Long-haul scheduled charter flights with Airbus A350-900
The DER Touristik SK, a. s. group, in close cooperation with Bratislava Airport, has brought the far-flung exotic destinations of Cuba, the Dominican Republic and Vietnam to the Slovak travel market.
From October 24th, 2023 onwards, the Airbus A350-900 of the Spanish company World2Fly, which is one of the most modern and economical aircraft, will be used for flights. This is the first ever regular connection with an aircraft deployed for long-haul flights from Bratislava Airport.
The travel group DER Touristik SK (which represents the Kartago tours and Fischer brands), has launched an absolute novelty in the form of comfortable travel with the state-of-the-art Airbus A350-900. The value of the contract for the 2023/2024 winter season with the Spanish airline World2Fly exceeds EUR 21 million. Flights will be operated 3 times a week on Tuesdays (Cuba), Wednesdays (Dominican Republic) and Thursdays (Vietnam). The holiday destinations are Cuba's Santa Clara, Dominican Republic's Punta Cana and Vietnam's Phu Quoc island.
"The introduction of serial charter flights offers Slovaks a convenient and faster connection than from neighbouring countries. It takes about 13 hours to get to the Dominican Republic from Bratislava, including a stopover in Prague, which is significantly less than from Vienna and a subsequent change in Frankfurt," says Alica Šipošová, spokesperson for Kartago tours.
An absolute novelty in the field of exotic holidays is the Vietnamese island of Phu Quoc. "The largest of the Vietnamese islands has not yet been affected by mass tourism, offering white beaches, a variety of attractions and high-quality services. The flight from Bratislava takes 13 hours," adds CK Fischer spokesman Jan Bezděk.
Historical milestone at Bratislava Airport
Bratislava Airport has received permission from the Transport Authority to operate selected aircraft of category E. This means the introduction of wide-body aircraft for long-haul flights. The airport has been preparing for such an opportunity in several aspects, such as safety or operational procedures, additions of machinery and staff or their mandatory certification to operate (not only) aircraft such as Airbus A350-900, Airbus A330, Boeing B787, etc.
"The launch of long-haul flights marks a historic milestone for the airport. It also opens the door to other intercontinental destinations. Slovaks have the opportunity to fly to exotic countries not only from neighbouring countries, but also directly from Bratislava. My colleagues and I have had a challenging preparation for the operation of such aircraft, which included the development of new security procedures and the modification of airport infrastructure. I would like to thank the entire airport team that participated in this preparation," adds the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of M. R. Štefánik Airport, Ing. Dušan Keketi.
The Airbus A350-900 aircraft of the Spanish company World2Fly has a capacity of 432 passengers. It offers maximum comfort for passengers. During the entire duration of the flight, passengers can enjoy a rich on-board entertainment system on the screens in front of each seat. A major benefit is also the modern filtration system, which ensures constant air exchange on board and significantly reduces fatigue due to the lower cabin pressure. The noise level on board is at just 59 db, making it the quietest cabin of any current aircraft. The aircraft depart from Bratislava to Prague for refuelling, where additional passengers will also board, before continuing to their final destination.
The demand for exotic holidays with departures from Bratislava is extremely high. The DER Touristik SK Group has managed to sell out more than 70% of the contracted capacity by the end of 2023 since the start of sales. The holidays are available for 7 or 14 nights. Kartago tours and Fischer travel agencies allow the sale of separate tickets in addition to standard holiday packages.