Tag Archives: Small Planet Airlines

Small Planet Airlines of Lithuania ceases operations

Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania) (Vilnius) ceased all operations at midnight on November 28, 2018 after its AOC was suspended by the government of Lithuania.

The airline was in administration after it Polish and German subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy in October and November. The airline was attempting to reorganize but failed.

The airline issued this statement:

Small Planet Airlines flights are not operating any more.

If you have flight scheduled for Small Planet Airlines: please contact your tour operator for rebooking.

We say big “Thank you” for all passengers who were with us for more than 10 years.

Small Planet Airlines was the largest subsidiary of the Small Planet Group which also owned smaller and now defunct sister companies in Germany, Poland, Italy and Cambodia.

The airline at the end was operating seven Airbus A320s.

Top Copyright Photo: Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania) – TUI Airbus A320-214 LY-SPF (msn 967) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 935826.

Small Planet Airlines aircraft slide show:

Small Planet Airlines to become the largest carrier in the Baltic states in 2018

Small Planet Airlines has announced financial results for the year 2017, reporting a profit of €5.1 million and full recovery from a loss incurred in 2016. The company grew its yearly revenue to €323.1 million, a 45% increase from the year 2016, and transported 2.7 million passengers – 35% more as compared to the previous year.

Small Planet Airlines reported EBITDA topped €9.6 million, a significant increase from the loss of €0.5 million in 2016.

According to the airline’s estimates, it should become the largest carrier in the Baltic states by passenger flow, revenue, and fleet size already in 2018.

“We dedicated last year to stabilizing our operations and learning from mistakes we have made, adding just 1 aircraft to the fleet. I am glad that this year we can go for a full-speed growth again! 6 additional aircraft will join us in 2018, increasing our fleet to 28 Airbus aircraft. Passenger numbers are set to increase accordingly – we hope to carry nearly 4 million holidaymakers in 2018. Revenue should increase by one-third”, comments Kristijonas Kaikaris, the CEO of Small Planet Airlines.

Improving on-time performance was a key priority in Small Planet Airlines ‘Get it Right’ strategy last year. The decision to dedicate two stand-by aircraft paid-off well: only 1.36% of flights encountered delays of 3 hours or longer. The airline is determined to improve this indicator further in 2018.

This year Germany is becoming the fastest-growing market for Small Planet Airlines with 10 aircraft to be based in various German airports.

“For years, Poland was the largest market for Small Planet Airlines operations. However, this year we do not plan any significant growth there – the situation is stable and good, and 1 additional aircraft will join the Polish fleet. In Germany, on the other hand, the growth exceeds 200% and is influenced by various factors. Firstly, Germany is Europe’s largest aviation market, so the demand is naturally high there. The insolvency of Air Berlin opened an additional niche. Secondly, diversification of markets was always among our goals, it is not business-wise to keep your eggs in one basket”, adds Mr. Kaikaris.

According to him, the airline’s growth in Germany is key to balancing seasonality, since German holidaymakers are less impacted by winter time – Small Planet Airlines has already sold all available seats in Germany for the upcoming Winter season.

Another strategic market for improving utilization, Asia, is on a way to triple growth. At the moment, Small Planet Airlines Co. Ltd. operates a fleet of two Airbus aircraft, but the number is estimated to grow to six or even eight aircraft by the end of 2018. Based in Cambodia, the company focuses on outbound Chinese tourism, currently operating flights between Palau and Hong Kong as well as between Macau and Cambodia, Vietnam, Bali.

Small Planet Airlines will fly 240 routes from 15 European bases in Summer 2018. The airline’s European fleet will grow to 28 aircraft – 20 Airbus A320s and 8 Airbus A321s.

Photo Below: Small Planet Airlines. The sky is the limit: this year we will fly 28 aircraft in Europe. Vilnius Airport is going to need a bit more space!

Top Copyright Photo: Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania) – TUI Airbus A320-214 LY-SPF (msn 967) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 935826.

Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania) aircraft slide show:

Small Planet Airlines to open two new European bases

Small Planet Airlines will open two new European bases in 2018: in Chania on the Greek island of Crete and in Stockholm-Arlanda airport which serves the Swedish capital. Together with major Scandinavian tour operators, Small Planet Airlines will perform flights to Albania, Croatia, Greece, and the Canary Islands.

The flights will commence in April 2018, and will be performed by two Airbus A320 aircraft. The airline plans to operate flights twice a day and transport 170 000 passengers during the seven months of the summer season.

