Astraeus Airlines

Last updated

Astraeus
Astraeus-airlines.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
5WAEUFLYSTAR
Founded2002
Ceased operations21 November 2011
Operating bases Gatwick Airport
Fleet size9
Parent company Fengur
Headquarters Crawley, United Kingdom
Key peopleSteve Clarke, Palli Borg, Daryl Deacon, Bruce Dickinson, Phil Rushton
An Astraeus Boeing 737-700 takes off from Bristol Airport, England (2008) Astraeus b737-700 g-strf arp.jpg
An Astraeus Boeing 737-700 takes off from Bristol Airport, England (2008)

Astraeus Limited, trading as Astraeus Airlines, was a British airline based at Astraeus House in Crawley, West Sussex, England. [1] Founded in 2002, and named after the Greek God of the dusk, it entered administration on 21 November 2011, ceasing operations the same day.

Contents

Established as a charter airline, Astraeus changed its business model in May 2008 and ceased full-time charter and scheduled service flying to concentrate on sublease activities. Astraeus provided aircraft anywhere in the world to meet short and long-term lease requirements, with wet lease, damp lease or dry lease options. The main base was London Gatwick Airport. [2]

Astraeus Airlines also had a history of providing ad hoc capacity to various clients. This included sports charters (Manchester United, Arsenal, UK and Irish FA and many others), military charters, show business charters (Disney, Warner Bros.), various government contracts and general charters for the leisure and business industry.

Astraeus Limited held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence and was therefore permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats. Astraeus Airlines was an IOSA registered company with the International Air Transport Association.

History

Astraeus Airlines commenced charter operations in 2002 with Boeing 737 aircraft and also operated under the Flystar brand for a short time. [2] After establishing itself as a reliable charter carrier to UK leisure tour operators for both summer and winter seasons, the fleet was extended in 2004 to include Boeing 757 aircraft. By 2008 the fleet had grown to two Boeing 737-300s, two Boeing 737-700s and five Boeing 757-200s.

As of 2009, Astraeus Airlines was the only airline charter company which remained based at Gatwick Airport, and grew its fleet, adding a Boeing 737-500 and 737-700.

Astraeus was a 100%-owned subsidiary of Eignarhaldsfelagid Fengur hf, an Icelandic-based travel group that also owned the Iceland Express airline.

Astraeus ended operations on 21 November 2011 and entered administration. The airline cited a lack of contracts for the winter of 2011 and some "extremely bad luck" with technical issues as reasons for ending operations. [3]

Fleet

In November 2011, the Astraeus fleet consisted of the following aircraft with an average age of 17.4 years: [2] [4] [5]

An Astraeus Boeing 757-200. (2007) Astraeus RZ.jpg
An Astraeus Boeing 757-200. (2007)
Astraeus Fleet
AircraftIn ServicesPassengersNotes
Airbus A320-200 1180
Boeing 737-500 1126
Boeing 737-700 2148
Boeing 757-200 5160-221
Total
9

Astraeus and Iron Maiden

Astraeus 757-200 G-STRX as "Ed Force One" in May 2011. G-STRX B757-28A Astraeus(Iron Maiden) PMI 10MAY11 (5708213174).jpg
Astraeus 757-200 G-STRX as "Ed Force One" in May 2011.

The heavy metal band Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson was a captain for Astraeus, flying the Boeing 757 aircraft when not performing with the band. [6] Dickinson was also Astraeus's Marketing Director. Dickinson has flown many high-profile flights for Astraeus: for example, on 20 October 2010, he flew the Liverpool F.C. team to Naples, Italy, for their European Cup match against Napoli.

Iron Maiden commissioned an Astraeus 757 as transport for their Somewhere Back in Time tour in 2008 and nicknamed it Ed Force One, flown by the lead singer Dickinson himself. The aircraft was converted into a combi configuration, repainted with an Iron Maiden livery and was used in this scheme until 28 May 2008. The same aircraft (G-OJIB) was used again on the second leg of the Somewhere Back in Time tour in 2009. The aircraft was also meant to be used for The Final Frontier World Tour in 2011; however on 8 February 2011 another 757-200 aircraft (G-STRX) departed Southend with a sightly differing Iron Maiden livery for the tour.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boeing 757</span> Airliner family by Boeing

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.

Icelandair is the flag carrier of Iceland, with its corporate head office on the property of Reykjavík Airport in the capital city Reykjavík. It is part of the Icelandair Group and operates to destinations on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean from its main hub at Keflavík International Airport. The geographical position of Iceland is convenient for one-stop transatlantic flights via the Atlantic Bridge route, which is one pillar of the airline's business strategy, along with traffic to, from, and within the country.

Air Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and ACMI airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI and wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and cargo capacity. It also operates charter services. The company operates in different countries and has bases worldwide.

