Latvia’s SmartLynx Airlines enters German charter market

SmartLynx Airlines (6Y, Riga) has announced it will enter the German and Swiss leisure markets in summer 2021, operating full charter flights to destinations in the Mediterranean on behalf of TUI Deutschland. The carrier will fly on behalf of the TUI Group subsidiary from Basel/Mulhouse/Freiburg, CH and Saarbrücken. Starting in October, the airline will also launch full charter flights out of Hamburg Helmut Schmidt, Hanover, and Munich to the Canary Islands (Las Palmas, Fuerteventura, and Tenerife Sur) on behalf of Involatus. “The ongoing travel restrictions and the hesitant course of vaccinations show that the demand for air travel will probably concentrate on autumn. We see disproportionately high bookings, especially in October,” Managing Director of Involatus Erkan Türkoral said in the travel agent’s statement. “With TUI Deutschland and Involatus, we have found two strong partners for the coming season who are able to make their flight programme a success even in difficult times,” Chief Executive Žygimantas Surintas said. The airline said that it hoped to expand its German network in the future with existing and new tour operator customers. SmartLynx’s German forays also include a cargo charter contract with DHL Express, covering two A321-200(P2F)s operated on cargo-only services out of Leipzig/Halle. Pending the delivery of the converted aircraft, which will be operated by SmartLynx Airlines Malta, SmartLynx is currently operating services for the logistics firm using a B757-200(PCF) wet-leased from Olympus Airways. The Latvian airline’s core business has thus far included charter services from the Baltic states, as well as ACMI contracts with other airlines.