Air VIA
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| Founded | 1990 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | Charters | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||||||
| Key people | Tom De Geytere | ||||||
| Website | air-via.com | ||||||
Air VIA is a charter airline with its head office in Sofia, Bulgaria,[1] that operates charter flights on behalf of European tour operators. Most Air VIA flights operate from European destinations into Varna Airport and Burgas Airport, the airline also offers wet lease subservices.[2]
History
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The airline was founded and started operations in 1990 as Varna International Airways. The company is licensed and certified according to the national and European standards for non-regular transport of passengers. In 1990, Air VIA started operations with five new Tupolev 154M. After the airline was founded by a group of private Bulgarian investors the company initially performed charter flights for Bulgarian and leading European tour operators (Neckermann, TUI Travel, Jetair and Prodintour) to and from Bulgarian seaside resorts.
In 2005, Air VIA's management decided to completely change the fleet due to the ever growing competition, EU regulations, environmental responsibility, increasing fuel prices and last but not least - higher customer requirements. Since the summer of 2006, Air VIA is the first Bulgarian airline to operate the Airbus A320 family. In 2013, the company had 217 employees.[3] On 28 August 2015, Air Via added its first Airbus A321-200 to its fleet.[4]
Destinations
Air Via mainly operates charter flights between the Bulgarian seaside airports Bourgas and Varna and countries in Western Europe and the Middle East.
Fleet
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As of December 2015, the Air VIA fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]
| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 |
1 operated for WOW Air, 2 operated for Flynas | ||
| Airbus A321-200 | 1 leased to vietjet | ||
Incidents and accidents
- On 24 May 2013, Air VIA flight 502 from Leipzig to Varna overshot the runway at Varna Airport after touchdown because of tailwind. Two people onboard were injured during evacuation.[6][7]
- On 4 July 2014, in clear weather and calm winds, the Air VIA's A320 flight 501 from Varna to Leipzig failed to land within length of runway 08R and touched down hard short of the runway threshold. The aircraft bounced and touched down for a second time at the very beginning of the runway (in the area of the ‘piano keys’) in a nose-high attitude resulting in a tailstrike. The landing run was completed normally and the A320 taxied to the main apron without assistance. Nobody was injured. Substantial damage occurred to the aft fuselage and a longer repair is expected.
References
- ↑ "Contacts." Air VIA. Retrieved on 28 April 2012. "AIR VIA Bulgarian Airways 54, G.M. Dimitrov Blvd., 1125 Sofia, Bulgaria"
- ↑ Flight International 27 March 2007
- ↑ http://www.air-via.com/index.php?category=1&page=10
- ↑ http://www.skyliner-aviation.de/regdb.main?LC=nav4
- ↑ ch-aviation.com - Air VIA retrieved 6 December 2015
- ↑ http://www.dnevnik.bg/morski/2013/05/24/2067707_samolet_izleze_ot_pistata_na_letishte_varna_dve_jeni/
- ↑ http://avherald.com/h?article=462c0ec6&opt=7168
External links
Media related to Air VIA at Wikimedia Commons
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