The Eiffellair Group (EIFF), together with the Polascianan government, today announced a multi-billion Gallion investment into a new regional airline.
‘Meridian’ will be launched to serve short and medium haul air travel predominantly across Polasciana, the Central Republic and Scherbatskaya – linking the countries with major transport bases in Trier and Wiesburg for longer-range travel. Daily connections to destinations in Uttania, Sereniérre and Saria are all also expected within the next few months – with bases already identified in Pregny, Orly and Tamur. 51% of the venture will be owned by Eiffellair (41%) and the Eiffelland government (10%), while Karasicena will hold a 9% stake. The remaining 40% of capital will be sold publicly, including through offerings on both the Eiffell and Polascianan trading markets.
The idea of a Meridian-based carrier has been explored for several years, seeking to cover routes missed from the late 1990s boom in air traffic. In 2007, the Union Party administration, together with businessmen Uri Damisci and Dmitri Trediakovsky, launched a consultation and funding round with their so-called ‘Freebird’ proposal. The scheme however failed to gain traction amid a difficult financial landscape, although it is thought that links with the Eiffell flag carrier established then have supported the development of the new initiative. But it is thought that the Central Republic’s accession into the Gallian and Centrican League this year, following Polasciana’s earlier entry, contributed heavily to demand modeling convincing Trier this was a worthwhile investment.
Eiffellair is now one of the biggest airline group’s in the world – serving hundreds of millions of passengers every year. It operates several regional subsidiaries, but Meridian will be its first in partnership with national governments, and the first in the immediate region. Polasciana’s plans for new airports on its southern islands are thought to have attracted more backers into discussions, although while Alta had been rumoured to be in favour of buying into the venture, it has currently stayed out of a formal partnership at this point. Ribnica publicly backs the plan, but is also funneling its investment into infrastructure – including a new runway at its Witnica Airport, to be able to fully utilise long-haul jet services in time.
The government has hailed the launch as a hugely significant milestone in the country’s development – making it easier for people to travel domestically and internationally, while opening up new markets and business opportunities, including supporting the country’s growing tourism industry. Initial services are expected to begin next month using Meridian branded Eiffellair planes, before wholly-owned aircraft are purchased specifically for the operator. An inaugural flight will take place between Trier and Arvi.
