France is the new “new” for Low-Cost carriers
I’ve been repeating, over and over again how Spain is all the rage for low-cost carriers. While that may be true, the tumultous southern european country is definitely not the only one on the roadmap of carriers for the years to come. At least not if we believe easyJet.
Granted, the Spanish market is getting pretty full. A few weeks ago Spanair bankrupted brutally – and the pressure from other competitors was no stranger to that. One out, one in, a new entrant was born on the Spanish market, Volotea, the child of Vueling’s founders. Talking about competitors, they haven’t been inactive, easyJet, Vueling and Ryanair all announced new routes. Even Ryanair has been struggling to negotiate bettter conditions with airports, understandably emboldened by demand (and probably infuriated with the Irish carrier).
In an interview with the French news agency AFP, François Bacchetta – easyJet’s CEO for France – announced a 19% growth for the company in France (amounting to 12 million passengers). The company still represents only a tenth of the French market while Air France sits on 50% on passenger trafic in the country. With 16 airports, 3 bases and 2 additional ones soon to open, the company is aiming to seize an even larger part of the French market.
The reason? The low-cost market has been slow to develop in France. Granted, the country’s uses are quite different from those of England or Ireland. EasyJet’s had the chance to discover it, just recently when condemned for its pricing policy or a little while ago when it faced accusations of illegal employment at its Orly base. Charges similar to the ones Ryanair had to face at Marseilles, before it left with much raucous.
But easyJet may have been the better man, by choosing to pay the fine and stay in Paris, the company kept on developping its network, while Ryanair has faced a slowed growth in France, marred by repeated conflicts with airports (Pau, Angoulême, etc.). This has left room for other companies to develop. And while the decent railway system may render the short-haul market a bit barren, France’s position as the top tourism destination in the world leaves a wealth of opportunities for medium-haul routes. What’s going to be interesting here is to watch the return of the great battles between airports, authorities and low-cost carriers, as these scramble to get the largest piece of the pie. EasyJet may not want to cry vitory too early on that one.
