| |||||||
Founded | November 2002 | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | 29 March 2003 | ||||||
Ceased operations | October 2005 | ||||||
Operating bases | Glasgow Airport | ||||||
Focus cities | Manchester Airport | ||||||
Fleet size | 6 (at closure) | ||||||
Destinations | 17 | ||||||
Headquarters | Glasgow, Scotland, UK | ||||||
Key people | Dhia Al-Ani (Founder) |
Air Scotland was a Scottish low-cost airline based in Glasgow, Scotland. It operated scheduled services from Glasgow International Airport, and other UK airports, to the Mediterranean and Athens using the air operator's certificate of Greece Airways, a Greek registered company and licensed by the Greek Civil Aviation Authority.
The airline formerly known as Air Scotland is no longer operating, as the Greek Civil Aviation Authority suspended their Operating Licence and AOC in December 2006.
Air Scotland was established in November 2002 by Iraqi-born businessman Dhia Al-Ani and started operations on 29 March 2003, using 2 Boeing 757-200 aircraft operated by Electra Airlines, to Spanish holiday resorts. The company was a ticket provider for Electra Airlines until 25 April 2003, when the Electra aircraft were grounded by BAA plc over debts owed to the airport operator. Air Scotland ceased the agreement with Electra and began operating with Air Holland, who agreed to resume operation of the former Electra routes. With the demise of Air Holland, it then began operating under the air operator's certificate of Greece Airways, which was formed out of Electra and owned by Mr Al-Ani, albeit with only one 757 aircraft. All aircraft (before 2006) that have operated for Air Scotland have carried the operator's livery of white fuselage with the Flag of Scotland design on the aircraft tailfin.[ citation needed ]
Under Mr Al-Ani's ownership, there were reports of Air Scotland looking to lease two Lockheed L-1011 Tristar to utilise on services from Glasgow to Miami, New York City and Cuba, [1] and to fly between Glasgow and London Stansted Airport to Baghdad, but these failed to materialise.
At the start of October 2005 Mr Al-Ani sold his stake in the airline to H Top Hotels Group of Barcelona, Spain. However, administrative difficulties in transferring ownership of the airline resulted in the operator's solitary aircraft being grounded at Palma over unpaid fuel bills. Passengers were left stranded for up to 17 hours and in one instance armed police were called to calm angry passengers delayed in Palma. [2] The knock-on effect to the airline's network as a result of the delay was considerable. An aircraft was chartered from Fischer Air Polska to help clear the backlog, but returned to Poland empty after the pilot refused service to Air Scotland as he believed that they had not paid. Air Scotland had in fact transferred money to Fischer Air Polska's account that morning. [3]
Taken from Air Scotland's website in 2006:
Aircraft | Total | Routes | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Airbus A320-211 | 1 | Short-medium haul Europe | |
Boeing 757-236 | 5 | Short-medium haul Europe |
[ citation needed ]
On the day the Airline ceased trading, it operated a single A320-211 based in Glasgow, it had also operated a Boeing 757-200 which wore a combination of Air Scotland & Greece Airways decals.
The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the trijet 727, received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its maiden flight on February 19, 1982, and it was FAA certified on December 21, 1982. Eastern Air Lines placed the initial 757-200 variant in commercial service on January 1, 1983. A package freighter (PF) variant entered service in September 1987 and a combi model in September 1988. The stretched 757-300 was launched in September 1996 and began service in March 1999. After 1,050 had been built for 54 customers, production ended in October 2004, while Boeing offered the largest 737 NG variants as a successor to the -200.
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