AIRLINE

Keeping you up to date with all the latest developments from VLM Airlines.

CAPTAIN PER BRUUN FLIES INTO THE SUNSET

MANCHESTER-BASED PILOT CAPTAIN PER BRUUN LANDED A VLM Airlines Fokker 50 aircraft for the last time at the end of March, before retiring from his 40-year career in aviation. The Norwegian captain has clocked up 19,000 fl ying hours – 18,700 in the left-hand seat – and is one of Europe’s most experienced pilots.

Leaving the aircraft for the last time, he spoke of his affection for the trusty Fokker 50, saying: “I’m pleased to say that during my career with VLM Airlines I have been fl ying the Fokker 50, the most environmentally-friendly short-haul aircraft in the skies.”

15TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS

ON MONDAY 17 MAY 1993, VLM AIRLINES LAUNCHED ITS FIRST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT BETWEEN Antwerp and London City Airport. At that time the Docklands was little more than wasteland, and ground transport to London City Airport was very limited. Today the Docklands Light Railway has made the connection to the London Underground an immense advantage for the airport, and with the expansion of Canary Wharf, the increasing success of London ExCeL and the world class entertainment venue The O2, fl ights to the airport are becoming increasingly popular.

Fifteen years on from that first fl ight, VLM Airlines is celebrating its many achievements and continuing growth at London City Airport. If you happen to be travelling on Friday 16 and Monday 19 May keep an eye out for the Antwerp diamond and our own Diamond Diva.

VLM AIRLINES NAMED MOST PUNCTUAL AIRLINE

VLM AIRLINES HAS BEATEN A HOST OF LEADING CARRIERS TO BE NAMED 2007’S MOST punctual airline on the popular Amsterdam to London City Airport route. Figures released by the UK Civil Aviation Authority show that last year, a highly impressive 77 per cent of all VLM Airlines fl ights from Amsterdam to London City Airport left within 15 minutes of the scheduled departure time, and only two per cent were delayed by more than one hour. Other carriers operating the Amsterdam to London route include KLM, easyJet, British Airways and BMI British Midland, some of which fl y to other London airports.

AMSTERDAM – LONDON CITY CELEBRATES THIRD ANNIVERSARY

VLM AIRLINES LAUNCHED ITS AMSTERDAM – London City route on 4 April 2005 with three fl ights every weekday. Today the airline operates 12 fl ights every weekday between these two cities, with more than 325,000 passengers transported on the route in the last three years.

We decided it was only right to celebrate such a successful anniversary, and so on on 4 April Mrs. Belinda Breedveld, a customer travelling on the route, was the lucky winner of a bottle of champagne and two return fl ights from Amsterdam to London City with VLM Airlines.

CONSTRUCTION WORKS AT ANTWERP AIRPORT

PASSENGERS TRAVELLING TO OR FROM Antwerp will have noticed that construction works are taking place at the airport. The airport restaurant Belair is undergoing a complete refurbishment and the renovated restaurant and bar will open its doors at the end of November 2008. In the meantime passengers can enjoy food and drink at the T-terminal. Other airports undergoing major renovations include London City Airport and Luxembourg Airport – see page 40 for more information on their development.

VLM AIRLINES ANNOUNCES TENTH CONSECUTIVE YEAR OF PROFIT

VLM AIRLINES REPORTED A TURNOVER GROWTH of 13 per cent for the year ending 31 December 2007, with passenger numbers up nine per cent to an impressive 745,781.

Johan Vanneste stated: “In 2008, we are celebrating our 15th anniversary, and we have achieved yet more milestones in our young existence. This is our tenth year of consecutive profits, a fact made even more impressive given the fact that it’s set against a backdrop of continually growing competition, heavily subsidised rail operators, rocketing fuel prices, increased government taxation and an increasing focus on the environment. The future’s bright too – the recent ownership change will allow us and our passengers to benefit from numerous extra advantages and benefits, whilst still enjoying the entrepreneurship and fl exibility of a small regional airline focusing on the business traveller.

“Our turnover grew 13 per cent in 2007 against the previous year, and we have now almost doubled in size over the past five years, becoming an even more important regional player in the European aviation market. Together with our new partner CityJet Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of the Air France – KLM Group, we now account for over 50 per cent of all traffic at London City Airport. This new partnership will allow us to expand our network further and will allow our passengers to benefit from a growing number of routes and frequencies.

The product we offer our customers remains vital to our success and we will dedicate more resources and time towards this in the future. We recognise that our punctuality and reliability have suffered from both the success and popularity of our services and, more specifically, the recent lack of capacity at London City Airport. Resolving this will be a priority for us in 2008 – working closely with the management and new owners of London City Airport, we intend to restore the speedy transit of our passengers through this marvellous airport at the heart of Europe’s leading financial centre.

In 2007 we introduced new system enhancements to our e-commerce platform and now our passengers can check-in online up to 30 hours prior to travel, enabling them to gain more precious time. We are currently examining the feasibility of mobile phone check-in, and we will introduce online change and cancel functionality to our booking engine later this year.

Our fl eet refurbishment programme continues apace and nine of our aircraft have been fitted with stylish and very comfortable new seats. The remainder of this investment will be completed this year. The in-fl ight service provided by our cabin crew is also first rate, and continues to attract compliments for its friendliness and professionalism.

Since last year, the number of customers who have registered for our loyalty programme VLM Encore has doubled in size to over 40,000. We hope to bring greater benefits to VLM Encore members as we are studying the feasibility of integrating the programme into the Flying Blue programme of Air France – KLM.

Whilst our company is growing successfully and we forecast further growth in the year ahead, 2008 promises to be a challenging year with oil prices now breaking the $100 per barrel mark, and the pound sterling, which accounts for a large proportion of our income, in a historically weak position.

We are conscious of our impact on the environment. Our turboprop regional aircraft are amongst the lowest polluting and quietest of any aircraft, though unfortunately environmental groups and high-speed train operators have been making misleading claims about aircraft emissions in general. Our Fokker 50 aircraft emit only 92 grams of CO2 per 100km per seat, and use only 3.2 litres of fuel per 100km per seat. That is less than a Smart two-seater car. These aircraft are therefore ideally suited for the short routes that VLM Airlines operates, and we will make it our mission to rectify this misunderstanding during 2008.

Together with our excellent staff, we are doing our utmost to overcome all the hurdles in our path, and I would like to thank them personally for their unstinting devotion and loyalty to our company.”