Air Berlin
| File:Air Berlin logo.png | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1978 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Berlin-Tegel International Airport Nuremberg Airport Düsseldorf International Airport Son Sant Joan Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Munich International Airport Hamburg Airport Hanover/Langenhagen International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Top Bonus | ||||||
| Fleet size | 126 (incl. LTU jets) + 155 orders | ||||||
| Destinations | 80 | ||||||
| Key people | Joachim Hunold, Elke Schütt and Karl Lotz | ||||||
| Website | http://www.airberlin.com | ||||||
Air Berlin (FSE: AB1) is Germany's second largest airline after Lufthansa.[1] It is based in Berlin, Germany, and operates extensive semi-low-cost services to holiday destinations on the Mediterranean, the Canary Islands and North Africa, as well as to major cities in Europe from 20 German airports. Its main base is Berlin-Tegel International Airport, with hubs at Düsseldorf International Airport, Nuremberg Airport, London Stansted Airport and Son Sant Joan Airport, Palma de Mallorca[1].
Air Berlin is publicly traded (ticker symbol is AB1, ISIN is GB00B128C026)[2]. The airline is owned by Freefloat (61.86%), Ringerike Luftfahrtbeteiligungs (9.44%) and a range of individuals. It has 3,871 employees (at March 2007)[1]. The airline carried over 19.7 million passengers in 2006.[3]
History
In 1978 a former Pan Am captain formed Air Berlin as a US supplemental carrier and incorporated it under the name Air Berlin, Inc. in Oregon, USA. Air Berlin traded as Air Berlin USA until the end of the Cold War on October 2, 1990.[4][5]
West Berlin's special political status during the Cold War era (April 8, 1945 - October 2, 1990) meant that all air traffic to and from the Western half of Germany's divided former and present capital was restricted to the airlines of the three Western victorious powers of World War II, i.e. only those headquartered in the US, UK and France. In addition, all flightdeck crew, i.e. pilots, flight engineers and navigators, flying aircraft into and out of West Berlin through the Allied air corridors were required to hold American, British or French passports.[6]
The newly formed airline's first aircraft was a Boeing 707-331, which it had acquired second-hand from TWA.[2] This aircraft was stationed at Berlin's Tegel Airport. It was assigned to fulfill a lucrative charter contract to operate a series of short- to medium-haul IT charter flights to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands on behalf of Berliner Flug Ring, at the time West Berlin's leading package tour operator.[7] Air Berlin had taken over this contract from Aeroamerica, another US supplemental carrier, which had been based at Berlin Tegel from 1974 until 1979.[7] In addition to operating Inclusive Tour (IT) charter flights from Berlin Tegel under contract to Berliner Flug Ring, Air Berlin also operated a weekly scheduled service from Tegel via Brussels to Orlando, Florida, USA, for a brief period during the early 1980s.[8]
Air Berlin initially augmented its fleet through the acquisition of additional, second-hand Boeing 707s. These were replaced with more modern, second-hand Boeing 737-200 "Advanced", which were more appropriate for the airline's IT operations from Berlin, from the spring of 1981.[9]
Eventually, Air Berlin transitioned to a fleet entirely composed of brand-new Boeing 737-400s during the late 1980s.[10] This coincided with the introduction of a new livery.[10]
Following Germany's [re-]unification on October 3, 1990, German investors acquired a majority stake in the company and Joachim Hunold, a former LTU manager, became the CEO. The airline was re-registered under German law and renamed Air Berlin GmbH & Co. Luftverkehrs KG.[4] The airline joined IATA and started scheduled flights to European business capitals, such as London, Zurich, Vienna and Barcelona in 1997. In January 2004, Air Berlin announced cooperation with former Formula One driver Niki Lauda's newly founded airline Niki and took a 24% stake in Niki.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page)..
Later in 2006 Air Berlin announced that it had acquired 100% of the shares in dba, subject to regulatory approval.[11]. In August 2006, dba was acquired. The two airlines continue to operate under their separate identities, but while dba will continue to operate as an independent company under the umbrella of Air Berlin, it will be marketed as Air Berlin "powered by dba"[1].
