InterSky, legally ''Intersky Luftfahrt
GmbH'', was an
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
n
airline
An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines for ...
headquartered in
Bregenz
Bregenz (; gsw, label= Vorarlbergian, Breagaz ) is the capital of Vorarlberg, the westernmost state of Austria. The city lies on the east and southeast shores of Lake Constance, the third-largest freshwater lake in Central Europe, between Switze ...
, which operated scheduled services from its base at
Friedrichshafen Airport
Friedrichshafen Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Friedrichshafen, ; also known as ''Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen'') is a minor international airport 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the banks of Lake Constance ( ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, to major cities in Germany, Austria and
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, as well as seasonal holiday flights to the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
from other airports. The airline ceased operations on the evening of 5 November 2015 due to financial difficulties.
History
Early years
Intersky was established in November 2001 and started operations on 25 March 2002. At that time the company was owned by Renate Moser (50%), at the time the first female airline
CEO
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
, Rolf Seewald (35%), the co-founder and later the owner of Austrian airline ''Rheintalflug'', and other shareholders (15%).
The
Bern
german: Berner(in)french: Bernois(e) it, bernese
, neighboring_municipalities = Bremgarten bei Bern, Frauenkappelen, Ittigen, Kirchlindach, Köniz, Mühleberg, Muri bei Bern, Neuenegg, Ostermundigen, Wohlen bei Bern, Zollikofen
, website ...
location came about because then airport director, Charles Riesen, was looking across Europe for an airline that would revitalize the derelict
Bern-Belp Airport. The first InterSky flight took place on March 25, 2002. Initially, it began flights between the Swiss federal capital and the cities of
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
and
Vienna
en, Viennese
, iso_code = AT-9
, registration_plate = W
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code =
, timezone = CET
, utc_offset = +1
, timezone_DST ...
.
Supported by the owner Renate Moser, Klaus Bernatzik, who joined the company as CFO in 2003 and previously worked for Rheintalflug and Eurowings, rejected InterSky's previous strategy after suffering major losses in 2002. Following the example of British airline
Flybe
Flybe (pronounced ), styled as flybe, is a British airline based at Birmingham Airport, England.
History
The airline traces its history back to Jersey European Airways, which was set up in 1979 following the merger of Intra Airways and Expres ...
and under the impression of the low-cost boom that had emerged in Europe, he radically changed the business model. Later on, catering at InterSky was only available against payment and flight tickets were only available via their own website on the Internet. Within a year, the airline was in the black. In accordance with InterSky's claim to sustainable growth, investments were only financed from surpluses - rather unusual for the aviation industry.
InterSky served
Berlin-Tempelhof Airport right from the start. When it became known that the airport would be closed at the end of 2004, Renate Moser joined several citizens initiatives to keep the airport open. Together with other airlines, she supported a legal dispute that finally guaranteed this until the end of October 2008. InterSky flew to Tempelhof until the end and on the last day before the closure, they conducted several sightseeing flights to say goodbye to the airport together with the employees. An InterSky aircraft was one of the last machines allowed to take off from Tempelhof. On one of the last Tempelhof flights, pilot Viggo Bergers said goodbye in front of hundreds of onlookers with the usual aviation wobble of the wings.
In 2004, after the departure of
Hahn Air Lines
Hahn Air is a minor German airline headquartered in Dreieich, offering business jet scheduled and charter flights within Europe from its base at Düsseldorf Airport.
The company's core business, however, is a ticketing solution that gives trave ...
, InterSky starts relocate its operational base to
Friedrichshafen Airport
Friedrichshafen Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Friedrichshafen, ; also known as ''Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen'') is a minor international airport 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the banks of Lake Constance ( ...
in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, which was not fully utilized in Bern. Operations in FDH were profitable from day one, so the airline decided in 2005 to withdraw entirely from Bern and to relocate remaining flight operations to Friedrichshafen. Afterwards, InterSky was the largest airline in Friedrichshafen. In 2010, it was the sixth largest low-fare airline in Germany in terms of flight movements.
