Privatair
SA was a
Swiss airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in wh ...
headquartered in
Meyrin
Meyrin () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.
The main site of CERN, the European particle physics research organisation, is in Meyrin. Meyrin was originally a small agricultural village until the 1950s, when construction of ...
, which operated
business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...
s as well as scheduled services on behalf of major airlines. In addition the company operated crew and pilot training facilities. PrivatAir SA was a registered air carrier with two
air operator's certificate
An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in plac ...
s, in
Switzerland and through its subsidiary PrivatAir GmbH 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 ...
. On 5 December 2018, PrivatAir filed 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 ...
and ceased operations.
[
]
History
PrivatAir was founded in 1977 as a corporate flying division of the Latsis family
Yiannis Latsis (1910–2003), also known as John Spyridon Latsis, was a Greek shipping multi-billionaire tycoon notable for his great wealth, influential friends, and charitable activities.
The year of his death (2003), ''Forbes'' magazine rank ...
under the name Petrolair. In 1979, air traffic began on a Boeing 737-200 and offered business travel flights. In 1989, a Boeing 757 and a Gulfstream IV were added, and the name was changed to PrivatAir. On June 1, 1995, the company was then licensed by the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation
The Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA, german: Bundesamt für Zivilluftfahrt; french: Office fédéral de l'aviation civile; it, Ufficio federale dell'aviazione civile) is the Swiss civil aviation agency, a division of the Federal Departm ...
as a commercial airline
An airline is a company that provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for codeshare agreements, in which ...
.
In March 2001 the PrivatAir Group was formed. Also in March 2001, the PrivatAir Group gained ETOPS 180 minutes and FAA 129 Foreign Carrier approval as a designated carrier under the US-Switzerland bilateral "open skies" agreement. These approvals allow the company to offer the most direct routes across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and unlimited operations to the US. At the time, PrivatAir was the only ad hoc commercial charter operator in the world with these approvals.
In February 2002, PrivatAir completed the construction of its private terminal in Geneva, where its headquarters were then based. The new "C3" terminal was a joint venture between PrivatAir and Geneva International Airport and offered VIP passenger services to PrivatAir's customers. The corporate jet alliance AirClub was founded in Geneva in October 2012. In 2018 AirClub had eight members aside PrivatAir: ACM Air Charter
ACM Air Charter is a German airline based at Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport. In addition to charter flights and aircraft management the airline operates the business aviation terminal and a maintenance facility at its homebase airport.
History
...
, Air Alsie, AIR HAMBURG, Corporatejets, FLYINGGROUP, GlobeAir, London Executive Aviation and Masterjet.
In May 2003, PrivatAir and Swissport
Swissport International Ltd. is a Swiss aviation services company providing airport ground, lounge hospitality and cargo handling services. Its headquarters are located in Opfikon, Canton of Zürich, Switzerland.
It handles around 282 million ...
created the joint company PrivatPort, which is an executive-jet handling business.[ In October 2003, German subsidiary PrivatAir Germany GmbH, ]Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
, gained JAR – 145 approval from the German civil aviation authority, giving the company more autonomy and flexibility within the framework of its operations on behalf of Lufthansa and Airbus.
In November 2016, the majority of the company (51%) was taken over by the British investment company SilverArrow Capital.
In October 2018, the German aviation authorities suspended the licence of PrivatAir's German subsidiary. On 5 December 2018, PrivatAir announced the end of operations and filed 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 ...
for both its Swiss and German business units, citing negative commercial developments.[ch-aviation.com - PrivatAir's Swiss, German units file for insolvency](_blank)
5 December 2018
Company overview
PrivatAir was made up of three divisions: ''Scheduled Services'', ''Business Aviation'' which included aircraft management, charter, sales and ''PrivatTraining'':
*PrivatAir specialised in scheduled and charter flights using mid-sized, long-range jets. Its main base is Geneva Airport
Geneva Airport ,, german: Flughafen Genf, it, Aeroporto di Ginevra, rm, Eroport de Genevra formerly and still unofficially known as Cointrin Airport, is the international airport of Geneva, the second most populous city in Switzerland. It i ...
and its contracted operational bases depend of the current scheduled operations contracts, e. g. Frankfurt Airport
Frankfurt Airport (; german: link=no, Flughafen Frankfurt Main , also known as ''Rhein-Main-Flughafen'') is a major international airport located in Frankfurt, the fifth-largest city of Germany and one of the world's leading financial centres ...
operating for Lufthansa.
*PrivatAir's Business Aviation department provided service covering Aircraft Management, Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions, Aircraft Charter, AirClub (corporate jet alliance), PrivatJetFuel (Fuel Management) and Ground Services (PrivatPort).
*PrivatTraining was an in-house training department focusing on safety, security and service in the industry. They also provide training programmes for private-jet operators, to help them fulfil regulatory obligations.
Operations
Aside from private and corporate charter services, PrivatAir also operated its aircraft on behalf of different international airlines on a long-term basis for scheduled flights.
