Air Liberté
Encyclopedia
Air Liberté was an airline
in France
founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis
. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport
Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste
.
Air Liberté began operations in April 1988 with a leased MD-83. It mainly operated to destinations in European and Mediterranean holiday resorts, however it had some interncontinental routes. A route to Montreal
was inaugurated in 1993, and Réunion and the Caribbean were also served by the airline. Unsuccessful routes included one from Toulouse
to Dakar
and London
, which were scrapped in a conflict over slot allocations at Orly
. 1996 saw a new route to Nice, and in May the route network of Euralair was taken on. Around 1996, the airline had a fleet of 5 Boeing 737-200 airplanes, 8 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 planes and 5 McDonnell Douglas DC-10
planes.
1996 also brought with it financial distress. The airline lost 1 billion FF
($181 million) that year, and in 1997 British Airways
acquired 70% of the shareholding. At this time, British Airways
brought Air Liberté together with TAT
and inaugurated them under one management. Nouvelair
was born out of Air Liberté's subsidiary in Tunisia, Air Liberté Tunisie.
On 25 March 2001 AOM French Airlines
changed its name to "Air Liberté." On 22 September 2001 Air Liberté and AOM French Airlines merged into Airlib.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis
Rungis
Rungis is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, in the département of Val-de-Marne.It is best known as the location of the large wholesale food market serving the Paris metropolitan area and beyond, the Marché d'Intérêt National de Rungis, said to be the largest food market in the...
. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport
Orly Airport
Paris-Orly Airport is an airport located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris, France. It has flights to cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, North America and Southeast Asia. Prior to the construction of Charles de Gaulle Airport, Orly was...
Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste
Paray-Vieille-Poste
Paray-Vieille-Poste is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Paris-Orly Airport is partially located in the commune.Inhabitants of Paray-Vieille-Poste are known as Paraysiens.-History:...
.
Air Liberté began operations in April 1988 with a leased MD-83. It mainly operated to destinations in European and Mediterranean holiday resorts, however it had some interncontinental routes. A route to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
was inaugurated in 1993, and Réunion and the Caribbean were also served by the airline. Unsuccessful routes included one from Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
to Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, which were scrapped in a conflict over slot allocations at Orly
Orly
Orly is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The name of Orly came from Latin Aureliacum, "the villa of Aurelius"....
. 1996 saw a new route to Nice, and in May the route network of Euralair was taken on. Around 1996, the airline had a fleet of 5 Boeing 737-200 airplanes, 8 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 planes and 5 McDonnell Douglas DC-10
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
planes.
1996 also brought with it financial distress. The airline lost 1 billion FF
French franc
The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money...
($181 million) that year, and in 1997 British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
acquired 70% of the shareholding. At this time, British Airways
British Airways
British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...
brought Air Liberté together with TAT
TAT European Airlines
Transport Aérien Transrégional was a French regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Tours Val de Loire Airport in Tours. It was formed in 1968 as Touraine Air Transport by M. Marchais. Air France acquired a minority stake in the airline in 1989. Between 1993 and 1996 the company...
and inaugurated them under one management. Nouvelair
Nouvelair
Nouvelair Limited Company is a Tunisian airline with its registered office in Tunis, while its head office in the Dhkila Tourist Zone in Monastir, near the Hôtel Sahara Beach. The airline operates tourist charters from European cities to Tunisian holiday resorts...
was born out of Air Liberté's subsidiary in Tunisia, Air Liberté Tunisie.
On 25 March 2001 AOM French Airlines
AOM French Airlines
AOM French Airlines was the second largest airline in France from 1990 until 2001. Its head office was located in Building 363 at Orly Airport, Paray-Vieille-Poste.-History:...
changed its name to "Air Liberté." On 22 September 2001 Air Liberté and AOM French Airlines merged into Airlib.
Fleet
Air Liberté operated the following aircraft during operations:| Image | Aircraft | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300B4-622R | 2 | |
| Airbus A310-221 Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of... |
2 | |
| Airbus A310-324 Airbus A310 The Airbus A310 is a medium- to long-range twin-engine widebody jet airliner. Launched in July 1978, it was the second aircraft created by Airbus Industrie,a consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. the consortium of... |
1 | |
| ATR 42-300 | 7 | |
| ATR 72-202 | 3 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 3 | |
| Fokker 100 | 12 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 | 5 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 5 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 13 | |
| Total | 53 |