FlyLAL Charters
Encyclopedia
Small Planet Airlines UAB (formerly FlyLAL Charters) is a European charter airline headquartered in Vilnius
, Lithuania
. It was established in 2007 when charter flights were separated from FlyLal
, the national airline of Lithuania. The company holds Air Operator Certificates in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Italy. Current customers include Nova Turas, Horizon Travel, Viking Hellas
, Aeroservizi, TUI AG
, Orbis Travel, Tez Tour, Chapman Freeborn, Newmarket Holidays and others.
). In October 2008, the company received its AOC and Operating License and began active operations. The airline was established to separate charter services from FlyLal
.
In June 2009, FlyLal charters began to provide charter services to the broker in Italy Aeroservizi, the charter flights are operated by a Boeing 737-300 with Lithuanian crews. In 2010, FlyLal charters were authorized to perform regular flights from early July and has scheduled flights to Rhodes, Heraklion, Varna, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
During July 2010, FlyLal Charters announced that they were re-branding as Small Planet Airlines to compete with Europe
's top 10 charter airlines. The airline said that it hopes the re-branding brings it more international presence, therefore placing it in the top 10 charter airlines in Europe. Small Planet Airlines has bases in Vilnius Airport, Warsaw Airport, Katowice Airport and Milan-Malpensa Airport.
In April 2011, Small Planet Airlines received its first A320 aircraft http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/4/4/1999449.jpg, of two orders, and it became the first airline to register a Airbus A320
aircraft in Poland.
Flight LLC3206 with 153 passengers made an emergency landing at Vilnius International Airport
, while en route from Hurghada
to Vilnius
. None of the passengers were injured. Before landing, the plane had a problem with extracting of chassis, but making a few roundabouts around Vilnius, landed safely.
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. It was established in 2007 when charter flights were separated from FlyLal
FlyLal
FlyLal was the national airline of Lithuania, based in Vilnius. It operated domestic and international scheduled services. Its main base was Vilnius International Airport....
, the national airline of Lithuania. The company holds Air Operator Certificates in Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Italy. Current customers include Nova Turas, Horizon Travel, Viking Hellas
Viking Hellas
Fly Hellas was a privately owned charter airline. Its main base is Athens International Airport.- History :In October 2009 Viking Hellas was created and awarded their air operators certificate by the Hellenic CAA....
, Aeroservizi, TUI AG
TUI AG
TUI AG is a German multinational travel and tourism company headquartered in Hanover. Until 2001 it was an industrial and transportation company named Preussag AG, which in the mid-1990s decided to reinvent itself as a tourism, shipping, and logistics company...
, Orbis Travel, Tez Tour, Chapman Freeborn, Newmarket Holidays and others.
History
FlyLal Charters registered on March 14, 2007 as wholly owned subsidiary of FlyLal Group (now Avia Solutions GroupAvia Solutions Group
Avia Solutions Group is a Lithuanian group of aviation-related companies providing infrastructural solutions for airlines, travel business companies and state institutions. It is the largest group of such kind in the Baltic States and one of the largest in Eastern Europe and CIS...
). In October 2008, the company received its AOC and Operating License and began active operations. The airline was established to separate charter services from FlyLal
FlyLal
FlyLal was the national airline of Lithuania, based in Vilnius. It operated domestic and international scheduled services. Its main base was Vilnius International Airport....
.
In June 2009, FlyLal charters began to provide charter services to the broker in Italy Aeroservizi, the charter flights are operated by a Boeing 737-300 with Lithuanian crews. In 2010, FlyLal charters were authorized to perform regular flights from early July and has scheduled flights to Rhodes, Heraklion, Varna, Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca.
During July 2010, FlyLal Charters announced that they were re-branding as Small Planet Airlines to compete with Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's top 10 charter airlines. The airline said that it hopes the re-branding brings it more international presence, therefore placing it in the top 10 charter airlines in Europe. Small Planet Airlines has bases in Vilnius Airport, Warsaw Airport, Katowice Airport and Milan-Malpensa Airport.
In April 2011, Small Planet Airlines received its first A320 aircraft http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/4/4/1999449.jpg, of two orders, and it became the first airline to register a 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...
aircraft in Poland.
Services
- Full charter programs for tour operators - AOC, local crew, and tailored on-board services.
- Aircraft wet lease - tailored on-board services, custom livery.
- Ad hoc flights - fast dispatch for anyone in need of a charter flight.
