Discovery Travel - out of business?

concordino · Post by **concordino** » 05 Jan 2005, 14:00

Just read a news line on Skyliner that Discovery Travel has stopped flying , but plans to re-start in March. Today's flights into Antwerp have been cancelled.

Can anyone confirm or deny the rumour?

Concordino

Advisor · Post by **Advisor** » 06 Jan 2005, 09:15

The airline from Czechia named Discovery Travel aka WDL AVIATION.

Their website says:
Temporary interruption of operating of the airlines from 4th January 2005 until 21st March 2005

https://www.discovery-travel.cz/secure/dtobs2/

concordino · Post by **concordino** » 06 Jan 2005, 10:14

Amazing that there has been so little reaction to yet another operator to Belgium fall by the way!

Advisor · Post by **Advisor** » 06 Jan 2005, 10:20

Any idea or inside information about this decision, Concordino

Post by **luchtzak** » 06 Jan 2005, 10:21

concordino wrote:Amazing that there has been so little reaction to yet another operator to Belgium fall by the way!

Maybe not in this topic but Discovery Travel was adviced in this topic:

- 2 flights per day: https://www.aviation24.be/postp41191.html#41191
- low payload: https://www.aviation24.be/postp43143.html#43143
- first flight only 2 pax on board: https://www.aviation24.be/postp43394.html#43394

BTW I have never seen advertising for this company

Advisor · Post by **Advisor** » 06 Jan 2005, 10:30

Thanx Bart. Read those topics.

If only Discovery Travel heeded the advice posted here.

As a marketing effort, I suggest you market Luchtzak.be to all the airlines so that they know what is going on

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 06 Jan 2005, 12:24

Prague is one of the top-5 city trip destinations in Belgium (think its' Paris, London, Barcelona, Prague, Istanbul). There are some 4 daily flights BRU-PRG-BRU, so there is a place for Discovery Travel. Specially from Antwerp: free parking, check-in time 20 minutes, luggage on carrousel 10 minutes after landing.

This is what I would suggest to Discovery Travel:

1. change your name into Discovery Prague Air, Prague Airlines or something like that. "Travel" make one think on organized tours, and specially youth prefer low cost arrangements through internet.

2. appoint a GSA in Belgium, and give them a budget for promotion towards the travel trade.

3. register a commercial Belgian domain name (visitprague.be f.e.)

4. ask one of the leading touroperators for Prague to organize a press trip (for newspaper and magazine journo's)

Post by **Bruspotter** » 06 Jan 2005, 15:37

Hello

So sad , and also TOO BAD!!!!

Now for that one time their comes a (for Antwerp) bigger plane than
the Fokker-50.

Hope they come back.

Best regards: Yannick

stroman · Post by **stroman** » 06 Jan 2005, 15:48

[ admin luchtzak removed text, please respect copyright-regulations ]

Aerocroatia · Post by **Aerocroatia** » 15 Jan 2005, 22:45

Accoding to the latest news Discovery will resume operations by the end of March. The biggest problem in company were domestic flights with very poor passangers load over the comming months.

Airline is reportedly interested in bigger planes because of growing interest of Czech travel agencies for charter flights around Mediterranean sea.

Aerocroatia · Post by **Aerocroatia** » 19 Jan 2005, 20:19

Czech business newspapers wrote today that Discovery Travel was liqudated at the end of last week and it will not start again in March as it was planned.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 20 Jan 2005, 09:51

The French tourism newsletter TourMag.com today announces that a court in Prague has filed them for bankruptcy: "Le tribunal municipal de Prague a demandé la mise en faillite de la petite compagnie aérienne tchèque Discovery Travel".

Seems indeed it's over and out for them.

sab319 · Post by **sab319** » 20 Jan 2005, 15:58

it's sad to see the biggest aircraft leave antwerp...

koninckske · Post by **koninckske** » 06 Feb 2005, 18:11

Any recent news about Discovery? Possible new venture named Discovery Link?

