Tuninter
Encyclopedia
TunisAir Express
TunisAir Express ( , operating under the name "TunisAir Express," is an airline
based in Tunis
, Tunisia
that was founded on August 1, 1991. Formerly known as Tuninter and SevenAir, its parent company is the national carrier Tunisair
.
Initially limited to domestic routes (it is still the only airline to fly internally within Tunisia), Tuninter, as it was then known, obtained permission to begin international operations in 2000. It operates to destinations in Tunisia, Italy, and Malta.
TunisAir Express transported a total of six million passengers between 1992 and 2008, carrying 300,000 passengers in 2008 alone.
TunisAir Express ( , operating under the name "TunisAir Express," is an 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...
based in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
that was founded on August 1, 1991. Formerly known as Tuninter and SevenAir, its parent company is the national carrier Tunisair
Tunisair
Société Tunisienne de l'Air, or Tunisair is the flag carrier airline of Tunisia. Formed in 1948, it operates scheduled international services to European, African and Middle Eastern destinations. Its main base is Tunis-Carthage International Airport...
.
Initially limited to domestic routes (it is still the only airline to fly internally within Tunisia), Tuninter, as it was then known, obtained permission to begin international operations in 2000. It operates to destinations in Tunisia, Italy, and Malta.
TunisAir Express transported a total of six million passengers between 1992 and 2008, carrying 300,000 passengers in 2008 alone.
History
From its founding in 1990 until 2000, TunisAir was known in French as Tuninter, and bore the Arabic name "Domestic Airline" (الخطوط الداخلية). In honor of the date on which it opened its first international routes (7/7/2000), the airline was re-named "SevenAir" (طيران السابع). SevenAir was owned by a relative of the wife of the former President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, and was renamed TunisAir Express following Ben Ali's departure from Tunisia on January 14, 2011..Destinations
As of March 2011, TunisAir Express operates scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- SarajevoSarajevoSarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
- Sarajevo International Airport (Seasonal)
- Sarajevo
- Italy
- NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
– Naples AirportNaples AirportNaples Airport can refer to:*Naples International Airport in Naples, Italy*Naples Municipal Airport in Naples, Florida...
- Naples
- Libya
- TripoliTripoliTripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
– Tripoli International AirportTripoli International AirportThe Tripoli International Airport is an international airport that serves Tripoli, Libya. It is operated by the Civil Aviation and Meteorology Bureau of Libya and is the nation's largest airport...
(suspended)
- Tripoli
- Malta
- LuqaLuqaĦal Luqa is a village located in the south east of Malta. It is an old town that has a dense population, typical of the Maltese Islands. The population of Ħal Luqa is 6,028 . There is a church in its main square dedicated to St. Andrew. The traditional feast of St...
– Malta International AirportMalta International AirportMalta International Airport is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole Maltese Archipelago. It is located between Luqa and Gudja. It occupies the location of the former RAF Luqa and was completely re-furbished, becoming fully operational on 25 March 1992...
- Luqa
- Tunisia
- DjerbaDjerbaDjerba , also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is, at 514 km², the largest island of North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes, off the coast of Tunisia.-Description:...
– Djerba-Zarzis International Airport - GabèsGabèsGabès , also spelt Cabès, Cabes, Kabes, Gabbs and Gaps, the ancient Tacape, is the capital city of the Gabès Governorate, a province of Tunisia. It lies on the coast of the Gulf of Gabès. With a population of 116,323 it is the 6th largest Tunisian city.-History:Strabo refers to Tacape as an...
– Gabès – Matmata International Airport - GafsaGafsaGafsa is the capital of Gafsa Governorate of Tunisia. Its name was appropriated by archaeologists for the Mesolithic Capsian culture. With a population of 84,676, it is the 9th Tunisian city.-Overview:...
– Gafsa – Ksar International Airport - 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...
– Monastir – Habib Bourguiba International Airport - SfaxSfaxSfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...
– Sfax – Thyna International Airport - TabarkaTabarkaTabarka is a coastal town located in north-western Tunisia, at about , close to the border with Algeria. It has been famous for its coral fishing, the Coral Festival of underwater photography and the annual jazz festival. Tabarka's history is a colorful mosaic of Phoenician, Roman, Arabic and...
– Tabarka – 7 Novembre International Airport - TozeurTozeurTozeur is an oasis and a city in south west Tunisia. The city is located North West of Chott el-Djerid, in between this Chott and the smaller Chott el-Gharsa. It is the capital of the Tozeur Governorate....
– Tozeur – Nefta International Airport - TunisTunisTunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
– Tunis-Carthage International AirportTunis-Carthage International AirportTunis–Carthage Airport is the international airport serving Tunis in Tunisia.The airport is named for the historic city of Carthage, located just north of the airport. It is the base of operations for four airlines: Tunisair, Nouvelair Tunisia, Tunisair Express and Tunisavia...
base
- Djerba
Accident
- 6 August 2005, Tuninter Flight 1153Tuninter Flight 1153Tuninter Flight 1153 was a Tuninter Airlines flight from Bari International Airport in Bari, Italy, to Djerba-Zarzis Airport in Djerba, Tunisia. On 6 August 2005, the Tuninter ATR-72 ditched into the Mediterranean Sea about 18 miles from the city of Palermo. Sixteen of the 39 people on board died...
: a Tuninter ATR-72 crash-landed in the seaWater landingA water landing is, in the broadest sense, any landing on a body of water. All waterfowl, those seabirds capable of flight, and some human-built vehicles are capable of landing in water as a matter of course....
18 miles off the Sicilian coast while on a flight from the Italian town of BariBariBari is the capital city of the province of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, in Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy after Naples, and is well known as a port and university city, as well as the city of Saint Nicholas...
to DjerbaDjerbaDjerba , also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is, at 514 km², the largest island of North Africa, located in the Gulf of Gabes, off the coast of Tunisia.-Description:...
in Tunisia. The aircraft was carrying 39 passengers and crew, 16 of whom died. Officials at Bari airport reported that most of the passengers were Italian tourists. The fuel indicator was reading incorrectly because it was designed to be fitted only in a smaller plane: the ATR42. Therefore, the crew did not detect that the aircraft was running low on fuel. The turboprop suffered fuel exhaustionFuel StarvationFuel starvation and fuel exhaustion are problems that can affect internal combustion engines fuelled by either diesel, kerosene, petroleum or any other combustible liquid or gas. If no fuel is available for an engine to burn, it cannot function...
and the ATR72 ditched off the Sicilian coast. The airline was banned from flying into Italy for under two years.
Fleet
As of February 2011, the TunisAir Express fleet consists of the following aircraft:| Aircraft | Total | Orders | Passengers (Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-300 | 1 | 0 | - | |
| ATR 72-202 | 1 | 0 | 70 | |
| ATR 72-500 | 2 | 0 | 70 | |
| Bombardier CRJ-900 | 1 | 0 | 88 | |
| Total | 5 | 0 |