Tag Archives: CityJet

CityJet to acquire Blue1, CityJet will operate 8 CRJ900s for SAS

Scandinavian Airlines-SAS (Stockholm) has made this announcement today:

SAS’s strategy is to offer frequent travelers a broad network with frequent flights to, from and within Scandinavia. To adapt the size of the production to traffic flows SAS utilizes hired capacity, known as a wet lease, with smaller regional jet and turboprop aircraft.

In line with this strategy, SAS has entered into an agreement with CityJet (Dublin) on the wet lease of eight new Bombardier CRJ900s. SAS already operates twelve regional jet aircraft of this type through its subsidiary, Cimber.

The new aircraft, which each have 90 seats and are painted in SAS colors, will be put into service from March 2016 on routes and at times when there is a need for smaller aircraft. The wet lease agreement is for three years and covers eight Bombardier CRJ900s with an option on a further six aircraft.

As part of this collaboration, CityJet is acquiring 100% of the shares in SAS subsidiary Blue1. The sale of Blue1 will lead to a marginal impact on SAS’s income before tax, cash and net debt. The Group’s income after tax during Q4 2014/2015 will be negatively impacted of around MSEK 90, primarily due to write down of capitalized loss carry forwards. The sale and the new wet lease agreement are expected to increase cost efficiency and flexibility.

Above Copyright Photo: Rolf Wallner/AirlinersGallery.com. It is unclear what CityJet will do with Blue1. Blue1 currently operates five Boeing 717-200s and SAS is selling the 717s to Volotea and Delta. The type is due to be retired at Blue1 next month. Will Blue1 operate the CRJ900s for SAS? Boeing 717-23S OH-BLM (msn 55066) taxies at Zurich.

Airline Aircraft Type “Endangered Species List”:

CityJet is a European airline that was founded in 1992. CityJet has a fleet of 18 Avro RJ85 jet aircraft and it operates over 680 flights per week throughout Europe.

In the meantime, CityJet made this announcement today:

CityJet wins major contract to operate SAS regional routes and places order for up to 14 Bombardier CRJ900 aircraft.

Irish airline CityJet has been awarded a major wet lease contract by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) to operate a network of regional routes from Helsinki, Oslo and Stockholm . Commencing in March 2016, CityJet will operate services on behalf of SAS using eight new aircraft, with an option to increase to 14 aircraft in 2017.

CityJet has also announced that it is to acquire eight 90-seat Bombardier CRJ900 regional jets, major components of which are manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast. The CRJ900 fleet will be operated exclusively on behalf of SAS, with all aircraft in SAS colors and crewed by CityJet staff.

In addition to the eight aircraft in 2016, the contract has potential to add six further aircraft in 2017, bringing the total aircraft value to over $650m;

Since becoming independent last year, CityJet has seen continual growth across its network, and will carry over two million passengers this year on its scheduled services, charter services, and a Paris-based wet lease programme for Air France.

The airline has recorded 40% growth on its key route Dublin to London City route in the last six months, as well as strong advance bookings for the new Cork to London City service, which commences today and will see up to eighteen flights a week on the route.

CityJet now employs almost 500 staff, with over 300 based at its headquarters in Swords, County Dublin, and additional crew bases in London and Paris.

Top Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. SAS Bombardier CRJ900 (CL-600-2D24) OY-KFD (msn 14221) prepares to land in Zurich.

SAS aircraft slide show:

CityJet aircraft slide show:

Blue1 aircraft slide show:

CityJet introduces a new brand, new aircraft coming

CityJet (Dublin) on September 4 introduced a new look for the airline on the pictured BAe (Avro) RJ85 EI-RJT (msn E2366). The company is also looking at replacement aircraft that would be capable of flying into London’s City Airport (LCY). Competition is probably between Embraer and Bombardier. Bombardier is working on the certification for its new CS100 at LCY. The company issued this statement:

CityJet, the Irish European regional airline, on September 4 unveiled its new brand and earmarked plans for future expansion, investment and job creation.

The Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, officially unveiled the airline’s new brand at an event in CityJet’s Dublin Airport hangar.

