Budget air tickets for twice-weekly flights between the UK, Bermuda and New York could go on sale in a fortnight’s time, The Royal Gazette can reveal.

Jonathan Hinkles, managing director of Zoom Airlines, told this newspaper yesterday that his company hoped to launch ticket sales “within the next two weeks” after gaining the approval of the Island’s Air Transport Licensing Board (ATLB). The flights will give consumers their first alternative to British Airways on the direct Bermuda to London Gatwick route — and BA said yesterday it welcomed the competition.

Zoom, a Scottish sister company to the Canadian airline of the same name, still needs an operating licence from the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to begin running the route.

But Mr. Hinkles said he was confident that the low-fare Boeing 767-300ER flights could start as early as June.

“We are working in the final stages now of getting one more bit of approval from the CAA here which would enable us to start ticket sales before we have our operating licence,” he said. “As soon as we have done that we can start selling tickets.”

The news was welcomed by tourism and business leaders yesterday. Mike Winfield, co-chairman of Bermuda Alliance for Tourism (BAT), chairman of BAT’s airline committee and chairman of Bermuda Hotel Association, said: “We welcome the competitive environment. We are also very loyal and supportive of BA. The only thing we would have liked to have seen from BA is a more competitive airfare so maybe this will result in that.

“It’s a longstanding policy of this Government to introduce competitive air services and that’s certainly a position that the hotels support.”

David Dodwell, Shadow Tourism Minister and owner of The Reefs resort, said: “It’s good. Competition is good. I don’t think it’s going to impact British Airways. There will be enough traffic and enough loyalty so that in my view it won’t impact them.

“My hope is that we can see it. This looks like a more economical airline. I don’t think it’s about BA charging too much, it’s about what customers can afford and what customers are looking for.”

Diane Gordon, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce, said: “I’m sure that our members are going to be delighted with it if it’s approved. It’s going to offer the business traveller plus the community here certainly another option other than just BA.

“It could open up a lot of additional doors. I’m sure without a doubt that this is going to be good news for our members and it’s going to benefit Bermuda definitely.”

BA spokeswoman Sallie Singleton said: “As we are a world-wide airline we compete in almost every destination in the world so we are quite used to competition and we welcome competition.

“Over the years we have competed on this route with many different carriers through North America and right now we compete with all the strong American carriers. We hope that this new competition will mean an expansion to the UK market and that can only be of benefit to Bermuda.”

She added that BA had served the Island for 70 years, offered four classes of services - compared to Zoom’s two - and would continue to be the only airline offering a direct daily service to London.

Austin Thomas, chairman of the ATLB, said feedback from the public to the Zoom proposal had been positive. “Clearly we did not have anything to cause us great concern with regard to negative reports.

“The Premier has been working very hard over a long time to bring diversity into this aspect of the industry and we are pleased with that. We are very pleased when there is competition provided here in Bermuda. When we get quality applicants that are reputable it makes our job easier.”

Zoom’s plan is for aircraft to leave JFK for the Island on Mondays and Saturdays at 5.30 p.m. before taking off for London from here at 9.25 p.m. and arriving at 8 a.m.

The returning flights would depart Gatwick for Bermuda on Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and Sundays at 11 a.m., leaving the Island for JFK at 5.10 p.m. on Wednesdays and 3.10 p.m. on Sundays (all local times).

Mr. Hinkles said that tickets for the New York leg of the journey would also be cheaper than the airline’s rivals on that route. “Initially we will be launching the service twice a week through to New York,” he said. “I do understand that there are other carriers offering daily services. But on the days we have them available we will have lower prices. We are hoping that will tempt customers, even if it doesn’t quite fit with their travel plans.”

He added: “We are very happy with the responses that we have received to the plans. The news of our application became public about a month ago. Since that happened we have had a very, very strong response to the application which has encouraged us to press ahead with our plans.” Zoom’s website is at www.flyzoom.com.