Helvetic Airways

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Helvetic Airways
Helvetic Logo 2019 red.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
2L [1] OAWHELVETIC
Founded2003;21 years ago (2003)
AOC # CH.AOC.1033 [2]
Hubs
Fleet size21
Destinations34
Parent company Helvetic Airways AG
Headquarters Kloten, canton of Zürich, Switzerland
Key peopleTobias Pogorevc, CEO
EmployeesAbout 400 [3]
Website www.helvetic.com/en

Helvetic Airways, previously named Odette Airways, is a Swiss regional airline headquartered in Kloten with its fleet stationed at Zurich Airport. [4] It operates flights to destinations in Europe and Northern Africa, mainly leisure markets, on its own behalf, [5] as well as scheduled flights on behalf of Swiss International Air Lines and Lufthansa, [6] using their fleet of Embraer 190s and Embraer 190-E2s.

Contents

History

Helvetic Airways was established in the autumn of 2003, as a rebranding and extension of the existing airline Odette Airways, to serve destinations in South-Eastern Europe. Switzerland's first budget carrier began operating in November, with a Fokker 100 flying to three destinations. By 2004, the fleet had grown to seven aircraft.

In December 2006, the carrier unveiled a new look for its aircraft. Since then, all the Fokker 100s have livery in red-white-silver grey colours, with the Swiss cross on the tailfin.

In October 2010, the Swiss news media announced a new base in Bern Airport. [7]

On 18 February 2013, in the 2013 Belgian diamond heist, eight men armed with automatic weapons and dressed in police uniforms seized 120 small parcels, containing an estimated $50 million (£32,000,000) worth of diamonds from a Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 passenger plane, loaded with passengers preparing for departure to Zürich. The men drove two vehicles through a hole they had cut in the airport's perimeter fence to Flight LX789, which had just been loaded with diamonds from a Brink's armoured van. The men were able to execute the operation within five minutes with no injuries and without firing a shot. [8]

In December 2014, [9] Helvetic Airways began to take over seven Embraer 190s, which were freed by Niki changing their fleet. [10]

Since March 2016, there is a wet-lease contract with Lufthansa for the route Zürich-Munich. [11]

In 2018, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) expanded its partnership with Helvetic Airways, announcing that it will deploy up to eight Helvetic Airways Embraer E190-E2 aircraft or similar equipment on its route network, from 2019 onwards. [12] On 14 June 2019, the last Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 left the fleet. Shortly after, on 29 October 2019, the carrier took delivery of its first Embraer E190-E2 aircraft. [13]

Weathering the COVID-19 pandemic

During a 2022 company conference, Martin Ebner, owner of the airline, discussed how Helvetic decided not to push for a contract with Swiss International Air Lines requiring the latter to pay its wet lease fees while airline fleets were grounded during the COVID-19 pandemic, losing out on millions. In doing so, Ebner argued Helvetic helped ease Swiss' ticket refund burden during the pandemic. Despite this, Swiss subsequently reduced its wet-lease agreement with Helvetic from eight to four aircraft, a move Ebner considered a "breach of contract" that worsened Helvetic's pandemic struggles. Nevertheless, Helvetic Airways refunded travel agencies and all of its affected passengers promptly. They were able to afford this by relying on reduced lease rates payable to parent company, Helvetic Group, and switching to a less costly short-term temporary employment model with less hours of work for its pilots, crew and other employees (entailing less compensation). Further, unlike Swiss, the company did not receive government aid and had secured financing for its new Embraer jets using its own funds (themselves secured by Ebner's own assets), ultimately weathering the crisis. [14]

Ownership

Helvetic Airways is fully owned by Swiss businessman Martin Ebner. [15]

Destinations

Scheduled destinations as of January 2024 (not included are the routes served for Swiss International Air Lines on a long-term wet-lease contract): [16]

CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
Cyprus Larnaca Larnaca International Airport Seasonal [16]
Egypt Hurghada Hurghada International Airport Seasonal [16]
Finland Kittilä Kittilä Airport Seasonal [16]
Kuusamo Kuusamo Airport Terminated
France Bordeaux Bordeaux–Mérignac Airport Terminated
Calvi Calvi – Sainte-Catherine Airport Terminated
Lourdes Tarbes–Lourdes–Pyrénées Airport CharterTerminated
Germany Rostock Rostock–Laage Airport Terminated
Greece Heraklion Heraklion International Airport Seasonal [16]
Kos Kos International Airport Seasonal [16]
Preveza Aktion National Airport CharterTerminated
Rhodes Rhodes International Airport CharterTerminated
Santorini Santorini (Thira) International Airport Seasonal [16]
Ireland Shannon Shannon Airport Terminated
Italy Olbia Olbia Costa Smeralda Airport Terminated
Kosovo Pristina Pristina International Airport CharterTerminated
Luxembourg Luxembourg Luxembourg Airport Terminated
North Macedonia Ohrid Ohrid St. Paul the Apostle Airport Charter
Skopje Skopje International Airport CharterTerminated
Norway Tromsø Tromsø Airport CharterTerminated
Spain Jerez de la Frontera Jerez Airport Terminated
Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca Airport Seasonal [16]
Switzerland Bern Bern Airport Hub [16]
Zurich Zurich Airport Hub [16]
Switzerland
France
Germany		 Basel
Mulhouse
Freiburg 		EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg Hub [16] [17]
Tunisia Djerba Djerba–Zarzis International Airport Seasonal [18]
Turkey Antalya Antalya Airport Seasonal [19]

Fleet

Helvetic Airways Embraer 190-E2 20211211141402 IMG 9596.jpg
Helvetic Airways Embraer 190-E2
A former Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 in an earlier livery (2004). 314aq - Helvetic Airways Fokker 100; HB-JVE@ZRH;02.09.2004 (8398573327).jpg
A former Helvetic Airways Fokker 100 in an earlier livery (2004).

Current fleet

As of September 2024, Helvetic Airways operates an all-Embraer fleet composed of the following aircraft: [20] [21]

Helvetic Airways fleet
AircraftIn serviceOrdersPassengersNotes
Embraer E190 6—112Operated for Swiss International Air Lines.
Embraer E195 31122To be leased from summer 2024. [22]
Embraer E190-E2 8—110Order with 12 purchase rights. [23]
Embraer E195-E2 4—134
Total211

Historic fleet

In the past, Helvetic Airways has operated the following types of aircraft:

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References

  1. ↑ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. ↑ "List of AOC Holders with Complex Airplanes" (PDF). Federal Office of Civil Aviation. 28 March 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 April 2018. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  3. ↑ "Information of Helvetic Airways Group". helvetic.com. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. ↑ "Imprint Archived 29 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine ." Helvetic Airways. Retrieved on 6 November 2009. "Helvetic Airways AG P.O. Box 250 CH-8058 Zurich Airport"
  5. ↑ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . 3 April 2007. p. 90.
  6. ↑ "Helvetic Airways fliegt für Lufthansa - TRAVEL INSIDE". 24 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "2011 startet Helvetic auch von Bern-Belp aus".
  8. ↑ Higgins, Andrew (18 February 2013). "Brazen Jewel Robbery at Brussels Airport Nets $50 Million in Diamonds". New York Times. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
  9. ↑ "Helvetic Airways - Fleet information of E-190". www.helvetic.com. Helvetic Airways AG. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  10. ↑ "A319 bekommen Niki-Beklebung".
  11. ↑ INSIDE, TRAVEL (24 March 2016). "Helvetic Airways fliegt für Lufthansa | aboutTravel". abouttravel.ch. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  12. ↑ "SWISS and Helvetic Airways Expand their Collaboration". Airline Suppliers. 11 December 2018. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
  13. ↑ Nick Wenzel (29 October 2019). "Helvetic Airways takes delivery of its first Embraer E190-E2". International Flight Network. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  14. ↑ "Helvetic Airways hat alles richtig gemacht". Travelnews (in German). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  15. ↑ "Helvetic Airways: the other Swiss airline". www.key.aero. 23 November 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Flugplan". www.helvetic.com. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  17. ↑ "Switzerland's Helvetic Airways to open Basel base in 3Q21". Ch-Aviation. 16 June 2021.
  18. ↑ "Summer 2024: Helvetic flies Bern-Djerba; Helvetic Airways".
  19. ↑ "Flights to Antalya (AYT) | Helvetic Airways".
  20. ↑ "Helvetic Airways Flotte - ZRH-Spotter".
  21. 1 2 "Helvetic Airways Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
  22. ↑ "Switzerland's Helvetic Airways takes first E195". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
  23. ↑ "Embraer lands seven new Regional Jet orders". ch-aviation.com. 17 July 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  24. ↑ "About Travel (in German)". www.abouttravel.ch. 8 November 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  25. ↑ "Helvetic Airways Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2 May 2017.

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