In October 2009, the airline trasnported it's millionth passenger. In 2010, InterSky carried 250,000 passengers, more than ever before in the company's history.
As of 2010, the airline had 110 employees. In October 2010, InterSky announced it was ending its long-running route from Friedrichshafen to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
due to the heavy competition from
Germanwings
Germanwings GmbH was a German low-cost airline wholly owned by Lufthansa which operated under the Eurowings brand. It was based in Cologne with hubs at Cologne Bonn Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Hamburg Airport, Berlin Tegel Airport, Munich Ai ...
which had started flying the same route a few months earlier. InterSky also postponed plans to add a fifth aircraft to the fleet.
In July 2011 Intersky announced that Renate Moser and Rolf Seewald were to take over operative management after four years' absence. Claus Bernatzik, Renate Moser's son, left the company by end of the year. In August 2012 it was announced that InterSky had ordered two
ATR 72-600
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed by ...
s. The two aircraft were scheduled to be delivered in December 2012 and March 2013. These aircraft became the first ATRs to be operated by an Austrian carrier.
In the same month the airline also announced plans to open a new base at
Hamburg Airport
Hamburg Airport , known in German as ''Flughafen Hamburg'', is a major international airport in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany. Since November 2016 the airport has been christened after the former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt. ...
. The plan was cancelled in October 2012, after
OLT Express Germany
OLT Express Germany (formerly OLT Ostfriesische Lufttransport GmbH or OLT) was an airline based in Bremen in Germany. The company moved to Bremen from Emden in February 2012. It operated regional scheduled and charter flights linking northern G ...
also announced plans to fly between
Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden and Hamburg. Since OLT Express Germany filed for bankruptcy shortly afterwards, InterSky started operating the route in March 2013 on a wet-lease contract with
Avanti Air
Avanti Air GmbH & Co. KG, styled as avantiair, is a small German airline based in Burbach with a maintenance base at Siegerland Airport, operating ad hoc charter and aircraft wet-lease services.
History
Avanti Air (named after the Italian ...
. It stopped flying the route in January 2014 after
Germanwings
Germanwings GmbH was a German low-cost airline wholly owned by Lufthansa which operated under the Eurowings brand. It was based in Cologne with hubs at Cologne Bonn Airport, Stuttgart Airport, Hamburg Airport, Berlin Tegel Airport, Munich Ai ...
announced plans to start the same route from spring 2014.
Final years
In May 2015, InterSky announced plans to open its second base at
Memmingen Airport
Memmingen Airport , also known as ''Allgäu Airport Memmingen'', is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg near Memmingen, the third-largest city in the Swabia region of Bavaria. It is the smallest of the three commercial airport ...
by October 2015 consisting of one aircraft, adding a new route to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
and increasing frequencies on existing services to Berlin and Hamburg.
Later, the plan was changed to use a triangled route
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
- Memmingen - Cologne/Bonn instead of basing an aircraft in Memmingen.
On 27 October 2015, InterSky announced drastic cuts to their Friedrichshafen-Memmingen-Cologne route which had resumed just three weeks earlier. Instead of two daily flights only two flights a week were to continue due to demand being lower than expected.
In September 2015, it was announced that InterSky was still loss-making and the owner, German investor Intro Aviation, planned to sell the company entirely.
All flights from
Memmingen Airport
Memmingen Airport , also known as ''Allgäu Airport Memmingen'', is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg near Memmingen, the third-largest city in the Swabia region of Bavaria. It is the smallest of the three commercial airport ...
and
Zürich Airport
Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switzerland's larg ...
as well as the Friedrichshafen-Düsseldorf route was terminated in immediate effect.