Since becoming independent of Air France ownership in 2014, CityJet has developed significantly in the market and now employs almost 500 staff, with over 300 based at its headquarters in Swords, Co. Dublin, and additional crew bases in London and Paris. The new branding represents a further step forward as an independent airline and comes at an exciting time of change for CityJet.

CityJet Executive Chairman Pat Byrne announced that the airline will open a new call center in Dublin with effect from March next year, initially creating 15 jobs, while in the past three months it has hired almost 60 additional staff, including 24 new pilots and 30 cabin crew and four executive officers.

Mr Byrne said: “This is a new look for a new era as we continue to grow our passenger numbers and invest in our staff and fleet. Today is a special day as we bring CityJet forward with a new dynamic branding, which I would refer to as inside-out branding as it based hugely on what our staff across the airline determined it should be.”

“We are also at an advanced stage in investment in our fleet and hope to be in a position to make an announcement in the coming weeks. We expect to create further employment opportunities in the air and on the ground across our network. The opening of our new call centre in Swords will provide our customers with an enhanced service offering. We are also concurrently investing in developing our technology and customer loyalty services to ensure CityJet continues to provide excellent facilities to all customers.

The Executive Chairman said: “We will carry over two million passengers this year on our own scheduled services network, on our wet lease program for Air France and on our charter services. We are seeing continual growth across our network as awareness of CityJet increases. CityJet is a pan-European airline, with over 70% of our passengers travelling between London and mainland Europe. Our flagship Dublin to London City route has seen a 40% growth in the last six months whilst advance bookings for our new Cork to London City service, which commences on October 1, are strong. We look forward to introducing CityJet – and the ease of travel through London City Airport – to business and leisure passengers in Munster in a few weeks time.”

Top Copyright Photo: Michael Kelly/AirlinersGallery.com. RJ85 EI-RJT (msn E2366) sits outside the Dublin hangar after the unveiling ceremony.

CityJet aircraft slide show:

Below Photo: CityJet.

VLM Airlines’ management team buys the company, will become a a scheduled carrier again and is considering new aircraft types

VLM Airlines (Antwerp) is getting a new chance to thrive. The company has announced its management team is acquiring the airline from Romscope and Intro Aviation. The following announcement was issued:

Today (October 28) Intro Aviation, majority shareholder of Romscope, has announced together with VLM Airlines that Romscope has sold VLM Airlines to the management of VLM Airlines with formalities of the transaction to be completed by the first week in November. As a truly independent airline, VLM Airlines will continue to offer ACMI and Charter services, but will also be offering scheduled services again in the near future.

VLM Airlines – which started in 1993 with its inaugural Antwerp-London City Airport route – over the years has become one of the most successful airlines in the charter business based at Antwerp International Airport. With its Fokker 50 fleet VLM Airlines focuses on meeting the needs of the European charter market including ACMI/Wet Lease contracts and charter operations for tour operators, travel agents, music & film, special events, incentives, sports teams, government & military, NGO’s and emergency support.

“We received an offer from the management of VLM Airlines that we felt we could not refuse.” said Peter Oncken, Managing Director at Intro Aviation. “We are happy to see VLM now to develop as a wholly independent airline in the ownership of a management which is dedicated to VLM”.

“We strongly believe in VLM Airlines as a truly independent airline,” commented Arthur White, CEO and majority shareholder of VLM Airlines. “As an independent airline we will keep offering ACMI & Charter services, but we will also start offering scheduled services in the near future. We are already studying a number of possible new routes from Antwerp International Airport. We will communicate this as soon as the deals have been concluded.”

VLM Airlines is also seeking to add a new aircraft type to its fleet, for the moment VLM Airlines is evaluating a number of possibilities.

The history of VLM Airlines:

From a low key beginning in 1993 with its inaugural Antwerp – London City Airport route, to the time of its sale in 2008 to Air France – KLM, VLM Airlines had become Belgium’s most commercially succesful airline. With ten years of consecutive profit, a record never beaten in Belgian aviation history, and a route network that stretched from Amsterdam, Antwerp, Rotterdam, and Luxembourg to London, Manchester, and Jersey, the airline at its peak was operating over 500 flights a week from London City Airport making it the No.1 airline operating from the airport.

During this period VLM also won many awards, among them the highly prestigious Regional Airline of the Year.