Small Planet Airlines chose the Greek island of Crete as its new base due to its geographical location that will enable the airline to expand its route-map and reach multiple Scandinavian airports from one base in the Mediterranean.

In the Summer 2017, Small Planet Airlines utilized 22 Airbus aircraft from 9 European bases. The airline plans to operate a fleet of 28 aircraft in the year 2018.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Small Planet): Small Planet Airlines (Poland) Airbus A321-211 SP-HAX (msn 2903) ZRH (Rolf Wallner). Image: 934857.

Small Planet (Poland) aircraft slide show:

Small Planet Airlines to upgrade its Airbus A320 fleet after record profits

Small Planet Airlines (Vilnius) is reporting record profits. The carrier will plow the profits into upgrading its Airbus A320 fleet. The company issued this statement:

During the first half of the year the charter flight carrier Small Planet Airlines earned EUR 64.3 million and improved its financial performance by a whopping 25.3%. Meanwhile, the company’s profits doubled from EUR 2 to EUR 4 million. First and foremost, such positive results should delight the carrier’s passengers, as Small Planet Airlines has announced its plans to invest added profits into increasing its passengers’ comfort on-board. As soon as next year the carrier intends to spend EUR 6 million on renewing all of its aircraft, marking the largest investment into the fleet renewal in the entire company’s history.

Based on the new concept of the salon, Small Planet Airlines plans to renew all of its Airbus A320 aircraft until the launch of the new summer holiday season next year. Amongst the anticipated modifications – brand new Recaro seats, special LED lighting and an internal wireless network which will enable all airline passengers to use their mobile devices for extra entertainment on-board. The company is also set to introduce its new Economy Premium product line for those seeking added comfort. According to the CEO of Small Planet Airlines, Vytautas Kaikaris, the newly introduced improvements and aircraft modifications will surely bring extra comfort to the carrier’s passengers, help the company stand out from its competition and positively affect the future development of the airline.

“2015 is the year of massive growth for our company. During the first half [of the year] alone we have supplemented our fleet by 7 aircraft, increased the number of flights by 30% and welcomed 300 new employees to our highly qualified and experienced team,” comments V. Kaikaris. “And what is truly praiseworthy is the fact that our employees have managed to handle such an impressive growth and delivered an increased profit. In the first half of the year our profit margin grew from 3.9 to 6.2%,” added the executive.

According to V. Kaikaris, the upcoming investment will go directly towards improving the passenger comfort. In fact, the company has already signed a contract with the German manufacturer Recaro and placed an order for as many as 3000 brand new seats. “A multiple award winner for its seat quality and design, Recaro is undoubtedly in the top 3 of the best aircraft seat manufacturers in the world. Therefore, we rest assured that the ergonomic properties of our new leather seats will be highly appreciated by our passengers. An added benefit is the increased private space, courtesy of the significantly slimmer seatbacks. These seats are extremely durable and almost twice as light as the existing ones – a lesser weight of seats translates into a lighter aircraft which, in turn, translates into reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” shares V.Kaikaris.

Another noteworthy improvement to be introduced on Small Planet Airlines aircraft is the new LED lighting, which can be specifically adapted for distinct phases of a flight. Uniform light will produce no blinding effect, so passengers on-board should not experience eye tiredness for significantly longer periods of time.

Those looking for even more comfort will soon be able to opt for the Economy Premium product line. “We have observed that more and more passengers wish to receive that little bit more added attention and convenience. An increasing number of air travellers decide to pay a little bit more for extra legroom, smoother transition through the checkpoints or a pre-ordered hot lunch on-board. We are here to satisfy those demands and create that feeling of a holiday even prior to reaching its destination,” says the CEO.

Small Planet Airlines aircraft slide show:

Bhutan Airlines acquires its first Airbus A319

Bhutan Airlines (Paro) has leased a former China Eastern Airlines Airbus A319-112, registered as A5-BAB (msn 1541). The A319 is replacing wet leased Airbus A320-232 LY-SPB (msn 2987) from Small Planet Airlines.

Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air Private Limited), Bhutan’s first private airline, came into existence after the Tashi Group of companies, outbid other joint venture companies and won the license to operate airline services both domestic and International flights.

Tashi group of companies was founded by the late Dasho Ugen Dorji in 1959 with the vision to bring out the best of Bhutan.

On December 4, 2011, Tashi Group of companies welcomed the arrival of Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air Private Limited) first aircraft – a Pilatus PC-12 with capacity of 8 passengers for domestic operations.

