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| Founded | 7 February 1966 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | 24 October 1998 | ||||||
| Hubs | Paris-Orly Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Parent company | Air France (80%) Air Inter (20%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Paris, France | ||||||
Air Charter International was a French charter airline that operated from 1966 to 1998.
Air Charter was established on 7 February 1966 as a subsidiary of Air France under the name Societé aérienne française d'affrètements (SAFA). Flight operations began on 25 July 1966 with two Sud Caravelles and two Lockheed Super Constellations. These flew charter flights from Paris to the Mediterranean.
The airline changed its name on 8 December 1969 to Air Charter International (ACI). In 1971, ACI operated a fleet of seven Caravelles and carried about 420.000 passengers. The first two Boeing 727-200 were introduced in 1972. Transatlantic charter flights to the USA and Canada were offered from 1982 onwards with leased Boeing 747-200 aircraft operated by Air France. [1] Six Super Caravelles were leased from EAS Europe Airlines until 1992.
In 1984, the airline's name was shortened to Air Charter. As the business grew, the first wide-body aircraft was introduced in 1988, the Airbus A300B4. Two Boeing 737-200 from EAS Europe Aéro Service on 1988. By the mid-1990s, the 727s were replaced by the Airbus A320. With the merger of Air France and Air Inter in 1998, Air Charter had served its purpose and services were discontinued on 24 October 1998.
Air Charter operated the following aircraft: [2] [3]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300B4 | 2 | 1988 | 1998 | 1 leased from Air France |
| Airbus A310-300 | 2 | 1997 | 1998 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 7 | 1994 | 1998 | 2 leased from Air France 1 leased TransAer International Airlines |
| Boeing 727-200 | 11 | 1972 | 1995 | 4 leased from Air France |
| Boeing 737-200 | 5 | 1987 | 1995 | 1 leased from Euralair 2 leased from Inter Ciel Service 2 leased from EAS Europe Airlines |
| 2 | 1996 | 1998 | ||
| Boeing 737-300 | 1 | 1991 | 1991 | Leased from AWAS |
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 1991 | 1992 | |
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 1991 | 1992 | |
| 1 | 1996 | 1997 | ||
| Boeing 747-200 | 1 | 1982 | Unknown | Operated by Air France |
| Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | 2 | 1966 | Unknown | Operated by Air France |
| Dassault Mercure | Unknown | Unknown | Unknown | Operated by Air Inter |
| Sud Aviation Caravelle 3 | 11 | 1970 | 1989 | |
| Sud Aviation Caravelle 10B | 4 | 1981 | 1991 | |
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