[austrianaviation.net - InterSky vor Strecken-Kahlschlag ("InterSky faces route eradication")](_blank)
(German) 18 September 2015 Additionally, InterSky tries to find another usage for their two ATR72-600s whose purchase back in 2013 has been called a mistake. In October 2015, InterSky reported to be in advanced negotiations with a potential investor from Germany willing to pay 5 million Euros for the airline. Shortly after, the Austrian aviation authorities requested InterSky to provide information over their financial security by 5 November 2015. Otherwise their operational license could be revoked. On 4 November 2015, the aforementioned sale agreement fell through. In the same time, InterSky submitted the requested documents regarding their financial security to the Austrian authorities. Shortly after, the airline announced plans to go into administration while maintaining operations.
However, on the evening of 5 November 2015, InterSky announced that they were forced to cease all operations immediately as the lessor of its fleet seized four of the airline's five aircraft - both
ATR 72-600
The ATR 72 is a twin-engine turboprop, short-haul regional airliner developed and produced in France and Italy by aircraft manufacturer ATR (french: Avions de transport régional or it, Aerei da Trasporto Regionale), a joint venture formed by ...
s and two
Bombardier Dash 8 Q300
The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier in 1992; then by ...
s - over unpaid leasing charges on short notice.
[austrianaviation.net - "Intersky is grounded"](_blank)
(German) 6 November 2015 All four aircraft were returned to the lessor immediately, while the remaining one - which was owned by InterSky - operated the last flight from Zürich to Graz.
Previously, a potential investor declined to financially support the plans to go into administration.
On 6 November 2015, the airline announced it had files for
insolvency
In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company ( debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet i ...
. It has been reported that the airline accumulated around 5 million Euros of debt with several airports being amongst the creditors.
Destinations
![ATR72-600 'OE-LIB' InterSky (14523803372)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/ATR72-600_%27OE-LIB%27_InterSky_%2814523803372%29.jpg)
InterSky operated scheduled and charter flights to the following destinations :
;
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
*
Graz
Graz (; sl, Gradec) is the capital city of the Austrian state of Styria and second-largest city in Austria after Vienna. As of 1 January 2021, it had a population of 331,562 (294,236 of whom had principal-residence status). In 2018, the popul ...
-
Graz Airport
Graz Airport , known as ''Flughafen Graz'' in German, is a primary international airport serving southern Austria. It is located near Graz, the second-largest city in Austria, in the municipalities of Feldkirchen and Kalsdorf, south of Graz ci ...
*
Salzburg
Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872.
The town is on the site of the ...
-
Salzburg Airport
Salzburg Airport , branded as ''Salzburg Airport W. A. Mozart'', is Austria's second largest airport. It serves Salzburg, the fourth-largest Austrian city, and is a gateway to Austria's numerous ski areas. The airport is loc ...
;
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capit ...
*
Pula
Pula (; also known as Pola, it, Pola , hu, Pòla, Venetian language, Venetian; ''Pola''; Istriot language, Istriot: ''Puola'', Slovene language, Slovene: ''Pulj'') is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, and the List of cities and town ...
-
Pula Airport
Pula Airport ( hr, Zračna luka Pula; it, Aeroporto di Pola; ) is the international airport serving Pula, Croatia, and is located 6 km from the city centre. It served 777,568 passengers in 2019. The airport is designated as the alternative ...
''seasonal''
*
Zadar
Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...
-
Zadar Airport
Zadar Airport ( hr, Zračna luka Zadar; ) is an international airport serving Zadar, Croatia. It is located in Zemunik Donji, from the centre of Zadar.
History
As early as 1936, Zadar (then part of the Italian Province of Zara) had regular ...
''seasonal''
;
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
*
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
-
Berlin Tegel Airport
Berlin Tegel "Otto Lilienthal" Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Berlin-Tegel „Otto Lilienthal“) was the primary international airport of Berlin, the federal capital of Germany. The airport was named after aviation pioneer Otto Lilienth ...
*
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
/
Bonn
The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...
-
Cologne Bonn Airport
Cologne Bonn Airport (german: Flughafen Köln/Bonn 'Konrad Adenauer') is the international airport of Germany's fourth-largest city Cologne, and also serves Bonn, former capital of West Germany. With around 12.4 million passengers passing throu ...
