VLM : still growing

[airazurxtror]

Johan Vanneste, VLM boss :" in 2007, we shall be profitable for the ninth consecutive year".
Last year, the profit before tax (Ebitda) was 2 million euros. "It will be more this year". Turnover (chiffre d'affaires) : 100 millions euros in 2006.

Freddy Van Gaever set up VLM in 1993. It was not easy, at first. In 1996, Freddy Van Gaever sold the company to a dutchman, Jaap Rosen Jacobson. The situation then progressively improved. In 1999, Johan Vanneste took the helm.

VLM has always cared mainly for the businessmen. "To-day, 85% of our custom are businessmen."
VLM fly mainly to London City. "It's the only airport on London ground, with a London postal code and phone number !"
There are 5 daily flights from BRU to LCY, and 7 ANR-LCY. But the main part of the turnover comes from the traffic between the Netherlands and LCY : 13 daily flights from AMS, 12 from RTM.
The main competitor is Eurostar (the high speed train under the Channel).
"With a 50 min flight, we are more rapid, even with the check-in time".

"In 2006, we have carried 682.000 passengers, in 2007, it should be 900.000 "(paying on average 130 euros plus taxes), says Vanneste.

(In "Le Soir" 24/2/2007, p. 23)

[burner737]

Jep, VLM Airlines is THE one and only belgian Airline to be proud of !!! Their succesfull because they do know what they're doing !!!


And I think 2007 is going to be an important year for VLM ...

Regards Tim

[Zenfookpower]

Jep, VLM Airlines is THE one and only belgian Airline to be proud of !!! Their succesfull because they do know what they're doing !!!


And I think 2007 is going to be an important year for VLM ...

Regards Tim

I am really going to like my avatar...

[Vinnie-Winnie]

To-day, 85% of our custom are businessmen."]

I'll be one of the 15% who isn't in April!:)

paying on average 130 euros plus taxes

111,65 euros all in! BRU-LCY-MAN

Anyway true that it is quite a succes story. It's a shame that they haven't acquired some jet powered planes! Could have flown further away such as Geneva, Zurich, Frankfurt, Milan...

F50 only allow you to do very short haul flights and now basically the competition has already taken these markets.

Why don't they fly to Paris CDG? (Or le bourget for that matter?[/quote]

[Buzz]

Why don't they fly to Paris CDG? (Or le bourget for that matter?

If Paris had a Paris City Airport, they'd fly there. What advantage do they have when they fly BRU-CDG? Everybody would complain about old, tiny airplanes and the competition would eat them alive...

[burner737]

maybe they'll fly to one of those routes in the near future... And maybe they'll acquire some jet powered planes...

BTW. VLM Airlines used to fly to GVA.

Regards

[Atlantis]

In the next coming months VLM is going to add two more F50's. Total number of aircrafts grow to 21. One of them is coming from Denim air, the other from outside that group.

And Vanneste confirms that they are thinking to use bigger aircrafts than F50 and this to open other destinations.

Source: luchtvaartnieuws.

[Vinnie-Winnie]

If Paris had a Paris City Airport, they'd fly there. What advantage do they have when they fly BRU-CDG? Everybody would complain about old, tiny airplanes and the competition would eat them alive...

CDG busy congested airport is more prone to delays for one... As a matter of fact your argument doesn't make any sense the old, tiny airplanes you are mentioning are the workehorse of VLM which by all accounts is doing quite well...

Since BRU can sustain 5 flights a day with heavy competition from we all know who, well surely VLM could kick Air France's 6 returns to Orly and 1 return from CDG to city with a convenient service from Le Bourget...

Are there any restrictions from Le Bourget? IE only business travellers for example?

[Charlie Roy]

And maybe they'll acquire some jet powered planes...

That's the plan! Later this year VLM will start using a jet on the Luxembourg to London City route.

