Air Equator

Last updated
Air Equator
Aireq.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
-EQUAir Equator
Founded2003
Ceased operations2005
Hubs Gan International Airport
Focus cities Malé
Fleet size1
Destinations4
Parent company A.Faiz/A.Murthy (60%) Ziaf Enterprises Maldives (40%)
Headquarters Hithadhoo, Maldives

Air Equator was an airline based in Gan, Maldives. It operated services linking the southernmost island of Gan to other main islands in the Maldives. Its main base was Gan International Airport. The airline ceased operations in August 2005.

Contents

History

The airline was established in 2003 and received its air operator's certificate on 10 October 2004 from the Maldives Civil Aviation Department. It started operations on 15 October 2004 with flights from Gan to the capital Malé. It is owned by A Faiz/A Murthy (60%) and Ziaf Enterprises Maldives (40%). Subsequently, majority shares were purchased by SPA Aviation of Sri Lanka. The Airline operations were affected during the Asian tsunami in December 2004 and flew some relief material to affected islands. The Airline was chartered by the media and press accompanying the Turkish Prime Minister when he visited the Maldives for surveying the damage done by the tsunami. The airline discontinued all flights in May 2005 and finally ceased operations in August 2005 after disagreement between SPA Aviation and A. Faiz on financial and administrative control. Capt. Anup Murthy was the GM/CEO of the company and the Maldives CAD approved Accountable Manager for the company from inception. SPA Aviation had plans for reviving the Airline but could not do so as their source of funding did not materialize, till press time early 2006.

Destinations

Air Equator's sole Fairchild F-27F at Male International Airport (November 2004) Air Equator Fairchild F-27F at Male International Airport.jpg
Air Equator's sole Fairchild F-27F at Malé International Airport (November 2004)

Air Equator operated services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at January 2005):

Fleet

The Air Equator fleet consisted of 1 Fairchild F-27 aircraft (at January 2005). The aircraft still rests in the airline's livery on a grassy area near the Gan International Airport.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Freedom Air</span>

Freedom Air was a New Zealand low-cost airline which operated since 8 December 1995 to March 2008. It was part of the Air New Zealand Group which ran scheduled passenger services from New Zealand to Australia and Fiji and charter services within New Zealand. Its main hub was Auckland Airport.

Olympic Airlines, formerly named Olympic Airways, was the flag carrier airline of Greece. The airline's head office was located in Athens. The airline operated services to 37 domestic destinations and to 32 destinations worldwide. The airline's main base was at Athens International Airport, "Eleftherios Venizelos", with hubs at Thessaloniki International Airport, "Macedonia", Heraklion International Airport, "Nikos Kazantzakis" and Rhodes International Airport, "Diagoras". Olympic Airlines also owned a base at London Heathrow Airport. By December 2007, the airline employed about 8,500 staff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkair</span> Former Canadian regional airline

Hawkair was a regional airline based in Terrace, British Columbia, Canada. It operated scheduled and charter regional passenger services in British Columbia and Alberta. Its main base was Northwest Regional Airport with a hub at Vancouver International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans Maldivian Airways</span> Airline of the Maldives

Trans Maldivian Airways (Pvt) Ltd. (TMA) is a private airline headquartered on the grounds of Velana International Airport in Malé, Maldives.

MyTravel Airways Limited was a British scheduled and charter airline with headquarters in Manchester, England. It operated worldwide holiday charter services mainly for its parent company, the MyTravel Group. The airline merged with Thomas Cook Airlines UK Limited in 2008 and was renamed Thomas Cook Airlines Limited.

Centralwings was a charter airline based in Warsaw, Poland. The airline operated as a low-cost airline and then became a charter-only operation in October 2008. It was a subsidiary of LOT Polish Airlines, operating international services in Europe, using Boeing 737 aircraft. Its main base was Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, with hubs at Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport and John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice. On 26 March 2009 the board of LOT Polish Airlines decided to close Centralwings with no information about what was to happen to its employees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Origin Pacific Airways</span> New Zealand airline

Origin Pacific Airways was an airline based in Nelson in New Zealand. Its main base was at Nelson Airport (NSN). It ceased passenger operations on 10 August 2006, and its residual freight operations on 15 September 2006.

Nova Airlines AB, operating as Novair, was a Swedish airline headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden that operated on behalf of one of Sweden's largest travel agencies, Apollo. It was owned by Jet Nordic Group and operated charter flights mainly to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. Its main base and hub of operations was Stockholm Arlanda Airport, but the airline also operated from Oslo Airport, Copenhagen Airport, Gothenburg Landvetter Airport and Billund Airport. Novair closed on 9 October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bournemouth Airport</span> Airport in Bournemouth, England

Bournemouth Airport is an international airport located 3.5 NM north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England. The site opened as RAF Hurn in 1941, but was transferred to civil control in 1944. For a short period Hurn served as London's international airport, until the opening of facilities at Heathrow. Commercial services resumed in the late 1950s, with Palmair commencing flights to Palma, Majorca in October 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flyglobespan</span> Defunct British airline

Flyglobespan was a low-cost airline based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It operated scheduled services from five airports across Scotland, England and Ireland to destinations in Europe, North America, North Africa and South Africa. Its main bases were Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport. The airline's slogan was "Award-winning airline". It went into administration due to financial problems and the airline declared bankruptcy on 16 December 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Velana International Airport</span> Main international airport in the Maldives

Velana International Airport (VIA), also known as Malé-Velana International Airport is the main international airport in the Maldives. It is located on Hulhulé Island in the North Malé Atoll, nearby the capital island Malé. The airport is well connected with major airports around the world, mostly serving as the main gateway into the Maldives for tourists. It is managed financially and administratively by a state owned company known as Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crescent Air Cargo</span> Defunct airline

Crescent Air Cargo was an all-cargo airline based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Its main base was Chennai International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inter Island Airways</span> Defunct Samoan regional airline.

Inter Island Airways was an American Samoan airline based in Pago Pago. It operated passenger and cargo flights in and between American Samoa, Samoa and neighboring Pacific island countries. Its main base of operations was at Pago Pago International Airport.

Maldivian is the airline division of Island Aviation Services and is based in Malé, in the Maldives. It is the flag carrier airline of the Maldives. It operates international flights in addition to inter-island services. Its main base is Velana International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Maldives</span>

Air Maldives was the first national airline and flag carrier of the Maldives. It was established on 1 October 1974 during the presidency of Ibrahim Nasir. After operating for about 26 years, the airline declared bankruptcy and stopped all operations in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AOM French Airlines</span> Defunct airline of France (1988–2001)

AOM French Airlines, previously named Air Outre-Mer, was the second-largest airline in France that operated from 1988 until 2001. Its head office was in Building 363 at Orly Airport, Paray-Vieille-Poste.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pel-Air</span> Australian airline

Pel-Air Aviation Pty Ltd is an airline based in Mascot, Sydney, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Regional Express Holdings, which also owns Australian airline Rex Airlines.

Air Flamenco is a commuter airline operated by Air Charter, Inc., based in Puerto Rico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maldives Airways</span> Former airline in the Maldives

Maldives Airways was an airline based in Malé, Maldives. It was operational between 1984 and 1986, offering scheduled passenger flights using a fleet of Four Douglas DC-8 aircraft, and three Fokker F-27 aircraft. The usage of American-made airplanes was quite impressive, considering that Air Maldives, the state airline, was operating only one Short Skyvan at that time.

MEGA Maldives Airlines was a Maldivian airline based at Ibrahim Nasir International Airport. It suspended all operations on 2 May 2017.

References