Bhutan Airlines started International fights on October 10, 2013 with a 150-seat Airbus A320 wet leased from Small Planet airlines from Paro to Bangkok. Additionally the Paro-Kolkata route was launched on December 7, 2013.

Copyright Photos: Bhutan Airlines. Airbus A319-112 A5-BAB arrives at the Paro base and is named “Rimp”. The new addition also ushers in a new livery for the carrier.

Current Route Map:

Fly Olympic starts operations in Sweden

Fly Olympic (FlyOlympic.se) (Stockholm-Arlanda) is a new Swedish airline and also an affiliate of AeroPacific AB. The company has leased and painted an Airbus A320-231 LY-SPC (msn 415) from Small Planet Airlines. According to its website, the new airline is operating from Stockholm to Asmara, Baghdad, Erbil, London (Gatwick) Mogadishu, Mykonos, Sulaymaniyah and Thira (Santorini). Flights are also operated from Gothenburg.

According to the company, Fly Olympic also teamed up with Germania to launch operations on November 25, 2013 to Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Small Planet Italia is shut down

Small Planet Airlines (Italy) (Rome-Fiumicino) lost its Air Operators Certificate (AOC) on January 17, 2014 due to concerns of Italy’s ENAC of its financial fitness. The Italian version of Small Planet was an independent company and was using the Small Planet name and brand under a franchise agreement.

The original Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania) (formerly flyLAL Charters) (Vilnius) and (Warsaw) is still operating and issued this statement:

The Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has issued a decision to suspend the operating license of “Small Planet Airlines Italia” in Italy.

“Small Planet Airlines Italia” is an independent company and is related to “Small Planet Airlines” only by franchise agreement. The suspension of the license of the Italian company shall in no way affect our companies in Lithuania and Poland.

The Italian company “Small Planet Airlines Italia” is owned by “Aeroservizi” (64.5%) and “Avia Solutions Group” (35.5%), whereas “Small Planet Airlines” based in Lithuania and Poland are owned by the management of the company, Vytautas Kaikaris (70%) and Andrius Staniulis (30%). Mr. Kaikaris sold his 4.5% stake in “Small Planet Airlines Italia” in April, 2013.

“Small Planet Airlines”, holder of Polish and Lithuanian Air Operator Certificates, is an independent European leisure airline.

Copyright Photo: Nik French/AirlinersGallery.com (all others by Small Planet Airlines). Small Planet Airlines Italia was operating two Boeing 737-300s. Boeing 737-3L9 LY-FLE (msn 27061) of the Lithuania version of Small Planet arrives at Manchester.

Small Planet Airlines (Lithuania):

Small Planet Airlines (Poland):

Small Planet Airlines is retiring its last two Boeing 737-300s with newer Airbus A320s

Small Planet Airlines (formerly FlyLAL Charters) (Vilnius) is expanding its charter fleet. It is billing itself as the fastest growing charter airline in Europe. The charter airline is leasing five additional Airbus A320s. The first A320 was added in April 2011. The remaining two aging Boeing 737-300s should be retired at the end of the current summer season.

The current fleet serves the Polish charter market along with the UK, France and Lithuania. Small Planet Airlines works with the major tour operators to bring holiday travelers to Greece, Spain, Turkey, Egypt and other sunny destinations. The company also charters flights for the government, sport teams and private customers.

Top Copyright Photo: Keith Burton. Formerly operated by Air Astana, Airbus A320-232 P4-UAS is becoming LY-SPB (msn 2987) with Small Planet. All other images and photos below from Small Planet.

Small Planet:

Video:

FlyLAL Charters changes its name to Small Planet Airlines

Image: Small Planet Airlines.

FlyLAL (Charters) (Lithuanian Airlines) Boeing 737-322 ES-LBC (msn 24664) AYT (Ole Simon) (now Small Planet Airlines), originally uploaded by Airliners Gallery.

FlyLAL Charters (Vilnius) in July 2010 decided to change its name and brand. The company will be now known as leisure carrier Small Planet Airlines.

This summer Small Planet Airlines operates a total of seven Boeing aircraft and performs flights from Lithuania, Estonia, Poland and Italy. The airline possesses the Air Operator Certificates (AOC) granted by three European countries (Lithuania, Estonia and Poland) and has started certification process for acquiring the fourth in Italy. Small Planet Airlines performs charter flights inside the EU as well as to other countries.

The current Boeing 737 Classic aircraft will be gradually replaced with Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, more modern and capable of flying longer distances. This will enable Small Planet Airlines in cooperation with tour operators to offer a broader range of destinations. The first two Boeing 737NG aircraft will arrive in summer 2011.