The Spanish company that will run the Malta-Gozo helicopter service as from next month expects to carry 40,000 passengers in its first year of operation, according to its business plan.
Helicopteros del Sureste plans to operate 18, 15-minute flights a day from March to October (nine each way), between 5.45 a.m. and 1.30 a.m., connecting with the more popular flights at Malta International Airport, including, for example, London, Manchester, Rome, Milan and Frankfurt.
The service should be considered another airline, Helicopteros del Sureste's commercial director Antonio Martinez Garcia said, adding that the idea is to be able to book a flight from Gozo to London, or Frankfurt to Gozo, for example.
Agreements are being established with major global distribution systems, he said.
Mr Martinez Garcia did not exclude the possibility of a shuttle operation in times of need and hoped that the helicopter's idle hours could be put to good use for any other services.
The idea was to ensure quality, meaning that the timetable would be adhered to irrespective of the number of passengers, while luggage could be checked in at the Gozo heliport to be retrieved at any final destination.
Mr Martinez Garcia said the Gozo heliport was "perfect" for the operation and would serve as the base for the company's offices.
Interviews and the recruitment of four Maltese and Gozitan employees in sales and ticketing is starting today, Mr Martinez Garcia said, adding that Maltese civilian helicopter pilots and technicians were, unfortunately, not available.
Questioned about the cost of the full fare, Lm50, Mr Martinez Garcia pointed out that residents of any nationality in Malta and Gozo, senior citizens from all over the world and students would pay Lm26 return.
Moreover, tickets could be changed as often as desired and money refunded, which was not possible on other airlines.
He also pointed out that the helicopter, which only carried 13 passengers, had the same expenses as, for example, a British Airways flight, in terms of pilots, engines, sales people, maintenance and distribution channels. The difference was that a BA aircraft had some 200 seats.
Asked about having one helicopter on the service, Mr Martinez Garcia said the company was open to improvements and ready to increase the fleet and number of flights, depending on the market demands. The company already boasted a fleet of 50 helicopters, projected to rise to 56 by the end of the year.
The risk of technical problems that could grind the service to a halt would be minimised by carrying out prior maintenance. But, in the unlikely eventuality of an aircraft being grounded, another helicopter could be flown in within half a day, he promised.
Helicopteros del Sureste was shortlisted from 17 expressions of interest and, eventually, chosen from among a UK and an Italian company, both of a high calibre, but that did not share such wide-ranging experience.
Helicopteros del Sureste offered a variety of services. But, more importantly, it was one of the few helicopter companies to provide an airline operation - passenger transport, the permanent secretary at the Competitiveness and Communications Ministry, Louis Cilia, said. Mr Cilia chaired the committee that gave its recommendations to the government.
Mr Cilia described Helicopteros del Sureste as one of the most "serious" and established helicopter companies in Europe, saying Malta was fortunate to have reached an agreement with it.
He said the appointed committee's choice was based primarily on a study of the company's financial standing, which was way above the others'.
The fare was also taken into consideration and, comparatively speaking, was the cheapest, he said.
Helicopteros del Sureste was set up in 1983, accumulating over 20 years of experience and offering a variety of helicopter services, including fire-fighting and government-related contracts, such as civil protection, search and rescue and air ambulances.
Since 1996, it has been running a similar airline operation between an offshore part of Spain, Ceuta, (a Spanish enclave in Morocco) and the international airport of Malaga, using the same helicopter.
Helicopteros del Sureste's annual turnover is more than s50 million and has 250 employees.
The flight schedule, which is available from travel agents, kicks off on March 27, but the maiden service starts a week before on March 21 during which special flights are being planned.