History

Heli Air Monaco was founded in 1976 with the support of Prince Rainier III

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco

Rainier III, Prince of Monaco , styled His Serene Highness The Sovereign Prince of Monaco, ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest ruling monarchs of the 20th century.Though he was best known outside of Europe for having married American...

, and began operations from the Monaco Heliport

Monaco Heliport

Monaco Heliport is situated in the district of Fontvieille in the principality of Monaco. The heliport is the only aviation facility in Monaco. It was opened with the support of Prince Rainier III in 1976, with only one helipad. The only scheduled destination is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France,...

, located in the Fontvieille

Fontvieille, Monaco

Fontvieille is the newest of the four traditional quarters in the principality of Monaco, and one of ten Wards for modern administrative purposes. It is located in the western part of Monaco...

 quarter of Monaco

Monaco

Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...

, from where it now operates regular shuttle

Shuttle

The original meaning of the word shuttle is the device used in weaving to carry the weft. By reference to the continual to-and-fro motion associated with that, the term was then applied in transportation and then in other spheres...

 services between Monaco Heliport

Monaco Heliport

Monaco Heliport is situated in the district of Fontvieille in the principality of Monaco. The heliport is the only aviation facility in Monaco. It was opened with the support of Prince Rainier III in 1976, with only one helipad. The only scheduled destination is Nice Côte d'Azur Airport in France,...

 and Nice Airport (an average 24 transfers a day), and offers on request flights from Monaco and Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

 to other European destinations including the Alps

Alps

The Alps is one of the great mountain range systems of Europe, stretching from Austria and Slovenia in the east through Italy, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Germany to France in the west....

, Corsica

Corsica

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....

, the French Riviera

French Riviera

The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...

, 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 Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

.

Initial services were operated with a single Enstrom F-28

Enstrom F-28

|-See also:-References:*-External links:* *...

 helicopter, and in the first year of operations the airline flew 747 passengers. In order to meet demand a Bell 206 JetRanger was acquired in 1976, and by 1980 15,237 passengers had been carried. A free shuttle service in Monaco was introduced in 1983, a year in which 39,673 passengers were carried. A Eurocopter Dauphin

Eurocopter Dauphin

The Eurocopter SA 365/AS365 Dauphin 2 is a medium-weight multipurpose twin-engine helicopter manufactured by Eurocopter .-Design and development:...

 was added to the fleet in 1991, joining a fleet made up of six Eurocopter AS350s and a Bell 206 JetRanger. The number of passengers carried in 1991 increased to some 94,300. 2000 saw the airline carrying 103,000 passengers and passing the 1,500,000 passengers carried mark.

In September 2003, the airline ordered a number of six-seat Eurocopter EC130B4 to replace the Eurocopter Squirrels in the fleet.

On 8 June 2004, a Heli Air Monaco Ecureuil on a scheduled flight from Monaco to Nice crashed into the sea 2.16 kilometres off Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat , Italian: San Giovanni Capo Ferrato, is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It is located on a peninsula next to Beaulieu-sur-Mer and to Villefranche-sur-Mer and extends out to Cap Ferrat...

, killing the pilot and four passengers.

Due to a drop in the numbers of passengers being carried, in February 2009 Heli Air Monaco laid off ten employees and announced that an additional thirty employees may be laid off if the situation does not improve. Jacques Crovetto, the CEO of the company, noted that the Monegasque government takes taxes from the company, but gives no support to the company in return. The airline accounts for 90-95% of traffic at the Monaco Heliport, and its services are not subsidised. Crovetto also showed disdain for a decision by the Monegasque authorities to bar the company's minivans from operating in the bus lanes in Monaco, but in September 2009, he expressed hope that the decision would be overturned. He also noted that due to re-registration of passengers in Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

being required, it is almost as quick to take a taxi between Monaco and Nice. According to Heli Air Monaco, the Monaco-Nice route has a natural ceiling of 130,000 passengers per year, but in January 2009 the company only carried 3,450 passengers.