowned for its
on-time performance and customer service. I am particularly pleased that our new
partner has such a good reputation amongst business passengers. I am convinced that,
by joining forces, Malmö Aviation and Virgin Express will offer passengers not only value
for money and punctual air transport between Scandinavia and Brussels, but will also
stimulate traffic on these markets because our respective sales channels are entirely
complementary.”
Ulf Axelsson, President and CEO of Malmö Aviation, added: “Now that we are
expanding abroad, it is very important to us to do this in cooperation with a partner that
shares Malmö Aviation’s corporate values. Without any doubt, this partnership will
strengthen our position in the market.”
Bromma Airport = Stockholm City Airport
Whereas Virgin Express used to offer flights to and from Stockholm-Arlanda Airport, the
flights operated in cooperation with Malmö Aviation will be arrive at and depart from
Stockholm-Bromma Airport. Bromma’s proximity to the city centre (less than 5 km
compared to the 47 km between Arlanda and the city centre of Stockholm) offers a huge
time advantages for those travelling in and out of the Swedish capital. Not only do most
passengers prefer Bromma Airport for its convenient location, but also for its short
check-in times and easy arrival procedures.
About Malmö Aviation
Malmö Aviation is in the unique position of operating connections between Malmö,
Gothenburg, Umeå and Kristianstad to Stockholm. Stockholm-Bromma Airport has been
Malmö Aviation’s hub for many years. During the summer months the Swedish regional
airline also operates flights to Visby, Pisa, Venice, Bologna, Glasgow, Dublin and Nice.
Through the years charter flights have become an increasingly important supplement to
our scheduled flights. Today, Malmö Aviation operates charter services to more than 60
European destinations.
In 2002, Malmö Aviation carries about 900,000 passengers on its scheduled routes.
Malmö Aviation has recently modernised its entire fleet of aircraft by replacing its BAe
146-200s for nine Avro RJ 100s. The RJ 100 with 112 seats is the largest aircraft
permitted to operate from Stockholm-Bromma Airport.
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