Binter cites public service mission as it balances Canary Island links with African expansion

Binter's chief executive, David Manzanas, said the airline has not lost sight of its public service role even as it expanded beyond the Canary Islands, according to an interview with the carrier's management.

He described Binter's mission as easing the constraints that come with living on islands, with the aim of improving mobility for residents and supporting social cohesion and economic development across the archipelago. The airline operates an average of about 240 inter-island flights a day, he said.

Binter began international connections to West Africa and Portugal in 2005, according to Manzanas, and later added direct services between the Canary Islands and destinations elsewhere in Spain. He said that growth shows the carrier is not resting on its position in its home market, and that it continues to seek improvements.

Asked how the airline's business model remains comparatively successful while many regional carriers face thin profit margins, Manzanas said it rests on a clearly differentiated offering built around service quality and comfort, which the airline markets as its own style of flying.

The interview also covered Binter's positioning alongside low-cost airlines, long-haul flying, and the advantages and disadvantages of joining an alliance. No figures for those topics were given in the published excerpt.