CZECH Airlines (ČSA) has announced that it is halting flights from Bratislava, Žilina and Poprad airports, citing the poor economic outlook and low ticket sales, the Sme daily reported. ČSA will maintain flights to and from Košice, in eastern Slovakia.
The decision came just six months after the airline launched new routes from Bratislava, and prompted complaints from the airport.
“It is not normal to take such a step without a previous announcement and at a time of full operations during the Christmas holiday,” said Bratislava Airport’s marketing director Tomáš Kika, as quoted by the Sme daily, adding that the airport had already started to negotiate with other carriers about how to replace the cancelled routes.
Meanwhile, Bratislava Airport cast doubt on ČSA’s assertion that it was not making enough money from ticket sales, citing International Air Transport Association (IATA) passenger figures. These show that during the first nine months of 2011, airlines using Slovak airports sold 15 percent more tickets than during the same period in 2010.
