European LCC start-up Volotea looks to stimulate demand in regional markets, starting with Venice

Volotea, Europe's newest low-cost carrier, is preparing to launch operations in April with a base at Venice Marco Polo Airport in Italy. The carrier is headquartered in Barcelona, which was the main hub for now defunct carrier Spanair, but has decided to base its initial fleet of Boeing 717s in Venice. Volotea will initially serve several destinations in Italy, France and Spain but has no immediate plans to serve Barcelona.

Volotea was founded last year by Carlos Muñoz and Lázaro Ros, who founded Spanish budget carrier Vueling in 2004. Mr Muñoz, who is Volotea's CEO, says the airline's goal "is to forge new and efficient air connections between Europe's small and mid-sized cities currently not well served by direct flights". By selecting the 717, which is smaller and significantly cheaper to acquire than 737NGs or A320s, Volotea is able to enter routes which are generally too thin for other LCCs.