Statistics
In 2009, Small Planet Airlines flew to 75 destinations, carried 0.4 million passengers, and received 46 million euros in revenues.Destinations
Small Planet Airline's seasonal charter destinations:-
- BurgasBurgas-History:During the rule of the Ancient Romans, near Burgas, Debeltum was established as a military colony for veterans by Vespasian. In the Middle Ages, a small fortress called Pyrgos was erected where Burgas is today and was most probably used as a watchtower...
, VarnaVarnaVarna is the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and third-largest in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv, with a population of 334,870 inhabitants according to Census 2011... - RijekaRijekaRijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
- Hurgada, Sharm El Sheikh, Marsa AlamMarsa AlamMarsa Alam is a town in south-eastern Egypt, located on the western shore of the Red Sea. It is currently seeing fast increasing popularity as a tourist destination and development following the opening of Marsa Alam International Airport in 2001....
- HeraklionHeraklionHeraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, KarpathosKarpathosKarpathos is the second largest of the Greek Dodecanese islands, in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Together with the neighboring smaller Saria Island it forms the municipality Karpathos, which is part of the Karpathos peripheral unit. From its remote position Karpathos has preserved many...
, RhodesRhodesRhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...
, ThessalonikiThessalonikiThessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, CorfuCorfuCorfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The... - CorkCork (city)Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Dublin - BergamoBergamoBergamo is a town and comune in Lombardy, Italy, about 40 km northeast of Milan. The comune is home to over 120,000 inhabitants. It is served by the Orio al Serio Airport, which also serves the Province of Bergamo, and to a lesser extent the metropolitan area of Milan...
, CataniaCataniaCatania is an Italian city on the east coast of Sicily facing the Ionian Sea, between Messina and Syracuse. It is the capital of the homonymous province, and with 298,957 inhabitants it is the second-largest city in Sicily and the tenth in Italy.Catania is known to have a seismic history and...
, 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 ,...
- Burgas
-
- FaroFaro, PortugalFaro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
, Terceira - BangkokBangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
- MonastirMonastir, Tunisia-Areas within Monastir:Monastir's north-eastern territories lead into a place called Route de la Falaise, through which you will reach its most notable suburb, Skanes, which is 6 miles from Monastir's town centre...
- AntalyaAntalyaAntalya is a city on the Mediterranean coast of southwestern Turkey. With a population 1,001,318 as of 2010. It is the eighth most populous city in Turkey and country's biggest international sea resort.- History :...
, BodrumBodrumBodrum is a port city in Muğla Province, in the southwestern Aegean Region of Turkey. It is located on the southern coast of Bodrum Peninsula, at a point that checks the entry into the Gulf of Gökova. The site was called Halicarnassus of Caria in ancient times and was famous for housing the...
, MarmarisMarmarisMarmaris is a port city and a tourist resort on the Mediterranean coast, located in southwest Turkey, in Muğla Province.Marmaris' main source of income is tourism. Little is left of the sleepy fishing village that Marmaris was just a few decades ago after a construction boom in the 1980s... - BarcelonaBarcelonaBarcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Palma de MallorcaPalma de MallorcaPalma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
, TenerifeTenerifeTenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, Menorca - GenevaGenevaGeneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
- Faro
Fleet
Current
The Small Planet Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 21 April 2011):| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-300 | 7 | 0 | 148 | operating 2 for SCAT (airline) and 2 for Tor Air Tor Air Tor Air is a charter airline based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Its main base is Gothenburg City Airport.-History:The company was established by private investors and received a Swedish Air Operators Certificate on 1 December 2008. It commenced operations in December 2008 with a Boeing 737-400 leased... |
| Boeing 737-500 | 4 | 0 | 114 | operating 2 for SCAT (airline) and 2 for Tajik Air |
| Boeing 757-200 | 1 | 0 | 235 | operating for SCAT (airline) |
| 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... |
2 | 2 | 180 | 1 operated by SmartLynx Airlines |
| Total | 14 | 2 | 9 aircraft are leased to other airlines |
Retired
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 757-200 | 1 | 2009 | 2011 |
Accidents and incidents
On 20 June 2011, a Small Planet Airlines Airbus A320Airbus 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...
Flight LLC3206 with 153 passengers made an emergency landing at Vilnius International Airport
Vilnius International Airport
Vilnius International Airport is the largest civil airport in Lithuania. It is located south of Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. It began operations in 1944. The old terminal was built in 1954.- History:...
, while en route from Hurghada
Hurghada
Hurghada is a city in the Red Sea Governorate of Egypt. It is a main tourist center and second largest city in Egypt located on the Red Sea coast.- Overview :...
to Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. None of the passengers were injured. Before landing, the plane had a problem with extracting of chassis, but making a few roundabouts around Vilnius, landed safely.