Flights wanted

I HAVE received a wide range of telephone calls over recent days over the burning issue of the lack of winter flights. Former Aston Villa, chairman Doug Ellis, who helped pioneer package tourism to the island, told me that the local government should be providing support to the airlines which operate to the island during the winter. He said that at one stage it was a normal practice within the airline industry.

Some British airlines have made this point over recent weeks saying that they needed support from the government. Geoffrey Kenion, owner of Wellies in Portals has called on the local government to set up its own airline, which is not a bad idea, because it would give the island some independence. Others have said that we should contact either Sir Richard Branson or Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of easyJet who is now planning to form a new airline. Stelios helped revolutionise cheap air travel to Majorca. Branson´s Virgin Group is in the process of making a bid for BMI, the former British Midland, which for many years operated a daily service to London Heathrow. One thing which is evident from this whole debate, is the fact that there are a large number of people who live on Majorca or own holiday homes here who would use a daily flight to Britain during the winter months. If there are any would-be Sir Alan Sugar´s reading this piece please contact me, we need someone to form an airline which would link Britain and Majorca during the winter.