Windjet
Encyclopedia
Wind Jet S.p.A., also styled as Windjet, is a scheduled and charter passenger airline
based in Catania
, Italy
. It was founded in 2003, following the disbandment of Air Sicilia, by current CEO Antonino Pulvirenti, also owner of football
team Calcio Catania
. It is currently the fourth Italian airline by number of passengers, and operates several national and continental flights, most of them from the main hub of Catania-Fontanarossa
.
, Italy
after encountering a thunderstorm
and windshear
on approach. The aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted the localiser—both main undercarriage sets collapsed and the aircraft was evacuated by the emergency slides. Around twenty passengers were injured, mostly sustaining minor cuts and bruises, whiplash, and shock. One passenger was reported to have dislocated his shoulder. The Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo
opened an investigation into the accident. Wind Jet stated that they believe windshear
was the cause of the incident.
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 Catania
Catania
Catania 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...
, 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...
. It was founded in 2003, following the disbandment of Air Sicilia, by current CEO Antonino Pulvirenti, also owner of football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
team Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania
Calcio Catania is an Italian football club founded in 1908 and based in Catania, Sicily. The club has spent much of its history in Serie B, gaining promotion to Italy's top league Serie A five times...
. It is currently the fourth Italian airline by number of passengers, and operates several national and continental flights, most of them from the main hub of Catania-Fontanarossa
Catania-Fontanarossa Airport
-See also:*Palermo Airport Falcone e Borsellino - also known as Punta Raisi Airport, another of Sicily's international airports* Trapani Birgi Airport Vincenzo Florio - another of Sicily's international airports...
.
History
Windjet was established in 2003 and started operations on 17 June 2003. It is 100% owned by the Finaria Group.Destinations
Wind Jet has a codeshare agreement with Meridiana fly on domestic routes out of Catania and Palermo airports.Fleet
The Wind Jet fleet consists of the following aircraft as of 1 September 2011| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 5 | 0 | 142 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 7 | 0 | 180 | |
| Piaggio P.180 Avanti | 2 | 0 | 8 | Used for private charter flights |
| Total | 14 | 0 |
Incidents and accidents
On 24 September 2010, Wind Jet Flight 243, operated by an Airbus A319-132, registration EI-EDM, landed short of the runway at Punta Raisi Airport, PalermoPalermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
, 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...
after encountering a thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
and windshear
WindShear
The Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
on approach. The aircraft was substantially damaged when it impacted the localiser—both main undercarriage sets collapsed and the aircraft was evacuated by the emergency slides. Around twenty passengers were injured, mostly sustaining minor cuts and bruises, whiplash, and shock. One passenger was reported to have dislocated his shoulder. The Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo
Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo
Agenzia Nazionale per la Sicurezza del Volo is the Italian aircraft accident investigation agency. The ANSV is headquartered in Rome.-See also:*Air safety*Linate Airport disaster*Tuninter Flight 1153...
opened an investigation into the accident. Wind Jet stated that they believe windshear
WindShear
The Windshear Full Scale Rolling Road Wind Tunnel is an automotive wind tunnel in Concord, North Carolina.In January 2008 Wind Shear, a division of US machine tool builder Haas Automat-80.7ion, completed construction on one of the most advanced automotive wind tunnels in the world. The full-scale...
was the cause of the incident.