Aerocroatia · Post by **Aerocroatia** » 06 Feb 2005, 19:26

Company said (at their web-pages) that they have not received any document from the Prague court and that they haven't gone bankrupt.
All information written in this forum according to their web-page relese is not true. They have reportedly only interruped regular traffic due to very low demand and temorarly stopped booking. http://www.discovery-travel.cz/
8O

Actually the full name of the airline was "Discovery Link". Discovery Travel was the agency which was their GSA. And they are at the moment selling only summer holidays in Istria without any charter flights to this destination.

SN30952 · Post by **SN30952** » 06 Feb 2005, 20:45

sab319 wrote:it's sad to see the biggest aircraft leave antwerp...

Unfortunately, the bloodbath is becoming rampant.
(And I do not mean it was fortunate prior to date, do not understand me wrongly, please. As some people seem to see different things than I want to express).
I'm convinced the market research of these airlines was correct, the planning too. But the cost control seems to be the problem, and particularly unexpected or not projected fuel costs.
Now I hear some euro-politicians would like to levy taxes on aviation fuel. If that would come tru airlines would envisage hubs outside the euro-fuel-tax zone.
It is clear, some euro-technocrats have chosen for the railways, as in HST-TGV.
Strange, already the best railway stations are at the airports?
Regionals and short-haul feeders must die, I'm afraid. And in the same sway the regional airports.
I posted in Latest News a report of a study and research subject, about how airlines pollute the air. These kind of scientific works are euro-subsidised. Never have I seen, similar subsidised works about airport and airport hinterland development. These studies say more than it looks at first glance, short haul and regional aviation beware.

LX-LGX · Post by **LX-LGX** » 07 Feb 2005, 00:59

Aeorocroatia, I'm sorry to advise you that Discovery Travel IS bankrupt since 19th January 2005, no matter what they say on their website.

A certain Michal Mares has been appointed bankruptcy assets administrator by the Prague court that day.

Confusion could be because Discovery Travel grounded themselves on 4th January, because quote Kunovice airport being unfit for winter operation unquote.

If that's true, I'm going to sell de-icing machines to them tomorrow!

Actually, it's WDL Aviation, owner of their planes, who filed them for bankruptcy.

Perhaps somebody can translate this:

Tiskové prohlášení Discovery Travel a.s., 00.1.05

Společnost Discovery Travel a.s. je znepokojena situací, která v posledních dnech ztěžuje práci společnosti na rozvoji projektu regionální letecké přepravy. 19. ledna 2005 se představenstvo společnosti pouze z médií dovědělo o údajném vyhlášení konkursu na společnost Discovery Travel a.s., ke kterému mělo dojít v pátek 14.1.2005.

Společnosti Discovery Travel a.s. a ani členům jejího představenstva nebyla doručena do dnešního dne žádná oficiální písemnost či usnesení soudu, která by se předmětnou situací a prohlášením konkursu zabývala. Představenstvo společnosti se touto bezprecedentní situací vážně zabývá a právní zástupci Discovery Travel a.s. tyto okolnosti dále vyhodnocují.

Společnost Discovery Travel a.s. v případě, že obdrží skutečně usnesení soudu o prohlášení konkursu, podá ihned odvolání proti vyhlášení konkursu a s velkou pravděpodobností (po seznámení se se spisem a se všemi skutečnostmi) podá představenstvo podnět k zahájení trestního stíhání na neznámého pachatele.

Dle zprostředkovaných informací si příslušný soudce vzal ihned po vyhlášení konkursu dovolenou a není přítomen, společnosti nebylo žádné usnesení soudu doručeno a dle sdělení soudní úřednice zatím ani nebylo odesláno. Přes skutečnost, že naše společnost má sídlo v Brně, řeší konkurs pražský soud. Konkurs byl údajně vyhlášen pro pohledávku, která činí pouze několik promile základního kapitálu společnosti, společnost není předlužena a nevykazuje žádné znaky, které by mohly ke konkursu vést.

Projekt rozvoje regionální letecké přepravy není touto situací nijak ohrožen, Discovery Travel, a.s. byla prodejcem leteckých kapacit, nositelem projektu je společnost Discovery Link, a.s. a další sesterské společnosti plně zajišťující provoz charterové letecké dopravy.