In March 2007, Air Berlin took over German charter airline LTU International, creating the fourth largest airline group in Europe in terms of traffic. Between them the airlines carried 22.1 million passengers in 2006. The take over was driven by the prospect of branching into long-haul operations and the chance to establish a stronger presence at Düsseldorf International Airport. LTU will retain its name for the foreseeable future, while its routes will be integrated into Air Berlin's European network.[12]
At the same time, Air Berlin acquired a 49% shareholding in Swiss airline Belair owned by tour operator Hotelplan, to enable an increase in its activities in the Swiss market.[12]
In 2007, a new livery was brought in first shown on Airbus A319.[13]
On 20 September 2007, Air Berlin announced that it would acquire its competitor Condor Airlines in a deal that would give Thomas Cook a 30% stake in Air Berlin.[14]
Services
Air Berlin does not operate with a pure low-cost carrier model: most notably, instead of just point-to-point service, Air Berlin offers guaranteed connections via its hubs. The airline also offers services including inflight meals and drinks,[15] newspapers on board,[16] assigned seating[17] and a frequent flyer program.[18]
Destinations
Fleet
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The Air Berlin fleet (including LTU and Belair) consists of the following aircraft (at December 2007):
| Aircraft | Number | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 30 |
174/180 | 10 operated by LTU |
| Airbus A321-200 | 4 |
204 | 4 operated by LTU |
| Airbus A319-100 | 8 |
144 | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 9 |
323 | operated by LTU |
| Airbus A330-300 | 3 |
361 | operated by LTU |
| Boeing 737-700 | 18 | 144 | 5 operated by Germania, 4 stored |
| Boeing 737-800 | 35 | 186 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 118 | sold |
| Boeing 737-300 | 10 | 136 | 1 operated by Germania, 9 operated by dba |
| Boeing 757-200 | 2 | 209 | operated by Belair |
| Boeing 787-8 | 28 (Ordered) 10 (Options) |
280 | |
| Fokker 100 | 14 | 100 (operated by Germania) | 6 are leaving in 2008 |
| Total | 134 |
In November 2004 Air Berlin and its Austrian partner Niki announced the joint purchase of 110 Airbus A320s. A firm order for 70 aircraft was placed, 60 for delivery to Air Berlin and 10 for FlyNiki. The deal included an option to purchase an additional 40 aircraft.[3]
On November 28, 2006, Boeing announced that Air Berlin intended to purchase 60 Boeing Next-Generation 737-800 and also identified an order placed earlier in 2006 for 15 Boeing 737-700 aircraft. The combined value of the 75 airplanes would be $5.1 billion at list prices. Apparently, Air Berlin also has 10 unfilled 737-700s from a dba order announced in 2005. Air Berlin expects to take delivery of a total of 85 737s, starting in November 2007.[4] All 85 737s will be equipped with blended winglets, which significantly improve fuel efficiency.
On July 7, 2007, Air Berlin announced an order for 25 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners with options and purchase rights for more. [19]. Three more B787-8 will be leased from ILFC and will start its sevice in 2011.
The average Air Berlin fleet age was 6.8 years old as of February 2007.[20]
Newspaper reports in the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung / FAZ" on the 18th of June 2007 indicated a purchase of 25 Airbus A330 and 25 Airbus A350 aircraft.
Notes
- ^ a b c "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. p. 53.
- ^ airberlin.com:Investor Relations
- ^ FTD:Air Berlin holt zum großen Schlag aus
- ^ a b airberlin.com:History
- ^ "World Airline Directory 1979". Flight International. March 1979.
- ^ Berlin Airport Company, Monthly Timetable Booklets for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, Berlin Airport Company, West Berlin, various editions April 1968 - October 1990
- ^ a b Berlin Airport Company, April 1979 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, Berlin Airport Company, West Berlin, 1979
- ^ Berlin Airport Company, April 1980 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, Berlin Airport Company, West Berlin, 1980
- ^ Berlin Airport Company, April 1981 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, Berlin Airport Company, West Berlin, 1981
- ^ a b Berlin Airport Company, April 1989 Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, Berlin Airport Company, West Berlin, 1989
- ^ Air Berlin acquires dba
- ^ a b David Kaminski-Morrow (2007-04-03). "Air Berlin LTU move driven by access to Düsseldorf". Flight International. p. 9.
- ^ "Air Berlin unveils its new livery with an Airbus A319" Flight Global, 29/08/07
- ^ "Air Berlin seeks to buy Condor, give T. Cook stake" Reuters, Frankfurt, 20-Sept-2007.
- ^ airberlin.com:Gourmet Meals
- ^ airberlin.com:Onboard Service
- ^ airberlin.com:Seating
- ^ airberlin.com:Top Flight Bonus
- ^ http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2007/q3/070707c_nr.html
- ^ Air Berlin Fleet Age
References
- Berlin Airport Company - Monthly Timetable Booklet for Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Tegel Airports, several issues (German language edition only), 1968-1992. West Berlin, Germany: Berlin Airport Company.
- "Flight International". Sutton, UK: Reed Business Information. ISSN 0015-3710.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) (various backdated issues relating to Air Berlin, 1979-2007)
External links
