Jetgate, German Style: VW Gets Out of The Airport Business
Remember jetgate? Imagine what congressional roasters would have said if they would have found out that their wards of the state not only own their own airline, but a sizable share of an airport? Unthinkable. In Germany, nobody bats an eye.
Volkswagen has its private airline, called “Volkswagen Air Service.” When its executive jets became too small for the heavy brass, the VW-owned airline acquired an Airbus A 319. They are all stationed at the Braunschweig airport. Volkswagen is the biggest customer there. There is daily service to Prague and to Ingolstadt, but if you want a ticket, you must work at Volkswagen. The runway of that airport always was a bit short, especially for their Airbus. Therefore, a longer runway was planned. Volkswagen made an investment in “their “ airport, received 35.6 percent of the shares, along with the honors that the airport was renamed “Braunschweig- Wolfsburg.” The natives mounted the usual protests against the longer runway, but to no avail: A few hundred acres of forests were bulldozed in January. On July 27, the longer runway was finally finished.
Having made their “contribution to provide for the development of the airport,” and with a runway for a fully tanked Airbus with a full load of brass, Volkswagen will now exit the airport business and sell their 35.6 percent share. It will be bought by the company that runs the Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport, says Automobilwoche [sub]. Volkswagen promises that they will remain the prime customer of the airport and will provide its continuous contributions to its well-being.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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Bertel, I enjoy your articles, but the logic of this one eludes me. VW is by many measures the most successful automobile manufacturer in the world. If I were a shareholder I'd be outraged if their executives were wasting their time and risking their lives in the mess we call the world's airline system today. VW has paid directly or indirectly for all the development in and around Wolfsburg - why not the airport? Are you suggesting their executives should schlepp an hour to Hannover, board a short-haul flight to a gateway, then cool their heels in Amsterdam or London or Frankfurt, every time they want to go somewhere? Regarding GM divesting its planes, that was pure politics and show. Had Wagoner had any balls, he would have reminded the members of that Star Chamber how many times each one of them had begged to hitch a ride. He wouldn't be any worse off today.
I just love those insights you give B.S. any return date for the autobiography of B.S series?
You would think they would stick a VW badge somewhere on their planes. unless the plane in the video is not the VAS plane...
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