SmartLynx Airlines

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SmartLynx Airlines
IATA
6Y		 ICAO
ART		 Callsign
SMART LYNX
Founded 1992 as LatCharter
Commenced operations 1993
Operating bases Riga International Airport, Lennart Meri Tallinn Airport
Fleet size 9
Company slogan Smart links in aviation
Headquarters Mazrudas, Marupe municipality, Latvia
Key people
  • Aigars Jakovels
  • Thorir Kristinsson
  • Jurgis Sedlenieks
Website smart-lynx.com

SmartLynx Airlines is a charter airline based in Mārupe, Mārupe municipality, Latvia,[1] operating flights on wet lease out (ACMI), holiday charter flights, and ad hoc passenger charter flights across Europe, Africa and Asia.[1] As of December 2013, the airline has 140 employees.[1]

History

The privately owned company was established in 1992 by four professional pilots and one flight engineer as LatCharter (the name derived from Latvia) and started operations in 1993 with leased Tupolev Tu-134B aircraft.[2][3][4][5] The Tupolev fleet was replaced with the larger Yakovlev Yak-42[6][7] in April 2001, and then Airbus A320-200 by December 2003.[5]

In July 2006, Loftleiðir, the aircraft lease arm of Icelandair Group, acquired a majority 55% shareholding in the LatCharter stock, and eventually the whole company.[8] The airline expanded its fleet by adding five more A320-200 and two B767-300 aircraft.[9] The aircraft were wet-leased to different airlines around the world. Since then the ACMI market has been company’s primary focus and it has operated for numerous carriers such as Air Malta,[10] SBA Airlines,[11] Finnair,[12] Condor Flugdienst.[13]

In 2008, commemorating the airline's 15th anniversary, it was renamed SmartLynx Airlines, new logo and livery were introduced.[14]

In 2012 the airline was bought from Icelandair in a management buy-out and is now a completely separate entity.[15] In 2012 the airline also formed a subsidiary Smartlynx Airlines Estonia with one Airbus A320-200 to serve the Estonian tour operators.[16][17][18]

Fleet

A SmartLynx Airlines Airbus A320-200 parked at Riga International Airport. (2009)

As of September 2013, the SmartLynx Airlines fleet consists of 9 Airbus A320 aircraft with an average age of 20.1 years, seating either 173,174 or 180 passengers in an all-economy class cabin layout.[19]

Smartlynx Airlines Fleet as of 15 November 2013
Aircraft Active Retired Notes
Airbus A320-200 9 7 In service since 2003
Boeing 767-300 0 2 In service from 04/2007 till 05/2013
Yakovlev 42D 0 2 In service from 2002 till 2006
Tupolev 134 0 2 In service from 1992 till 2002
Total 9 13

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "About SmartLynx Airlines." About SmartLynx Airlines. Retrieved on 24 January 2014. "Address Mazrūdas, Mārupes novads, LV-2167."
  2. ↑ "YL-LBF on Airliners.net"
  3. ↑ "YL-LBG on Airliners.net"
  4. ↑ "YL-LBH on Airliners.net"
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 "History SmartLynx Airlines" History of SmartLynx Airlines. Retrieved on 24 January 2014."
  6. ↑ "YL-LBT on Airliners.net"
  7. ↑ "YL-LBU on Airliners.net"
  8. ↑ "Loftleidir Icelandic acquires a minority stake in LatCharter Airlines". Alacra. Retrieved 2009-11-26. "Loftleidir Icelandic of Iceland (LI), a unit of FL Group, planned to acquire the remaining ... stake, which it did not already own, in LatCharter Airlines (LC), a Riga-based provider of charter flights services. Concurrently, LI acquired a…" 
  9. ↑ "LatCharter Airlines". Icelandair Group. Retrieved 2014-01-24. "total of nine aircraft, including two 767-300 aircraft." 
  10. ↑ "Air Malta News Update". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  11. ↑ "SBA Airlines News Update". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  12. ↑ "Finnair will use A320-200 wet-leased from SmartLynx in September/October". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  13. ↑ "Latvia's SmartLynx wet-leasing A320s to Corendon and Condor". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  14. ↑ "A Leap Forward – LatCharter Becomes SmartLynx." Retrieved on 24 January 2014."
  15. ↑ SmartLynx Airlines separates from Icelandair Group.
  16. ↑ SmartLynx Airlines Estonia.
  17. ↑ "SmartLynx establishes Estonian subsidiary for Tallinn charter flights". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 2014-01-24. 
  18. ↑ "ES-SAL on Airliners.net"
  19. ↑ SmartLynx fleet at planespotters.net

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