Monarch Airlines, simply known as Monarch, was a British charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost airline in 2004 before abandoning charter flying completely. The airline's headquarters were based at London–Luton, and it had operating bases at Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, London–Gatwick and Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air North</span> Airline in Yukon, Canada

Air North Charter and Training Ltd., operating as Air North, Yukon's Airline, is a Canadian airline based in Whitehorse, Yukon. It operates scheduled passenger and cargo flights throughout Yukon, as well as between Yukon and the Northwest Territories, British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario. The airline also operates charter flights throughout Canada and Alaska. The airline also provides ground handling services and fuel services to other airlines throughout Yukon, and it also provides ground handling services at Vancouver International Airport and Edmonton International Airport. Its main base is Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport.

Palmair European was a British tour operator with its head office in the Space House in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. Palmair offered charter and scheduled flights on behalf of Bath Travel. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport. Palmair have now stopped any flights for the foreseeable future and the airline has been placed into a "deep freeze" until the economic climate improves.

Iceland Express was a low-fare airline headquartered in Reykjavík, Iceland that was acquired by WOW air. It operated services to several destinations in Europe using wet-leased aircraft. Its main base was Keflavík International Airport.

Air Europe was a wholly privately owned, independent British airline, established in 1978 under the working title Inter European Airways. It adopted the Air Europe name the following year. Its head office was in Reigate, Surrey, then in Crawley, West Sussex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XL Airways UK</span> British airline

XL Airways was a British low-cost charter and scheduled airline, which ceased operations when it went into administration on 12 September 2008. Its headquarters were in Crawley, West Sussex, near London Gatwick Airport. It was part of the XL Leisure Group. From its three bases at London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow, the airline provided short-haul and long-haul charter services, predominantly to leisure destinations.

Smartwings, a.s. is a Czech airline with its head office on the property of Václav Havel Airport Prague in Ruzyně, 6th district, Prague. It is the biggest airline in the Czech Republic, and it operates scheduled and chartered flights, mainly to leisure destinations. The airline also wet and dry leases its aircraft to other airlines. It also owns 30% of Czech Airlines and has subsidiaries in Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combi aircraft</span> Aircraft that can carry passengers and/or cargo

Combi aircraft in commercial aviation are aircraft that can be used to carry either passengers as an airliner, or cargo as a freighter, and may have a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both uses at the same time in a mixed passenger/freight combination. The name combi comes from the word combination. The concept originated in railroading with the combine car, a passenger car that contains a separate compartment for mail or baggage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TUI fly Nordic</span> Charter airline of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland

TUI fly Nordic is a charter airline headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and is a part of the TUI Group. It operates short, medium and long-haul flights to leisure destinations from several airports in the Nordic countries, on behalf of the tour operators TUI Danmark (Denmark), TUI Suomi (Finland), TUI Norge (Norway) and TUI Sverige (Sweden). In 2016, the airline carried approximately 1,500,000 passengers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viking Airlines</span> Former Swedish charter airline

Viking Airlines AB was a privately owned charter airline with a head office in Stockholm, Sweden and based in Stockholm. Viking Airlines primarily operated charter flights for European tour operators. The airline was established in 2003. Viking Airlines had its head office in Spånga, Stockholm, Sweden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Titan Airways</span> British charter airline

Titan Airways Limited is a British charter airline based at London Stansted Airport. The carrier specialises in short-notice ACMI and wet lease operations, as well as ad-hoc passenger and cargo charter services to tour operators, corporations, governments, and the sports and entertainment sectors. The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail, on aircraft with 20 or more seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Island Airways</span>

British Island Airways (BIA) was the legal successor to British United Island Airways (BUIA). It commenced operations under that name in mid-1970. Ten years later it merged with Air Anglia, Air Wales and Air Westward to form Air UK, at the time the United Kingdom's biggest regional airline and its third-largest scheduled operator. The first British Island Airways had its head office at Congreve House (1970–1972) and Berkeley House (1973–1979), which are respectively located in Station Road and on the high street in Redhill, Surrey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birgenair</span> Defunct Turkish Airline

Birgenair was a Turkish charter airline established in 1988 with headquarters in Istanbul, Turkey. It ceased operations in October 1996, following the crash of Birgenair Flight 301.

Air UK Leisure was a British airline operating charter flights on behalf of its parent Air UK.

Leisure International Airways was a British charter airline which was established in 1987 and commenced operations in 1993. The company ceased operations in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TUI Airways</span> Charter airline of the United Kingdom

TUI Airways Limited is the British arm of the TUI Airline group, which is owned and operated by the TUI Group. They offer scheduled and charter flights from the United Kingdom and Ireland to destinations in Europe, Africa, Asia and North America.

Saarland Airlines was a short-lived German charter airline based in Düsseldorf that operated from 1992 to 1993.

References

  1. "Contacts [usurped] ." Astraeus Airlines. Retrieved on 22 May 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "UK & Ireland Airlines Guide 2011". Airliner World . March 2011. p. 3.
  3. Astraeus Airlines in Administration - BBC
  4. Civil Aviation Authority - aircraft register
  5. Astraeus fleet list at planespotters.net
  6. "Astraeus Airlines - Combi Tour". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)