Air Europe (Italy)
Encyclopedia
Air Europe was an airline based in Malpensa International Airport, Italy
. It was at the time of closure part of the Alitalia S.p.A. group.
Air Europe suspended operations in December 2008 after Compagnia Aerea Italiana (which was going to take over as the new Alitalia
) decided to close down the Air Europe brand. The airline at one time was a subsidiary of the Volare Group; Volare Group had its head office in Thiene
, Italy
and its commercial management and charter management in Milan
.
, but became wholly Italian owned in 1991. In December 1997 it inaugurated its first scheduled flight to Havana
, Cuba
.
It eventually became a subsidiary of Volare Airlines
. With this partnership, Air Europe became a major domestic and international airline, operating Airbus A320
, Boeing 737
, Boeing 757
, Boeing 767
and Boeing 777
aircraft.
In 2004, however, Volare Group S.p.A. (the holding that controlled Air Europe S.p.A. and Volare Airlines S.p.A.) went bankrupt, and was put up for sale by the Italian Government in December 2004. Alitalia's offer for 38 million euros was the winning bid, however Air One
tried to block the sale for various reasons by going to court - this happened five times, and, in fact, so many obstacles were placed in front of Alitalia's acquisition of the group (including Alitalia's financial difficulties), that the affair was considered like a soap-opera by the Italians.
In the end Air One was unsuccessful but Alitalia had to create Volare S.p.A. (AKA "Volareweb.com") in order to take over the then Volare "Group" S.p.A. Finally in May 2006 the former Volare Group employees were transferred to Volare S.p.A. and Air Europe S.p.A.
As of the 1st of January 2008 the airline (Air Europe) was considered an integral part of the Alitalia Group. That year Alitalia used it for long-haul leisure destinations such as Mauritius
.
In September 2008, CAI made an offer to buy Alitalia, to save it from the bankruptcy
it too was destined to end in, and on the 12th of December 2008 the offer was accepted. As a part of the re-branding CAI decided they were going to close down Air Europe as there was no longer a need for it. As a partner for leisure long-haul operations, it is possible that the "new" Alitalia will use Air Italy
, an airline with which Alitalia already has some agreements.(Italian) Retrieved on 13 October 2010
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It was at the time of closure part of the Alitalia S.p.A. group.
Air Europe suspended operations in December 2008 after Compagnia Aerea Italiana (which was going to take over as the new Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
) decided to close down the Air Europe brand. The airline at one time was a subsidiary of the Volare Group; Volare Group had its head office in Thiene
Thiene
Thiene is a city and comune in the province of Vicenza, in northern Italy, located approximately 75 km west of Venice and 200 km east of Milan....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and its commercial management and charter management in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
.
History
The airline was established in 1989 and started operations on 19 December 1989. It started off as part of the Airlines of Europe Group based in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, but became wholly Italian owned in 1991. In December 1997 it inaugurated its first scheduled flight to Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
It eventually became a subsidiary of Volare Airlines
Volare Airlines
Volare S.p.A., as Volareweb.com, was a low cost subsidiary of the old Alitalia-LAI. Its head office was located in Area Tecnica Sud of Terminal 1 of Milan-Malpensa International Airport, in Ferno, Varese, Italy, and it ceased activity with this name since 12 January 2009...
. With this partnership, Air Europe became a major domestic and international airline, operating Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
, Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
, Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
, Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
and Boeing 777
Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
aircraft.
In 2004, however, Volare Group S.p.A. (the holding that controlled Air Europe S.p.A. and Volare Airlines S.p.A.) went bankrupt, and was put up for sale by the Italian Government in December 2004. Alitalia's offer for 38 million euros was the winning bid, however Air One
Air One
Air One "Smart Carrier" is Alitalia's LCC subsidiary based in Milan Malpensa Airport and headquartered in Fiumicino, Italy. Before the merger with Alitalia, Air One was a competitor, the second largest airline in Italy, with a high-frequency scheduled network to 36 destinations in Italy, Europe and...
tried to block the sale for various reasons by going to court - this happened five times, and, in fact, so many obstacles were placed in front of Alitalia's acquisition of the group (including Alitalia's financial difficulties), that the affair was considered like a soap-opera by the Italians.
In the end Air One was unsuccessful but Alitalia had to create Volare S.p.A. (AKA "Volareweb.com") in order to take over the then Volare "Group" S.p.A. Finally in May 2006 the former Volare Group employees were transferred to Volare S.p.A. and Air Europe S.p.A.
As of the 1st of January 2008 the airline (Air Europe) was considered an integral part of the Alitalia Group. That year Alitalia used it for long-haul leisure destinations such as Mauritius
Mauritius
Mauritius , officially the Republic of Mauritius is an island nation off the southeast coast of the African continent in the southwest Indian Ocean, about east of Madagascar...
.
In September 2008, CAI made an offer to buy Alitalia, to save it from the bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
it too was destined to end in, and on the 12th of December 2008 the offer was accepted. As a part of the re-branding CAI decided they were going to close down Air Europe as there was no longer a need for it. As a partner for leisure long-haul operations, it is possible that the "new" Alitalia will use Air Italy
Air Italy
Air Italy S.p.A. is an airline based in Gallarate, Italy, operating scheduled services for tour operators within Europe, to Brazil and Kenya, as well as independent short-haul flights...
, an airline with which Alitalia already has some agreements.(Italian) Retrieved on 13 October 2010
Destinations
Air Europe served the following destinations at the time of closure;-
- HavanaHavanaHavana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
(José Martí International AirportJosé Martí International AirportJosé Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho-Boyeros Airport, is located southwest of Havana, Cuba, and is a hub for Cubana de Aviación, Aerogaviota and Aero Caribbean, and former Latin American hub for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines...
) - MilanMilanMilan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
(Malpensa International Airport) Hub - RomeRomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
(Leonardo da Vinci International AirportLeonardo da Vinci International AirportLeonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport , also commonly known as Fiumicino Airport, is Italy's largest airport with 36.3 million passengers served in 2010, located in Fiumicino, 35 km from Rome's historic city centre....
) Secondary Hub - Montego BayMontego BayMontego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
(Sangster International Airport) (via Havana) - Port LouisPort Louis-Economy:The economy is dominated by its port, which handles Mauritius' international trade. The port was founded by the French who preferred Port Louis as the City is shielded by the Port Louis/Moka mountain range. It is the largest container handling facility in the Indian Ocean and can...
(Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International AirportSir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International AirportSir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport , known as SSR Airport or previously as Plaisance Airport, is an international airport serving the island country of Mauritius. The airport is located at Plaine Magnien, near Plaisance and southeast of Port Louis, the capital of Mauritius...
) - CancúnCancúnCancún is a city of international tourism development certified by the UNWTO . Located on the northeast coast of Quintana Roo in southern Mexico, more than 1,700 km from Mexico City, the Project began operations in 1974 as Integrally Planned Center, a pioneer of FONATUR Cancún is a city of...
(Cancún International AirportCancún International AirportCancún International Airport is located in Cancún, Quintana Roo, on the Caribbean coast of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. It is Mexico's second busiest airport, after Mexico City International Airport in Mexico City, but the biggest in Mexico and Latin America for International passengers...
) (via Havana)
- Havana
Fleet
The Air Europe fleet consisted of the following aircraft at the time of closure:| Aircraft | Total | Registrations | Notes |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | I-VIMQ |
External links
- Air Europe (Archive)
- Air Europa spa (Archive, 1999-2001)
- Air Europe spa (Archive, 1999-2001)
- Alitalia