AUSTRIAN airline Niki, a subsidiary of Air Berlin, will introduce connections from Bratislava to Brussels and Mallorca as of April 2015, the M.R. Štefánik Airport General Director Ivan Trhlík and Niki General Director Christian Lesjak announced at a joint press conference on December 4, the TASR newswire reported.
Niki will initially use an Embraer 190 airplane to Brussels, which will later be replaced by an Airbus A320 airplane, and will fly an A321 to Palma de Mallorca right from the beginning.
“I view this cooperation as critical for the further development of Bratislava Airport that we expect in the near future - not only due to the opening of new direct connections from Bratislava, but especially due to the fact that via the Oneworld [airline] alliance and the network of Etihad Airways, Bratislava Airport will join global distribution system,” Trhlík said, as quoted by TASR. “This means that virtually any passenger anywhere in the world will be able to find a flight ticket to Bratislava.”
Niki will operate two flights daily on Monday-Friday between Bratislava and Brussels as of April.
“When Slovakia assumes the EU Council presidency for six months in July 2016, the country will already have a flight connection with Brussels, the EU’s capital,” said Lesjak, as quoted by TASR.
Niki was set up by former Formula One driver Niki Lauda in 2003. Niki merged with Air Berlin in 2011, sharing operations, booking systems and aircraft. By virtue of being a subsidiary of Air Berlin, Niki is an affiliate member of Oneworld, according to TASR.
Source: TASR
Compiled by Roman Cuprik from press reports
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