British Airways: Romania, the most profitable market in SEE

“The number of passengers on the Bucharest-London flight soared by some 45 percent year-on-year in the first half of the 2008-2009 financial year (March-September). This rise is mainly due to the third additional daily flight during the summer season and to the online-boarding service,” the airliner’s Commercial Manager for Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova, Emil Delibashev, told Business Standard. Delibashev said that Romania is the most profitable market in South-Eastern Europe and ranks seventh or eighth at European level.

The BA official said that the past six months will remain one of the darkest periods so far, marred by a crisis in the banking sector, record fuel prices, and the bankruptcy of several airlines. The company’s restructuring program includes one third of the 1,350 eligible managers choosing voluntary cancellation of contract. Most of them are to leave by year-end. “Our annual fuel bill is expected to rise by 50 percent, up to some Ł3 billion [€3.52 bln]. Furthermore, salary costs rose by 8.6 percent, including the Ł40 million (€47.5 mln) layoff provision ,” Delibashev added.