[an-148]

Le Bourget is restricted use to general aviation (also with A340 or equivalent - the shape of the plane is not the problem, BUT no sheduled flight) since opening of CDG

[Bruspotter]

Hello

VLM is indeed like Burner737 already said a airline to be proud on! There was a time we could even call it the 'Airline of Flanders' but those times are unfortunatly over. But that name has made place for an international name known over whole western Europe and especially overseas.The pluspoints of VLM are 'Speed' , 'Service' and always close to the City. It is possible to arrive 20mintues before the departure of a plane at EBAW and still having time to go buy yourself a newspaper and check-in to depart. + both EBAW and LCY are located very close to the city, wich is very attractive to both citytrippers and businessmen/whomen /D. VLM was the 'Best regional airline 2006' and if that's a price to be given every year than I see VLM do it again in 2007. Their fleet is also growing slowly. They already have up to 15 planes now. Five years ago that number looked far away.

Hope they will certainly increase their services to EBAW again in the next coming year so that EBAW can again be a full VLM-hub for the European mainland. It's already nice to see that 3 VLM's meet each other on the apron of EBAW when a year ago that was nearly impossible.

Best regards: Yannick

[an-148]

VLM is indeed a GREAT regional airline and, personnaly, I would enjoy very much to see them in LGG too !

[summersso]

Bought a ticket for my first flight on VLM a week ago (BRU-LCY on 4/4, 17.15) and delighted to read all this positive news about the airline. Really looking forward to a good experience, I hope I'm not disappointed.
A friend mentioned the F50's tend to fly lower and slower than other aircraft so you see more... is this true, or just a misobservation?

[an-148]

true: turboprops fly usually max FL250
2 advantages: better sight of ground and gas exhaust better chemically dissolved than on higher levels (more ecological - in addition to less consumption)
1 disadvantage: more shaky because of air little more unstable than higher

[Buzz]

If Paris had a Paris City Airport, they'd fly there. What advantage do they have when they fly BRU-CDG? Everybody would complain about old, tiny airplanes and the competition would eat them alive...

CDG busy congested airport is more prone to delays for one... As a matter of fact your argument doesn't make any sense the old, tiny airplanes you are mentioning are the workehorse of VLM which by all accounts is doing quite well...

Since BRU can sustain 5 flights a day with heavy competition from we all know who, well surely VLM could kick Air France's 6 returns to Orly and 1 return from CDG to city with a convenient service from Le Bourget...

Are there any restrictions from Le Bourget? IE only business travellers for example?

I was commenting on the BRU-CDG proposal, where there is allready competition flying with bigger aircraft. They could however be very succesfull on LCY-CDG I think.
I was trying to say that VLM uses the small city airports to it's advantage, flying BRU-CDG would not have that advantage, so they'd be just another carrier, charging more and flying with smaller airplanes... They should stick to what they're good at, flying bussiness services from small airports.

[JAFflyer]

And maybe they'll acquire some jet powered planes...

That's the plan! Later this year VLM will start using a jet on the Luxembourg to London City route.

Let's just hope it won't be an Avro or Bae 146, because we have enough already in Belgium
CRJ or ERJ would be nice though...

[jan_olieslagers]

Let's just hope it won't be an Avro or Bae 146, because we have enough already in Belgium :)
CRJ or ERJ would be nice though...

VLM have always shown very wise management. They are sure to have better arguments.

[burner737]

Let's just hope it won't be an Avro or Bae 146, because we have enough already in Belgium
CRJ or ERJ would be nice though...

VLM have always shown very wise management. They are sure to have better arguments.

TRUE ... + The thing is it's gonna be a jet which can operate the best out of LCY ... so no ERJ --> look @ Luxair

To summersso: You'll love their service ... Maybe you'll only wanna fly with VLM after it ...

[Vinnie-Winnie]

I was commenting on the BRU-CDG proposal, where there is allready competition flying with bigger aircraft. They could however be very succesfull on LCY-CDG I think.
I was trying to say that VLM uses the small city airports to it's advantage, flying BRU-CDG would not have that advantage, so they'd be just another carrier, charging more and flying with smaller airplanes... They should stick to what they're good at, flying bussiness services from small airports.

Little misunderstanding I was talking about services from LCY not from BRU since as I have always argued BRU does not warrant some dreams that people have on this forum!

What is the scope for further services from LCY? Is the airport at capacity or is there some scope for further services in the peak hours?

[Comet]

Maybe they ought to operate LCY-LBA - bmi did that with a leased ATR for a while but now there is no service on that route. VLM is biased towards the north west of England, favouring MAN and LPL. The east of the Pennines is very poorly linked to LCY (a flight from NCL by Eastern but I think that is all).