Helios Airways
Encyclopedia
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
operating scheduled and charter flights between Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
and many 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...
an destinations. It has its corporate headquarters on the grounds of Larnaca International Airport
Larnaca International Airport
Larnaca International Airport is an international airport located southwest of Larnaca, Cyprus. Larnaca International Airport is Cyprus' main international gateway and the larger of the country's two commercial airports, the other being Paphos International Airport on the island's southwestern...
in Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
. Its main base was Larnaca International Airport. Flights ceased on 6 November 2006 because the company's aircraft were detained and its bank accounts frozen by the Government of Cyprus.
History
The airline was established as "Helios Airways" on 23 September 1998 and was the first independent privately owned airline in Cyprus. On 15 May 2000, it operated its first charter flight to London GatwickLondon Gatwick Airport
Gatwick Airport is located 3.1 miles north of the centre of Crawley, West Sussex, and south of Central London. Previously known as London Gatwick,In 2010, the name changed from London Gatwick Airport to Gatwick Airport...
. It was formed by the owners of TEA (Cyprus), a Cypriot offshore air operator specialising in 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...
wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
s worldwide. Originally, it offered charter services and added scheduled services on 5 April 2001. Helios was acquired in 2004 by Libra Holidays Group of Limassol
Limassol
Limassol is the second-largest city in Cyprus, with a population of 228,000 . It is the largest city in geographical size, and the biggest municipality on the island. The city is located on Akrotiri Bay, on the island's southern coast and it is the capital of Limassol District.Limassol is the...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
On 14 August 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522
Helios Airways Flight 522
Helios Airways Flight 522 was a Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 flight that crashed into a mountain on 14 August 2005 at 12:04 EEST, north of Marathon and Varnavas, Greece. Rescue teams located wreckage near the community of Grammatiko from Athens...
crashed near Grammatiko, Greece, as the crew was incapacitated due to lack of oxygen. The investigation concluded that both maintenance crews and the pilots had failed to ensure the pressurization system was set to "auto", and as a result, the plane never pressurized. The accident revealed many problems with safety of the airline and lead to manslaughter charges against five airline officials.
On 14 March 2006 it was announced that Helios Airways would be rebranded as αjet and would withdraw from scheduled operations. Responding to rumors, on 30 October 2006 αjet announced that it was to cease operations over the period of the following 90 days. In light of this, the Cyprus Government demanded that back taxes be paid immediately. Also, private suppliers demanded that they be paid in cash for any further goods and services provided to the company. On 31 October 2006 the airline announced that it was ceasing operations immediately. On 11 November 2006 the Company website announced that The Government of the Republic of Cyprus had "illegally detained αjet’s aircraft and frozen the Company’s bank accounts", which was in "direct contravention to the successful appeal lodged by αjet in the District Court, causing substantial financial damage to the Company". As a result αjet announced that all flights that were scheduled to be operated by other Carriers to all destinations, would no longer be operating as of Monday, 6 November 2006 and that passengers would therefore have to make their own arrangements.
All αjet flights were suspended from 1 November 2006 and the majority of its schedules were taken over by the now defunct XL Airways UK charter carrier. According to owners, Libra Holidays, the decision to close was due to poor financial results and pressure from creditors.
Fleet
When the airline ceased operating, the αjet fleet consisted of the following aircraft :- 2 × Boeing 737-800Boeing 737 Next GenerationThe Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as Boeing 737NG, is the name given to the -600/-700/-800/-900 series of the Boeing 737 after the introduction of the -300/-400/-500 Classic series. They are short- to medium-range, narrow-body jet airliners...
Aircraft operated
The airline had also operated the following aircraft:- 1 × Airbus A319-112 (2005) leased from Lotus AirLotus AirLotus Air was an airline based in Cairo, Egypt. It was a privately owned charter airline flying mainly to Europe. Its main base was Cairo International Airport, with hubs at Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport, Hurghada International Airport and Luxor International Airport. -History:Lotus Air was...
- 1 × Boeing 737-300Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
(2004-2005) - 1 × Boeing 737-400Boeing 737 ClassicThe Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
(2000-2001)
Incidents and accidents
- On 14 August 2005, Helios Airways Flight 522Helios Airways Flight 522Helios Airways Flight 522 was a Helios Airways Boeing 737-300 flight that crashed into a mountain on 14 August 2005 at 12:04 EEST, north of Marathon and Varnavas, Greece. Rescue teams located wreckage near the community of Grammatiko from Athens...
, a Boeing 737-300, flying from LarnacaLarnacaLarnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
to AthensAthensAthens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, crashed near KalamosKalamos, AtticaKalamos is a town and a former community in the Greek prefecture of Attica. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Oropos, of which it is a municipal unit....
, GreeceGreeceGreece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
the aircraft has 115 passengers on board and a total of 6 crew (2 Pilots, 4 Cabin Crew), the crash was caused by a pressurization problem.