Cretan Airlines
Encyclopedia
Cretan Airlines was a short-lived airline based in Heraklion
, Greece
that operated from 1993
to 1995. It is not to be confused with Cretan Airways
, another airline based in Heraklion that
never started revenue flights.
businessmen active in the
tourist sector. Their aim was to run an airline for flying tourists to airports
nearby their hotels. Cretan was the first Greek
airline to operate Airbus
A320
aircraft that were leased from Adria Airways
.
Although the main business was charter flights, a route from Thessaloniki
to Athens
and Crete
was opened. Cretan also planned opening other domestic routes and a decision to
order the Dornier Do-328 was made. Unfortunately, load
factors during the winter months proved to be too low, thus incurring great
economic losses for the company. Therefore, its owners were forced to cease
operations in early 1995. At that time, the company had transported more
than 100.000 passengers and had a staff of approximately 250 people.
, Italy
and France
.
Heraklion
Heraklion, or Heraclion is the largest city and the administrative capital of the island of Crete, Greece. It is the 4th largest city in Greece....
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
that operated from 1993
to 1995. It is not to be confused with Cretan Airways
Cretan Airways
Cretan Airways was a planned airline to be based in Heraklion, Greece that never started revenue flights.It is not to be confused with the earlier Cretan Airlines, an airline also based in Heraklion that went bankruptin the mid 1990s.-Company history:...
, another airline based in Heraklion that
never started revenue flights.
Code data
- IATAInternational Air Transport AssociationThe International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
Code: C5 - ICAOInternational Civil Aviation OrganizationThe International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
Code: KRT - CallsignAirline codesThis is a list of airline codes. The table lists the IATA airline designators, the ICAO airline designators and the airline call signs...
: Cretan
History
Cretan Airlines was established in 1993 by CretanCrete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
businessmen active in the
tourist sector. Their aim was to run an airline for flying tourists to airports
nearby their hotels. Cretan was the first Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
airline to operate Airbus
Airbus
Airbus SAS is an aircraft manufacturing subsidiary of EADS, a European aerospace company. Based in Blagnac, France, surburb of Toulouse, and with significant activity across Europe, the company produces around half of the world's jet airliners....
A320
Airbus A320 family
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
aircraft that were leased from Adria Airways
Adria Airways
Adria Airways d.d. is the Slovenian national airline. Today, the majority of Adria Airways business is in scheduled flights. Adria operates to 16 cities throughout Europe this winter and offers excellent connections to South East Europe. It is a Star Alliance member since 2004 and a Lufthansa...
.
Although the main business was charter flights, a route from Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
to Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
was opened. Cretan also planned opening other domestic routes and a decision to
order the Dornier Do-328 was made. Unfortunately, load
factors during the winter months proved to be too low, thus incurring great
economic losses for the company. Therefore, its owners were forced to cease
operations in early 1995. At that time, the company had transported more
than 100.000 passengers and had a staff of approximately 250 people.
Services
Cretan Airlines operated scheduled services between Crete and cities in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and 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...
.
Fleet
The fleet of Cretan Airlines consisted of five Airbus A320 aircraft:- SX-BAS (S5-AAA)
- SX-BAT (S5-AAB)
- SX-BAU (S5-AAC)
- SX-BAX (N431LF,TC-ONG and N316DA)
- SX-