Transport

Beond, the new luxury airline arrives at Milan Malpensa

From July at Milan Malpensa to the Maldives in private jet style. Aggressive growth plan with 32 aircraft and 60 destinations by 2027

by Mara Monti

17 February 2024

3' min read

Key points

The airline arrives at Milan Malpensa in the name of Made in Italy
Beond's fleet growth and new routes
Services offered: from private transport to virtual reality
Ithe cost of premium leasure tickets

3' min read

A single premium leasure class airline will arrive at Milan Malpensa from next July and will be dedicated only to luxury destinations such as the Maldives, the new carrier's hub.

The airline arrives at Milan Malpensa under the banner of Made in Italy

Beond - pronounced "beyond" - wants to create a "private jet" experience by using narrow-body, narrow-body aircraft instead of the wide-body normally used on routes to the Maldives, to create a more intimate atmosphere in a cabin with lie-flat seats that become a bed, where Made in Italy prevails, starting with the carbon fibre used to make the Ferraris lighter, to the interior design conceived by Optimares the Latina-based company that supplies Boeing and Airbus, among others, to Poltrona Frau, which designed the type of upholstery for the start-up's armchairs. The next step will be the catering for which CEO Tero Taskila hopes to bring two Italian chefs on board: 'We are defining these days I cannot yet reveal the names but I hope to do so soon.

The company's number one is in Milan for the first job interviews for the recruitment of cabin crew on flights from Milan Malpensa: "We have received 75 applications for around ten positions that will be added to the company's approximately 200 employees including cabin crew, pilots and administrative staff between Malé and Dubai where our head office is located," says Taskila met in Milan.

Gli interni Made in Italy di Beond

The Italian airport is part of the new range of connections starting in the summer beyond Milan, planned for Dubai and Bangkok, which join the routes already operating since last November Munich, Zurich and Ryad all with destination Malè, in the Maldives.

Beond's fleet growth and new routes

At the moment the airline flies an Airbus A319 with only 44 seats, but with the arrival in early February of the new aircraft, a leased Airbus 321ceo configured with only 68 seats when it can hold up to 270 passengers, the difference is soon made. The carrier has an aggressive expansion plan that includes four aircraft per year all Airbus, including the XLR, the latest model from the Toulouse-based manufacturer awaiting certification. The route map shared by the airline indicates that in the future there will be connections to Delhi, Mumbai, Paris, Vienna and even points in the Far East. Destinations such as Osaka and Seoul will use Hanoi in Vietnam as a refuelling stopover.

For the ceo, with a long experience in the air transport industry that started at Finnair, the Finnish airline, and continued with Qatar Airways, Australia's Qantas, and Singapore Airlines, 'after the pandemic, the demand for premium class travel is having an unexpected spread. Airlines in Europe report that the current business and first class cabins are occupied by passengers travelling for holiday, rarely for business, a rapidly growing market segment. We are capitalising on this trend with a product tailored to this customer segment'.

Investing in the start-up were first and foremost the managers who launched a $13 million fund raising round subscribed by private investors and pension funds. Another round is underway with the aim of raising 25 million dollars by the end of March for future investments: 32 aircraft all from the Airbus 320 family by 2027 to cover 60 destinations and a target of 1.4 million passengers. "Our business model is very simple and is similar to that of low cost airlines, i.e. one type of aircraft, one class, reduced consumption thanks to carbon materials. Contrary to low cost airlines, we are no friulls, but we offer a business service,' explains the CEO, who expects to break even by the end of the year.

Services offered: from private transport to virtual reality

Among the services offered for some price classes are private transport to cover the journey from home to the airport as well as access to airport lounges. Attention is paid to the Apple Vision Pro headset technology for virtual reality (VR), an immersive experience during the flight before arriving at the final destination. With the aim of saving costs, traditional in-flight screens are replaced by individual I-Pads with movies and games and the ability to access one's own devices.

The cost of airline tickets with Beond

The question that arises is the cost of a return air ticket. The basic cost is around 3 thousand euro a/r non-stop with the new planes that will enter the fleet soon. Consulting Skyscanner for the destination from Milan to Malé a/r in business class the best solution with a stop over between two and four hours is that of Emirates at 3,200 euros, while lower fares below 3 thousand euros envisage stopovers lasting up to 15 hours.