Helvetic Airways

Helvetic Airways
IATA ICAO Callsign
2L[1] OAW HELVETIC
Founded 2003
AOC # 1033[2]
Hubs
Fleet size 12
Destinations 34
Parent company Helvetic Airways AG
Headquarters Kloten, Switzerland
Key people Bruno Jans, CEO
Tobias Pogorevc, CFO
Employees about 400[3]
Website helvetic.com

Helvetic Airways is a Swiss airline headquartered in Kloten with its fleet stationed at Zürich Airport.[4] It operates flights to destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, mainly leisure markets, but also to business destinations on its own behalf[5] as well as scheduled flights on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa[6] using their fleet of Embraer 190s and Fokker 100s.

History

Helvetic Airways was established in the autumn of 2003 as a rebranding and extension of the existing airline Odette Airways to serve destinations in South-Eastern Europe. Switzerland's first budget carrier began operating in November with a Fokker 100 flying to 3 destinations. By 2004, the fleet had grown to 7 aircraft.

In December 2006, the carrier unveiled a new look for its aircraft. Since that time, all the Fokker 100s have livery in red-white-silver grey colours with the Swiss cross on the tailfin.

In October 2010, the Swiss news media announced a new base in Bern Airport.[7]

On 18 February 2013, in the 2013 Belgian diamond heist, eight men armed with automatic weapons and dressed in police uniforms seized 120 small parcels containing an estimated $50 million (£32,000,000) worth of diamonds from a Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 passenger plane loaded with passengers preparing for departure to Zurich. The men drove two vehicles through a hole they had cut in the airport's perimeter fence to Flight LX789, which had just been loaded with diamonds from a Brink's armoured van. The men were able to execute the operation within five minutes with no injuries and without firing a shot.[8]

In December 2014,[9] Helvetic Airways began to take over seven Embraer 190s which were freed by Niki changing their fleet.[10]

Since March 2016 there is a wet lease contract with Lufthansa for the route Zurich-Munich.[11]

Destinations

Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 in former livery
Now phased-out Helvetic Airways Airbus A319-100

Not included are the routes served for Swiss International Air Lines as well as Lufthansa on a long-term wetlease contract.

Scheduled destinations as of May 2017:[12]

Country City Airport name
France Bordeaux Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport
Ireland Limerick Shannon Airport
Italy Olbia Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport
Spain Palma de Majorca Palma de Mallorca Airport
Switzerland Bern Bern Airport
Switzerland Sion Sion Airport
Switzerland Zürich Zürich Airport

Charter or partial charter flights as of May 2017:[13]

Country City Airport name
Cyprus Larnaca Larnaca International Airport
France Lourdes Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport
Greece Heraklion Heraklion International Airport “Nikos Kazantzakis”
Greece Kos Kos Island International Airport, Hippocrates
Greece Preveza Aktion National Airport
Greece Rhodes Rhodes International Airport "Diagoras"
Kosovo Pristina Pristina International Airport
Macedonia Ohrid Ohrid "St. Paul the Apostle" Airport
Macedonia Skopje Skopje "Alexander the Great" Airport
Norway Tromsø Tromsø Airport Langnes
Spain Palma de Majorca Palma de Mallorca Airport
Switzerland Zürich Zürich Airport

Fleet

Current fleet

Helvetic Airways Fokker 100

The Helvetic Airways fleet includes the following aircraft as of June 2017:[14]

Helvetic Airways fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
Y Total
Embraer 190[15] 7[16] — 112 112 5 operated for Swiss International Air Lines
Fokker 100 5[17] — 100 100 4 operated for Swiss International Air Lines
Total 12 —

Historic fleet[14]

Embraer 190 in current livery

The airline operated one Airbus A319-100, which was then returned to its lessor in Spring 2017[18]. Helvetic Airways previously also operated a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft.

References

  1. ↑ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "List of approved Aircraft Maintenance Organisations" (PDF). admin.ch. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  3. ↑ "Information of Helvetic Airways Group". helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Imprint Archived 29 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine.." Helvetic Airways. Retrieved on 6 November 2009. "Helvetic Airways AG P.O. Box 250 CH-8058 Zurich Airport"
  5. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 3 April 2007. p. 90.
  6. ↑ http://abouttravel.ch/reisebranche/transport-luft-land/helvetic-airways-fliegt-fur-lufthansa/
  7. ↑ "2011 startet Helvetic auch von Bern-Belp aus".
  8. ↑ Higgins, Andrew (18 February 2013). "Brazen Jewel Robbery at Brussels Airport Nets $50 Million in Diamonds". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  9. ↑ "Helvetic Airways - Fleet information of E-190". www.helvetic.com. Helvetic Airways AG. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  10. ↑ "A319 bekommen Niki-Beklebung".
  11. ↑ INSIDE, TRAVEL. "Helvetic Airways fliegt für Lufthansa | aboutTravel". abouttravel.ch. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  12. ↑ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  13. ↑ "Helvetic Airways - Charter / Teilcharter Flüge". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  14. 1 2 "Helvetic Airways Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  15. ↑ "Helvetic Airways Flotte - ZRH-Spotter".
  16. ↑ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  17. ↑ "Helvetic Airways". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  18. ↑ "About Travel (in German)". www.abouttravel.ch. Retrieved 2017-06-01.

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