ANNUAL REPORT ‘12
BUSINESS REVIEW
36
The aviation business was marked by the opening of
easyJet’s 23
rd
base at Lisbon airport in April 2012,
with two aircraft during the first phase and a third one
to be added in 2013. This base provides the opening
of five new routes (Asturias, Copenhagen, Amsterdam,
Bordeaux and Venice), with strong expectations that
the next IATA summer 2013 season will include the
opening of two additional routes (Valencia and Bilbao)
and the status of the Edinburgh route being upgraded
to annual.
Another important event was the opening of the first
long-haul route to the Middle East, Lisbon-Dubai,
operated by Emirates. Not only does this provide a
direct connection between these two cities, but it also
connects two intercontinental hubs with strong ties
to Southwest Asia and Australia through Dubai and
excellent connections to Brazil and Africa through
Lisbon.
The most recent survey on the profile of passengers
and consumers at ANA, S.A. airports was in reference
to the IATA summer season, and it showed that this
route contributed evenly in generating outbound
passenger traffic (40.6%) – originating from the Lisbon
region, and the north and centre of the country – and
inbound passengers (54.1%), originating primarily
in Australia, South Africa, India and the United Arab
Emirates.
Another important mark in the aviation business was
the growth of TAP Portugal at the ANA Group airports,
carrying 438 thousand more passengers than in 2011.
This performance was aided by the opening of routes
to Turin and Berlin, an increase in the frequency on
existing routes and an increase in the load factor.
Noteworthy, as well, was the expansion of Transavia
operations in 2012, which further developed already
existing routes and opened two new routes at Lisbon
airport: Eindhoven and Nantes. In 2013, two more new
routes for this company are scheduled to open: Porto-
Amsterdam (3 flights per week) and Lisbon-Paris Orly
(6 flights per week).
In light of the economic environment of 2012, the
consolidation of Ryanair’s bases at Faro airport was
notable, as the company diversified its market by open-
ing the Nantes and Karlsruhe routes. At Porto airport,
new Ryanair operations in Dole (France) and Palma
de Mallorca (Spain) strengthened the markets in those
countries.
Passenger-targeted marketing in 2012 was charac-
terised by the implementation of new services, defined
in line with the assessment of the offer available to
passengers and the new needs of various segments in
order to encompass an increasing number of passen-
gers. A global service model was adopted that uses
co-creation processes involving input from passengers
to aid in making adjustments in services and identifying
opportunities.
As part of these initiatives, a new, more interactive,
more descriptive and more functional ANA, S.A. site
was launched, clearly displaying the commercial offer
and the variety of services offered by the company.
This site is primarily dedicated to passengers, helping
them plan, prepare and enjoy every moment of their
trip.
Besides offering real time information on departures
and arrivals, destination map, hotel reservations (and
