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Founded | 1990 | ||||||
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Ceased operations | 2016 [1] | ||||||
Operating bases | |||||||
Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
Destinations | 26 | ||||||
Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||||||
Key people | Denis Barekov, Mihail Donsky | ||||||
Revenue | ![]() | ||||||
Net income | ![]() | ||||||
Website | air-via.com |
Air VIA was [1] a charter airline with its head office in Sofia, Bulgaria, [3] that operated charter flights on behalf of European tour operators such as TUI and Thomas Cook. Most Air VIA flights operated from European destinations into Varna Airport and Burgas Airport, the airline also offered ACMI and wet lease subservices to many other clients and destinations. [4]
The airline was founded in 1990. The company is licensed and certified according to the Bulgarian and EU regulations to transport passengers and cargo. Between 1990 and 2005, Air VIA operated with 5 new Tupolev TU-154M aircraft. Air VIA was founded by a group of private Bulgarian investors and initially performed charter flights for Bulgarian and leading European tour operators such as Neckermann, TUI Travel, Jetairfly, Thomas Cook and Prodintour to and from Bulgarian seaside resorts. In 1994 the airline was acquired by Mr. Denis Barekov, a Bulgarian entrepreneur, who has investments in mining, glass production, real-estate and other industries.
In 2005, Air VIA changed its fleet due to the ever growing competition, EU regulations, increasing fuel prices and higher customer requirements. In the summer of 2006, Air VIA started to operate Airbus A320 aircraft and phased out the dated Tupolev-154M. On 28 August 2015, Air Via added its first Airbus A321-200 to its fleet. [5] Air Via operated for 25 years in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and in other regions for many different clients under ACMI or Charter contracts. The airline has operated in all European countries, but also in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Vietnam, Pakistan and in many other countries. In 2016, Air VIA ceased flight operations. At present, the company is considering different opportunities to restore its flight operations.
In 2012, Mr. Denis Barekov and the Air Via management team assisted an investor from Iceland in the creation of WOW Air, the low-cost passenger airline based in Iceland. Air Via managed the complete flight operations of WOW Air until 2016 by providing its expertise, 3 aircraft (under WOW Air livery), its crews, maintenance and management staff.
In 2016, Mr. Denis Barekov and the Air Via management team established, certified and managed Via Airways, a Bulgarian charter passenger airline, currently operating under the Fly2Sky brand.
During the summer months, Air Via operated charter flights between the Bulgarian seaside airports Burgas and Varna and almost all countries in Western Europe and the Middle East. During the winter months, Air Via operated under ACMI contracts in the Middle East and in Asia.
Between 2005 and 2016, Air Via operated upto 5 aircraft A320. As of January 2016 [update] , the Air VIA fleet consisted of the following aircraft: [6] [7]
Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Notes |
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Airbus A320-200 | 1 | 180 | Wet leased to Enter Air [8] |
Airbus A321-200 | 1 | 220 | |
Media related to Air VIA at Wikimedia Commons