In 2008 the airline was acquired by Air France-KLM via Cityjet and VLM’s fleet was re-liveried in Cityjet colors. By 2010 the combined airline was carrying over 1 million passengers a year.

VLM reborn

In 2014, VLM Airlines became part of the Intro Group. Intro Aviation GmbH is a family-owned company and part of the Intro Group, which has over 40 years of aviation experience.

Copyright Photo: Ton Jochems/AirlinersGallery.com. With the new ownership group, VLM is likely to come up with another new color scheme or revert back to this colorful 2004 livery seen on Fokker F.27 Mk. 050 (Fokker 50) OO-VLX (msn 20177) at Rotterdam.

VLM Airlines Aircraft Slide Show:

http://airlinersgallery.smugmug.com/Airlines-Europe-3/Airlines-Europe3-QZ/VLM-Airlines

CityJet to drop Cambridge flights on October 26

CityJet (Dublin) on October 26 will drop all service to Cambridge where it operates Fokker 50 scheduled flights to Amsterdam and Dublin according to Airline Route.

In April 2014 CityJet announced it was adding two routes from Cambridge International Airport to both Dublin and Amsterdam starting on May 12.

In other news, the Ospreys Rugby team and the airline have announced details of a new agreement that sees CityJet confirmed as official airline partner of the team in the region.

The new partnership will see the Ospreys travelling from Cardiff Airport on scheduled CityJet flights to Scotland and Paris this season, as well as taking advantage of charter flights to selected non-scheduled destinations throughout the year.

As part of the deal, CityJet’s logo will be featured on the right leg of the Ospreys shorts this season, making its first appearance when the region hosts Edinburgh at the Liberty Stadium.

Pictured above are Ospreys players Morgan Allen and Joe Bearman at the launch of the new partnership at Cardiff Airport with CityJet flight crew and Paula Morris, Head of Marketing and Communications at Cardiff Airport (Right).

CityJet started operating at Cardiff Airport in January 2014 and marked the occasion with a match day sponsorship of the PRO12 Welsh derby between the Ospreys and Cardiff Blues at the Liberty Stadium earlier this year.

CityJet-VLM:

CityJet to launch new routes from Cambridge to Amsterdam and Dublin

CityJet (Dublin) has announced it will be adding two more routes to its network this year, with flights launching from Cambridge International Airport to Dublin and Amsterdam.

Operated with 50-seat Fokker 50 aircraft, flights will start on May 12. The route to Dublin will operate twice-daily during the week, and daily at weekends. The Amsterdam route will also operate twice-daily, during the week, and daily at weekends,

CityJet already launched four new routes out of Cardiff Airport this year, with routes to Paris-Orly and Glasgow starting in January, followed by the Edinburgh route which launched on March 30 and Jersey on April 17.

In other news, Intro Aviation completed its acquisition of CityJet and VLM Airlines on April 30, 2014. One change being dictated by the new owner is VLM will operate charter flights under its own name.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. The VLM Airlines Fokker 50s are currently operated under the CityJet brand but this may change under the new owners. Fokker F.27 Mk. 050 OO-VLZ (msn 20264) taxies at Nantes.

CityJet (Ireland):

CityJet (VLM Airlines):

CityJet to be sold to Intro Aviation

CityJet (Dublin) and its subsidiary VLM Airlines will be sold by AirFrance-KLM to Intro Aviation. Air France-KLM on March 28 agreed to accept the offer from Intro Aviation. The new owners are expected to take control in about four weeks. CityJet (Air France by CityJet) will continue to fly for Air France.

Air France-KLM issued this short statement:

On March 28, 2014 Air France accepted the firm offer received in December 2013 from Intro Aviation GmbH to purchase CityJet and its VLM subsidiary. The closing of the transaction for the CityJet shares should take place in April 2014.

Air France and CityJet will pursue their commercial co-operation as part of a new industrial plan which foresees, in particular, the development of flights under the CityJet brand on departure from London City to European destinations, and CityJet continuing to operate flights on behalf of Air France on departure from Paris-CDG.

The announcement of this future sale is important for the staff of CityJet and VLM. One of the aims of the operation is to set the conditions for a new long-term development for the company and its staff.

