PRAGUSA.ONE, the A350 startup in the making, is planning to launch operations next month with leased Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft ahead of the planned arrival of two A350s. The intention is for flights from Dubrovnik to New York EWR to start on Monday 21st June 2021 and from Dubrovnik to Los Angeles to start on Tuesday 22nd June. But tickets are not on sale yet.
PRAGUSA.ONE readies for launch
PRAGUSA.ONE, the UK company that is applying for an Air Operator Certificate in Croatia to launch a network of long-haul flights out of Dubrovnik (DBV) and Prague (PRG), is getting ready to start flying.
The company plans to lease an Airbus A330-300 aircraft (281 seats) to compete directly against United Airlines on the following route starting Monday 21st June 2021:
- Dubrovnik to New York (EWR) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays
PRAGUSA.ONE also plans to lease an Airbus A340 aircraft (263 seats) to operate the following route starting Tuesday 22nd June 2021:
- Dubrovnik to Los Angeles (LAX) on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays
The company plans to operate both of these routes with Airbus A350s in Premium-only configuration once the aircraft arrive in its fleet.
PRAGUSA.ONE is starting slowly
When we first reported on PRAGUSA.ONE, the company was intending to launch an airline that would serve a network of eight long-haul destinations from Prague and Dubrovnik. The plan was for these destinations to be:
New York (EWR), Tokyo (NRT), Beijing (PEK), Los Angeles (LAX), Singapore (SIN), Johannesburg (JNB), Chengdu (CTU), and Kuala Lumpur (KUL).
In the long run, the airline intends to launch flights to all these airports with an Airbus A350 aircraft that it plans to acquire new from Airbus. Negotiations for the A350s have already been underway for a while.
However, in the meantime, the airline is launching an interim network of just these two routes to New York and Los Angeles. The ongoing travel restrictions and the uncertainty in the long-haul market are hampering any further expansion plans.
USA to Croatia routes will launch first
Revealing the launch details exclusively to Simple Flying, the managing director of PRAGUSA.ONE, Krešimir Budinski, said:
“We worked hard since summer 2020 to create this unique product for avid travelers that are ready and steady to fly abroad. Point-to-point flight operations bundled with a full travel package and premium in-flight service are key success factors for the ultimate travel experience in the future. The US market represents one of the focus markets for PRAGUSA.ONE.”
PRAGUSA.ONE’s intention to focus on point-to-point travelers from the USA to Croatia is the same strategy that United adopted with its recent new route announcements that also included New York EWR to Dubrovnik flights.
There is great anticipation that this summer will see the return of large-scale travel between North America and the European holiday spots. Will PRAGUSA.ONE capitalize on the demand?
What do you think of PRAGUSA.ONE’s plans to launch its network slowly? Let us know in the comments below.
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