Darwin Airline

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Darwin Airline
Etihad Regional
IATA
F7		 ICAO
DWT		 Callsign
DARWIN
Founded 2003
Hubs Lugano Airport
Secondary hubs Geneva International Airport, Rome, Cambridge Airport, Leipzig Airport
Frequent-flyer program Etihad Guest
Fleet size 10
Destinations 36
Company slogan Flying evolution
Headquarters Lugano, Switzerland
Website etihadregional.com

Darwin Airline, operating under the brand name Etihad Regional since January 2014, is a Swiss regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Lugano Airport in Agno, Switzerland, near Lugano.[1] It operates scheduled domestic services and international services to Italy, France, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany, Croatia, Netherlands, Switzerland, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its main bases are Lugano Airport and Geneva Airport.[2]

History

A Darwin Airline Saab 2000 taxiing at Geneva International Airport
A Darwin Airline Saab 2000 at Zurich Airport
Interior of a Darwin Airline Saab 2000

Darwin Airline was established on 12 August 2003 and operations started on 28 July 2004. By October 2013 it had grown to include 220 employees.[2]

On 25 November 2010, Darwin Airline announced its plans to take over some operating assets of Baboo by early 2011. Under the plan, some parts of the combined airline would continue to be marketed under the Baboo name, while Darwin would be able to substantially expand their operations.[3]

On 2 September 2013, Darwin Airline opened a base at Cambridge with flights to Amsterdam, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Milan Malpensa and its Geneva base using Saab 2000 aircraft.[4]

On 17 November 2013, Etihad Airways announced that it had bought a one-third stake in Darwin Airline. Following completion of the deal, Darwin will use the new brand name Etihad Regional but Darwin will continue to operate as normal and will operate flights for Etihad Regional and the new brand will have the subtitle "operated by Darwin Airline".[5] The first Darwin aircraft featuring the Etihad Regional livery began operating between Lugano and Geneva on 17 January 2014; the airline announced that all ten of the Saab 2000 aircraft would be repainted in Etihad livery by the end of June 2014.[6]

Starting from end of March 2014, the airline will withdraw its Ancona-Roma Fiumicino and Trapani-Roma Fiumicino routes, as a result of the cabotage restrictions, which prevents Swiss aviation companies from operating domestic flights in the European Union. It was previously possible for Darwin Airline to fly these routes thanks to a derogation from the Italian Civil Aviation Authority, however, this has not been renewed.[7][8] In January 2014, Darwin Airline also withdrew its Aosta-Roma Fiumicino route, even before it had commenced; a result of the same cabotage and the European Union's refusal to give an exception for a Swiss company.[9]

Destinations

Darwin Airline served, or planned to serve, the following destinations as of June 2013:[10]

Albania Albania

  • Tirana - Tirana International Airport (begins 1 April 2014)

Austria Austria

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina

Croatia Croatia

France France

Germany Germany

Italy Italy

Netherlands Netherlands

Poland Poland

Serbia Serbia

Spain Spain

Switzerland Switzerland

United Kingdom United Kingdom

Additionally, services between Lugano and Zurich are flown on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines.

Fleet

A Darwin Airline Saab 2000 at Zurich Airport

As of December 2013, the Darwin Airline fleet includes the following aircraft:[14]

Darwin Airline Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Passengers Notes
Saab 2000 10 50 HB-IZZ in BSI livery
Total 10

References

  1. ↑ "Contatti." Darwin Airline. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 71. 
  3. ↑ "Switzerland's Darwin to take over Baboo operations". Flight International. 25 November 2010. Retrieved 25 November 2010. 
  4. ↑ Darwin Airline verbindet Leipzig mit Amsterdam und Paris
  5. ↑ http://gulfbusiness.com/2013/11/dubai-airshow-etihad-acquires-33-3-of-swiss-carrier-darwin/#.Uoni2uKynac
  6. ↑ , Etihad and Qatar Airways Enter New Territory, Aviation Week & Space Technology, 27 January 2014, p. 31
  7. ↑ Darwin Airlines perde due collegamenti
  8. ↑ L’Europa toglie due rotte alla Darwin
  9. ↑ Volo Aosta-Fiumicino, Darwin bocciata
  10. ↑ http://www.etihadregional.com/en/carte/carte.html?skip=1
  11. ↑ http://aviationtribune.com/routes/item/545-darwin-launches-leipzig-to-paris-and-amsterdam
  12. ↑ AdR timetable - Rome/Ancona
  13. ↑ Darwin Airline - ETIHAD Regional Unveils Schedules for New Routes in S14
  14. ↑ "Swiss Aircraft Register". FOCA. Retrieved 31 October 2013. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Darwin Airline.
Airlines of Switzerland
Current
Switzerland
Former
Lists relating to aviation
General
Military
Accidents/incidents
Records
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.