Copyright Photo: Paul Bannwarth/AirlinersGallery.com. CityJet’s BAe RJ85 EI-RJG (msn E2344) lands at EuroAirport in Air France colors.

CityJet:

Air France by CityJet:

CityJet will be merged with InterSky

CityJet (Dublin and London-City) is currently owned by the Air France-KLM Group and is for sale. As previously reported, last month the group announced Intro Aviation GmbH, of which Hans Rudolf Woehrl is a co-founder, made an offer pending finalization to acquire CityJet as well as its subsidiary VLM Airlines. The deal is expected to close in this quarter.

Now German aviation investor Hans Rudolf Woehrl says he wants to merge CityJet with InterSky Lufthfahrt (Bregenz, Austria and Friedrichshafen, Germany) according to this report by Reuters. Intro Aviation controls 74.9 percent of the InterSky stock.

Woehrl wants the merged new carrier to serve regional routes that will not upset the major carriers.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Top Copyright Photo: Pepscl/AirlinersGallery.com. CityJet operates most of its flights for Air France. It is unclear if the Air France relationship will survive the sale and merger. BAe RJ85 EI-RJH (msn E2344) taxies at Charles de Gaulle (CDG) hub near Paris.

CityJet:

Air France by CityJet:

InterSky:

Bottom Copyright Photo: Andi Hiltl/AirlinersGallery.com. InterSky operates three Bombardier DHC-8-300s(Q300) and two ATR 72-600s. InterSky’s ATR 72-212A (ATR 72-600) OE-LIB (msn 1038) lands at Zurich.

InterSky’s seasonal and regular routes from Friedrichshafen:

Air France-KLM to sell CityJet to Intro Aviation

Air France (Paris) and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam) have received a firm offer from Intro Aviation of Germany to acquire CityJet (Dublin) and VLM Airlines for an undisclosed amount. The sale is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2014. CityJet is expected to continue to fly for Air France.

The group issued this short statement:

On December 19, 2013, Air France-KLM received a firm offer from Intro Aviation GmbH to purchase CityJet and its subsidiary, VLM.

This offer provides for an ongoing commercial co-operation with Air France as part of a new industrial plan.

Employee representative bodies of the various entities will be informed and consulted.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2014.

Copyright Photo: Keith Burton/AirlinersGallery.com. CityJet’s BAe RJ85 EI-RJJ (msn E2347) climbs away from the runway at Southend.

CityJet (Ireland):

CityJet’s routes from London City Airport:

Air France to sell CityJet to Intro Aviation of Germany

CityJet (Dublin), a subsidiary of Air France (Paris), has been for sale since September 2012. According to this report by Independent.ie, the feeder airline will be sold to German turnaround specialist Intro Aviation. Intro specializes in buying money losing carriers, turning around the fortunes of the airline and then reselling the carrier when it is on better financial footing.

Today’s CityJet was formed from a merger between the old CityJet and VLM Airlines.

Both airlines were formed in the early 1990s, with a focus on providing high quality, high frequency services to business travellers flying between London and key points in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe.

Established from a Dublin base in 1993, CityJet commenced services in January 1994, with its first scheduled flights on the Dublin to London City route. In the same year, VLM Airlines began its first scheduled service from Antwerp to London City.

CityJet commenced its alliance with Air France in 1996, operating the Paris Charles de Gaulle to London City route under contract.

In early 2000, Air France-KLM assumed sole ownership of CityJet, marked with the airline operating routes linking Europe to its parent company’s Charles de Gaulle hub.

2007 saw CityJet announce a major expansion of it’s London City network, with the opening of eight new routes, in addition to the existing Dublin and Paris operations (see map below):

CityJet’s senior management team is led by CEO Christine Ourmières.

Read the full story: CLICK HERE

Copyright Photo: SM Fitzwilliams Collection/AirlinersGallery.com. Formerly operated by Mesaba Airlines for NWA Airlink as N526XJ, BAe RJ85 EI-RJN (msn E2351) arrives back at the Dublin base (click on the photo for the full size view). All other photos by CityJet.

CityJet:

Video:

Air France considers selling loss-making CityJet

Air France (Paris) is considering selling subsidiary CityJet (Dublin) as one of its options to reduce its cost according to this article by the Independent.ie.

Read the full article: CLICK HERE

Air France-CityJet: