Air Nostrum
Encyclopedia
S.A. (corporation)
S.A. designates a particular type of corporation in various countries, mostly those employing the civil law. It originated in Spain during the 16th century. Depending on language, the abbreviation stands for various phrases meaning anonymous society, anonymous company, anonymous partnership, or...
, also known as Iberia Regional, is a regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
based in Valencia
Valencia (city in Spain)
Valencia or València is the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third largest city in Spain, with a population of 809,267 in 2010. It is the 15th-most populous municipality in the European Union...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Air Nostrum is an independent carrier which operates as a franchisee of Iberia Airlines
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
. Iberia Regional franchise is a regional partner of Iberia and an affiliate member of the Oneworld
Oneworld
Oneworld , branded as oneworld, is one of the world's three largest global airline alliances with its central management team, oneworld Management Company, based in New York City, New York, USA. Oneworld was founded in 1999 by American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines, Cathay Pacific...
airline alliance. Air Nostrum operates an extensive network of 91 domestic and international routes to 51 destinations, as well as charter flights. Its main base is Valencia Airport
Valencia Airport
Valencia Airport in Manises , also known as Manises Airport, is the 8th busiest Spanish airport in terms of passengers and second in the region after Alicante. It is situated west of the city of Valencia. The airport has flight connections to about 15 European countries and 4.9 million passengers...
, with hubs at Barcelona Airport and Madrid-Barajas Airport.
History
The airline was established on 23 May 1994 and started operations on December 15. It was founded as Líneas Aéreas del Mediterraneo/Air Nostrum in Valencia. In May 1997, Air Nostrum signed an agreement with IberiaIberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
to become an Iberia franchise. It acquired Iberia subsidiary Binter Mediterraneo
Binter Mediterraneo
Binter Mediterraneo was a Spanish airline with its head office in the Domestic Departures area of Malaga Airport in Malaga, Spain. , the airline was created in 1988 in the likeness of Binter Canarias, another a subsidiary of Iberia LAE...
and absorbed its operations. Following Iberia
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
's merger with Aviaco
Aviaco
Aviación y Comercio, S.A., was a Spanish airline incorporated on February 18, 1948. It was founded when the National Institute of Industry proposed that the national carrier of Spain, Iberia, could not meet the domestic demand. This had been caused by the heavy commitment of Iberia to the lucrative...
in 1999 additional domestic and international services were taken over by Air Nostrum. It acquired Dutch airline Denim Air
Denim Air
Denim Air B.V. is a charter airline based in Mijdrecht, the Netherlands. It provides ACMI wet lease services to other airlines. Its main base is Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.It is wholly owned by Panta Holdings and had 242 employees ....
in 1999, but disposed of any interest in the company in 2002. Air Nostrum is owned by Nefinsa (74.8%), Caja Duero (22.2%) and Air Nostrum management (3%) and has 2,040 employees (in March 2007).
Services
Air Nostrum offers a comprehensive meal service on all scheduled flights. However, since early 2008, the airline no longer offers a single 'regional business class' cabin. The cabin is now split into separate business and economy sections along the lines of other major airlines. Economy passengers still receive a complimentary snack suitable to the time of day, but of reduced quantity and, arguably, quality than previously.Fleet
As of November 2011, the Air Nostrum fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 9 years:| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-500 | 5 | 0 | 68 |
| ATR 72-600 | 0 | 10 | 70 |
| Bombardier CRJ200 Bombardier CRJ200 The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:... |
35 | 0 | 50 |
| Bombardier CRJ900 | 11 | 9 | 90 |
| Bombardier CRJ1000 | 7 | 28 | 100 |
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 | 3 | 0 | 50 |
| Total | 61 | 47 |
Incidents and accidents
- On 17 January 2003, an Air Nostrum Fokker 50 overran the runway at Melilla AirportMelilla AirportMelilla Airport is an airport located southwest Melilla, Spain . The airport is located near the border with Morocco. The airport was opened in 1969.-Airlines and destinations:- Incidents and accidents :...
and crashed into the perimeter fence resulting in the aircraft spliting into two major parts. Nine passengers were injured. - On 24 January 2006, Air Nostrum flight IB 8665 from ValladolidValladolidValladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
made a belly landingBelly landingA belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device...
at El Prat Airport. Two of the forty passengers sustained minor injuries while disembarking from the aircraft, a Bombardier CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
with registration EC-IBM. The cause was determined by the Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil to be pilot error. - On 23 January 2007 Air Nostrum flight IB 8041 from PamplonaPamplonaPamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
to Barcelona had to make an emergency landing at El Prat Airport after reporting problems with the front undercarriage of the plane, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q300. Nobody was injured.