Thomas Cook is launching a new airline based in Majorca, which will start flying early next year.

Thomas Cook Airlines Balearics will provide seasonal flying from Palma, the Group's most popular destination, and reduce its dependency on third-parties.

The move follows the closure of Thomas Cook Belgium, which will cease operations on October 27. Its aircraft will transfer to Palma.

Thomas Cook has applied for a new Airline Operator Certificate in Majorca, and the Group said the new airline will provide flights to support its other airlines in the UK, Scandinavia and Germany, according to seasonal demand.

It said it would provide the Group with 'greater operational flexibility at a competitive cost', while also allowing it to maintain closer control over the quality and customer experience than its current third-party lease arrangements.

The new airline will start with at least three Airbus A320 aircraft which previously operated for Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium.

These aircraft will initially take over short and medium-haul flights for the Thomas Cook's German airline Condor to replace third-party aircraft leases.

Christoph Debus, chief airline officer Thomas Cook Group, said: "The new airline and base will provide us with the right platform to better manage the seasonal demand in our business, giving us more control at lower cost as we continue to expand the choice of destinations we offer our customers.

"With more than one million Thomas Cook customers flying into Palma every year, we have~a strong existing infrastructure on which to build."

The announcement follows the recent agreement with Canadian Airline Air Transat for the exchange of aircraft on a seasonal basis to better balance the seasonal demand for short and medium-haul aircraft in the European and Canadian leisure airline markets.

Courtesy of Travelmole