From June 2002 to June 2008, Privatair operated on behalf of Lufthansa a non-stop transatlantic service from Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...
to Newark
Newark most commonly refers to:
* Newark, New Jersey, city in the United States
* Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey; a major air hub in the New York metropolitan area
Newark may also refer to:
Places Canada
* Niagara-on-the ...
near New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
. To record, this was the first transatlantic flight which took off exclusively with Business Class
Business class is a travel class available on many commercial airlines and rail lines, known by brand names which vary, by airline or rail company. In the airline industry, it was originally intended as an intermediate level of service between ...
. For this purpose the German subsidiary PrivatAir GmbH with legal seat in Duesseldorf, Germany was created, which operated not only the four Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
in own responsibility, but was responsible for all maintenance of the group airplanes. In addition the company added three Boeing business jets.
From 2003 to 2008, PrivatAir carried out charter traffic for Airbus
Airbus SE (; ; ; ) is a European multinational aerospace corporation. Airbus designs, manufactures and sells civil and military aerospace products worldwide and manufactures aircraft throughout the world. The company has three divisions: ' ...
between the plants in Hamburg-Finkenwerder
Finkenwerder (; Low German: ''Finkwarder'', ''Finkenwarder'' or ''- wärder''; German: ''Finkeninsel''; translation: Island of finches) is a quarter of Hamburg, Germany in the borough Hamburg-Mitte. It is the location of a plant of Airbus and its a ...
and Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...
. This was subsequently taken over by 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 ...
. PrivatAir also operated a variety of other regular scheduled flights on behalf major airlines such as Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
and Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
and Saudia between Jeddah and Riyadh
Riyadh (, ar, الرياض, 'ar-Riyāḍ, lit.: 'The Gardens' Najdi pronunciation: ), formerly known as Hajr al-Yamamah, is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of the Riyadh Province and the centre of th ...
.
In April 2015, Lufthansa announced it would reduce their involvement with PrivatAir with the route from Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
to Dammam to be shut down by the end of October 2015. PrivatAir also operated flights to Libreville, Pointe-Noire, Accra, Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
and Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
on behalf of Lufthansa; these routes were all terminated a few years earlier. A route operated for Lufthansa to Nairobi
Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...
ended on 31 August 2016. PrivatAir also operated aircraft on behalf of ECAir
Equatorial Congo Airlines SA, operating as ECAir, was an airline headquartered in Brazzaville; it was the flag carrier of the Republic of the Congo. The airline suspended all operations on 10 October 2016.
History
ECAir was created with the suppo ...
based at Maya-Maya Airport
Maya–Maya Airport is the international airport of Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of the Congo.
Facilities
In 2010, a new long runway and a new terminal with three air bridges were opened. The older runway was repaired and now is ...
until 10 October 2016, when ECAir suspended its operations.
Between March 2016 and October 2017, PrivatAir operated a Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington.
Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
on behalf of Scandinavian Airlines between Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
and Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
.
As of 2017, PrivatAir also operated on selected routes for companies such as TUI fly Deutschland
TUI fly Deutschland, formerly ''TUIfly'', is a German leisure airline owned by the travel and tourism company TUI Group. It is headquartered at Hannover Airport with bases at several other German airports. TUI fly Deutschland is part of TUI Gro ...
and Eurowings
Eurowings GmbH is a German low-cost carrier headquartered in Düsseldorf and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Group. Founded in 1996, it serves a network of domestic and European destinations and formerly also operated some long-hau ...
on leisure routes from Germany after the collapse of Air Berlin
Air Berlin PLC & Co. Luftverkehrs KG (), branded as airberlin or airberlin.com was a major German airline. At its peak, it was Germany's second-largest airline, as well as Europe's tenth-largest airline in terms of passengers carried. It was h ...
. In July 2018, Lufthansa suspended its route between Frankfurt
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , " Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on it ...
and Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
which had been served by PrivatAir for several years. The route resumed in autumn 2018, however operated by Lufthansa's own aircraft.
Fleet
As of December 2018, the joint PrivatAir fleet registered in Switzerland and Germany consisted of the following aircraft. Additionally, PrivatAir operated several business jet
A business jet, private jet, or bizjet is a jet aircraft designed for transporting small groups of people. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel deliveries, and some are used by pu ...
s from Dassault
Dassault Group (; also GIM Dassault or Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault SAS) is a French group of companies established in 1929 with the creation of Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (now Dassault Aviation) by Marcel Dassault, and led by son Ser ...
, Bombardier and Gulfstream The Gulf Stream is a warm Atlantic Ocean current.
Gulf Stream or Gulfstream may also refer to: Places
*Gulf Stream, Florida, a town in the United States
Art, entertainment, and media
*''Gulf Stream Magazine'', a literary magazine at Florida Intern ...
.
PrivatAir operated more and a wider range of aircraft including Boeing 757
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 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978.
The prototype completed its mai ...
and 767s.[airfleets.net - PrivatAir]
retrieved 3 August 2018
retrieved 3 August 2018
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Privatair
Defunct airlines of Switzerland
Airlines established in 1977
Airlines disestablished in 2018
Swiss companies disestablished in 2018
Swiss companies established in 1977