Helvetic Airways
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| Founded | 2003 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AOC # | 1033[2] | ||||||
| Hubs | |||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 34 | ||||||
| Parent company | Helvetic Airways AG | ||||||
| Headquarters | Kloten, Switzerland | ||||||
| Key people | Bruno Jans, CEO Tobias Pogorevc, CFO | ||||||
| Employees | about 400[3] | ||||||
| Website | helvetic.com | ||||||
Helvetic Airways is a Swiss airline headquartered in Kloten with its fleet stationed at Zürich Airport.[4] It operates flights to destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, mainly leisure markets, but also to business destinations on its own behalf[5] as well as scheduled flights on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa[6] using their fleet of Embraer 190s and Fokker 100s.
History
Helvetic Airways was established in the autumn of 2003 as a rebranding and extension of the existing airline Odette Airways to serve destinations in South-Eastern Europe. Switzerland's first budget carrier began operating in November with a Fokker 100 flying to 3 destinations. By 2004, the fleet had grown to 7 aircraft.
In December 2006, the carrier unveiled a new look for its aircraft. Since that time, all the Fokker 100s have livery in red-white-silver grey colours with the Swiss cross on the tailfin.
In October 2010, the Swiss news media announced a new base in Bern Airport.[7]
On 18 February 2013, in the 2013 Belgian diamond heist, eight men armed with automatic weapons and dressed in police uniforms seized 120 small parcels containing an estimated $50 million (£32,000,000) worth of diamonds from a Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 passenger plane loaded with passengers preparing for departure to Zurich. The men drove two vehicles through a hole they had cut in the airport's perimeter fence to Flight LX789, which had just been loaded with diamonds from a Brink's armoured van. The men were able to execute the operation within five minutes with no injuries and without firing a shot.[8]
In December 2014,[9] Helvetic Airways began to take over seven Embraer 190s which were freed by Niki changing their fleet.[10]
Since March 2016 there is a wet lease contract with Lufthansa for the route Zurich-Munich.[11]
Destinations
Not included are the routes served for Swiss International Air Lines as well as Lufthansa on a long-term wetlease contract.
Scheduled destinations as of May 2017:[12]
| Country | City | Airport name |
|---|---|---|
| France | Bordeaux | Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport |
| Ireland | Limerick | Shannon Airport |
| Italy | Olbia | Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport |
| Spain | Palma de Majorca | Palma de Mallorca Airport |
| Switzerland | Bern | Bern Airport |
| Switzerland | Sion | Sion Airport |
| Switzerland | Zürich | Zürich Airport |
Charter or partial charter flights as of May 2017:[13]
| Country | City | Airport name |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | Larnaca | Larnaca International Airport |
| France | Lourdes | Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport |
| Greece | Heraklion | Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis” |
| Greece | Kos | Kos Island International Airport, Hippocrates |
| Greece | Preveza | Aktion National Airport |
| Greece | Rhodes | Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras" |
| Kosovo | Pristina | Pristina International Airport |
| Macedonia | Ohrid | Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport |
| Macedonia | Skopje | Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport |
| Norway | Tromsø | Tromsø Airport Langnes |
| Spain | Palma de Majorca | Palma de Mallorca Airport |
| Switzerland | Zürich | Zürich Airport |
Fleet
Current fleet
.jpg)
The Helvetic Airways fleet includes the following aircraft as of June 2017:[14]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y | Total | ||||
| Embraer 190[15] | 7[16] | — | 112 | 112 | 5 operated for Swiss International Air Lines |
| Fokker 100 | 5[17] | — | 100 | 100 | 4 operated for Swiss International Air Lines |
| Total | 12 | — | |||
Historic fleet[14]
.jpg)
The airline operated one Airbus A319-100, which was then returned to its lessor in Spring 2017[18]. Helvetic Airways previously also operated a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft.
References
- ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "List of approved Aircraft Maintenance Organisations" (PDF). admin.ch. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Information of Helvetic Airways Group". helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Imprint Archived 29 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Helvetic Airways. Retrieved on 6 November 2009. "Helvetic Airways AG P.O. Box 250 CH-8058 Zurich Airport"
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 90.
- ^ http://abouttravel.ch/reisebranche/transport-luft-land/helvetic-airways-fliegt-fur-lufthansa/
- ^ "2011 startet Helvetic auch von Bern-Belp aus".
- ^ Higgins, Andrew (18 February 2013). "Brazen Jewel Robbery at Brussels Airport Nets $50 Million in Diamonds". New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ "Helvetic Airways - Fleet information of E-190". www.helvetic.com. Helvetic Airways AG. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ INSIDE, TRAVEL. "Helvetic Airways fliegt für Lufthansa | aboutTravel". abouttravel.ch. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
- ^ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Helvetic Airways - Charter / Teilcharter Flüge". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ a b "Helvetic Airways Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Helvetic Airways Flotte - ZRH-Spotter".
- ^ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
- ^ "About Travel (in German)". www.abouttravel.ch. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
External links
Media related to Helvetic Airways at Wikimedia Commons