*
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
-
Düsseldorf Airport
Düsseldorf Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Düsseldorf, ; until March 2013 ''Düsseldorf International Airport''; ) is the international airport of Düsseldorf, the capital of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is about north ...
*
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
-
Friedrichshafen Airport
Friedrichshafen Airport (german: link=no, Flughafen Friedrichshafen, ; also known as ''Bodensee Airport Friedrichshafen'') is a minor international airport 1.9 miles (3 km) north of Friedrichshafen, Germany, on the banks of Lake Constance ( ...
base
*
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
-
Hamburg Airport
Hamburg Airport , known in German as ''Flughafen Hamburg'', is a major international airport in Hamburg, the second-largest city in Germany. Since November 2016 the airport has been christened after the former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt. ...
*
Memmingen
Memmingen (; Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the river that marks the Baden-Wü ...
-
Memmingen Airport
Memmingen Airport , also known as ''Allgäu Airport Memmingen'', is an international airport in the town of Memmingerberg near Memmingen, the third-largest city in the Swabia region of Bavaria. It is the smallest of the three commercial airport ...
focus city
*
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...
-
Munich Airport
Munich International Airport- Franz Josef Strauß (german: link=no, Flughafen München) is an international airport serving Munich and Upper Bavaria. It is the second-busiest airport in Germany in terms of passenger traffic after Frankfurt A ...
''seasonal''
;
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
*
Naxos
Naxos (; el, Νάξος, ) is a Greek island and the largest of the Cyclades. It was the centre of archaic Cycladic culture. The island is famous as a source of emery, a rock rich in corundum, which until modern times was one of the best abr ...
-
Naxos Island National Airport
Naxos Island National Airport is an airport in Naxos, Greece . It is located near Agios Prokopios, 3 km from Naxos City. The airport opened in 1992.
Airlines and destinations
The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flig ...
''seasonal charter''
;
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
*
Elba
Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...
-
Marina di Campo Airport
Marina di Campo Airport ( it, Aeroporto di Marina di Campo) is the airport of the Italian island of Elba, located in the village of La Pila, in Marina di Campo. It is also known as ''Teseo Tesei Airport'' ( it, Aeroporto "Teseo Tesei"). It is th ...
''seasonal''
;
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
*
Menorca
Menorca or Minorca (from la, Insula Minor, , smaller island, later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Majorca. Its capi ...
-
Menorca Airport
Menorca Airport (; ca, Aeroport de Menorca, es, Aeropuerto de Menorca), also known as Mahón Menorca Airport is an international airport serving the island of Menorca, one of Spain's Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The airport is lo ...
''seasonal''
;
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
*
Altenrhein
Thal is a village and municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of Rorschach in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. Besides the village of Thal itself, the municipality also includes the villages of Altenrhein, Buechen, Buriet and St ...
-
St. Gallen–Altenrhein Airport ''seasonal''
*
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
-
Zürich Airport
Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switzerland's larg ...
;
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
*
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
-
Guernsey Airport
Guernsey Airport is an international airport on the island of Guernsey and the largest airport in the Bailiwick of Guernsey. It is located in the Forest, a parish in Guernsey, southwest of St. Peter Port and features mostly flights to Great B ...
''seasonal charter''
*
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
-
Jersey Airport
Jersey Airport is an international airport located in the parish of Saint Peter, west northwest of Saint Helier in Jersey, in the Channel Islands.
History
Air service to Jersey before 1937 consisted of biplane airliners and some seaplanes la ...
''seasonal charter''
Fleet
As of 5 November 2015, on its last day of operations, the InterSky fleet consisted of the following aircraft:
ch-aviation.com - InterSky
retrieved 6 November 2015
References
External links
*
{{Airlines of Austria
Defunct airlines of Austria
Airlines established in 2001
Airlines disestablished in 2015
Austrian companies established in 2001
2015 disestablishments in Austria
Economy of Vorarlberg