Sky Airline
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| Founded | 2001 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Sky Plus | ||||||
| Fleet size | 15 | ||||||
| Destinations | 18 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile | ||||||
| Key people |
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| Website | skyairline.cl | ||||||
Sky Airline is an airline based at Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport in Santiago, Chile. It is the second largest airline in the country behind rival LATAM Airlines. It serves international routes to Argentina, Brazil, Perú and Bolivia. It operates under a semi-low cost model. Compared to other European or US low cost carriers, it has a smaller business model, lower wages for its employees, and lucrative regulatory requirements. It also operates charter flights in Chile and South America.
History
Sky Airline was controlled by its founder, Jürgen Paulmann (1930–2014), a German-Chilean businessman, brother of retail billionaire Horst Paulmann. It started operations in December 2001 and made the first flights from Santiago to Northern Chile in June 2002. Since 2005 is a full member of IATA.
In April 2009, the company signed an agreement with Aerolineas Argentinas, allowing the Argentinean flag carrier to offer in all its commercial offices and through its electronic ticket system most of the destinations covered by Sky Airline in Chile.[1]
In 2011 it signed a codeshare agreement with TACA Airlines for domestic flights in Chile, Perú and between both countries.[2] In 2012 it signed a codeshare agreement with TACA's parent company, Colombia's Avianca for operations between Chile and Colombia.[2]
The airline is to transition to a low-cost carrier model during 2015 and 2016 to reduce costs.[3]
Awards
Sky Airline was named the Best Regional Airline in South America in the 2014 and 2015 Skytrax World Airline Awards.[4][5]
Maintenance
Maintenance services are supplied by AIRMAN, a sister maintenance company based in Santiago Airport.
Destinations
Fleet
The Sky Airline fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2016):[6]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 |
The company expects to expand its current fleet to 25 planes by 2018.[7]
Historic Fleet
Since its beginnings, Sky Airline operated a 100% Boeing 737 fleet, these began to be replaced by Airbus A320 family planes in 2010 and were fully withdrawn in 2013.[8]
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Incidents and accidents
- On July 18, 2012, at 5:08 PM local time, a Sky Airline Flight SKU 101, operated by a Boeing 737-200 Advanced, registration CC-CRQ, with 115 passengers and 6 crew members on board, en route from Antofagasta Cerro Moreno Airport to La Serena-La Florida Airport, aborted landing at La Serena touching the runway with its right hand wing, suffering substantial damage to the wing tip and flap fairing. The plane safely landed at Copiapó-Chamonate Airport at 5:47 PM with no injuries. Visibility conditions at La Serena were rapidly deteriorating at the time of the approach, but still good enough for a safe landing (6000 m. visibility). The plane was subsequently repaired.[9]
- On October 14, 2015, a passenger on board SKU 112, an Airbus 319, filmed part of the plane's left engine cowling coming off as it took off from Santiago Airport en route to Chamonate Airport. The plane immediately returned to Santiago Airport and landed safely. No passengers were injured. A similar incident with the A319 had happened previously on a British Airways flight departing Heathrow Airport.[10]
References
- ^ "Transport of insect repellent in view of the Dengue / Zica epidemic". www.aerolineas.com.ar. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ a b "Sky Airlines codeshare". www.skyairline.cl. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ "Sky Goes Low Cost". Airliner World: 17. November 2015.
- ^ "The World's Best Regional Airlines | 2014". 2015-01-14. Archived from the original on January 14, 2015. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ "The World's Best Regional Airlines in 2015". www.worldairlineawards.com. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ "Global Airline Guide 2016 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2016): 11.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ S.A., COPESA, Consorcio Periodistico de Chile. "El próximo despegue que prepara Sky Airline | Negocios | La Tercera Edición Impresa". diario.latercera.com. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Sky Airline Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net Just Aviation. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Descripción del Accidente ASN 18 JUL 2012 Boeing 737-230 CC-CRQ - La Serena-La Florida Airport (LSC)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2016-05-20.
- ^ "Engine Breaks Apart In Passenger Video Onboard Sky Airline Flight 112". www.huffingtonpost.co.uk. 2015-10-15. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
External links
