European Aviation Air Charter
Encyclopedia
European Aviation Air Charter was an airline
based in Bournemouth
, United Kingdom
. It operated ad hoc charter services, VIP flights, and inclusive-tour and sub-charter flights, as well as ACMI wet lease
s for other airlines. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport
. The company went into administration on Tuesday 2 December 2008.
European Aviation Air Charter Limited held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence. It was permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
, the boss of European Aviation Air Charter, saw a gap in the market for an ad-hoc charter airline. The aircraft used at first were rather old BAC-111 jets, which had been first built during the 1960s. The aircraft were flown over from Australia
, as their previous owner was the Royal Australian Air Force
. European Aviation was initially based in the building where the British Aircraft Corporation
used to make aircraft such as the Vickers Viscount
and, coincidentally, the BAC-111s that the airline was operating. European Air Charter has flown from Bournemouth Airport
since its beginning, making the airport a hub for the airline. The airline was profitable, so the company expanded its operation into other areas such as flight crew training, maintenance
for other operators and leasing and selling aircraft.
In 1993, the company directors took the decision of changing European Aviation's name to European Aviation Air Charter, or EAC for short. That same year, twenty other BAC-111s were bought from British Airways
. This meant the airline could include tour groups among its charter clients. By then the airline also acquired but never operated the far newer Airbus A300
, as well as Boeing 737
s. By 1997 European had acquired one Boeing 727
airliner ex OK-TGX as well.
European Air Charter asked for permission to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport
in New York
, Chicago
and other US
and Canadian
destinations in 2001. Due to the volume of passengers the airline projected to transport on each flight to North America
, Boeing 747
s were bought, once again from British Airways. A total of six former British Airways aircraft of that type entered service with the airline after the permits were granted. Although black
and silver
became prevalent colors in the airline's livery after operating with a standard (for European Aviation) red
and white
livery, the airline reminded some of Braniff
because, after the 747s arrived, the airline's livery also featured lines that crossed both their airplanes' fuselages and engines. The colors used for that line included pink
, blue
, yellow
, red and others. European Air Charter has formed an association with Palmair
, which used to fly over passengers to Bournemouth so they could board the European Air Charter jets to North America.
However, in 2004, EAC started losing money. Paul Stoddart resumed control of EAC and went about cost-cutting, this involved selling or scrapping the Boeing 747s, selling some Boeing 737-200
s and disposing of the rest of the fleet. Currently, EAC has 10 Boeing 737-200s, 1 is used for Palmair, and 4 are used by ozjet
with their own registrations.
In May 2008 it was announced that Paul Stoddart had sold his stake in OzJet
to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines
, and the 4 B737-200s which were in European's fleet were handed over in the process.
The airline was wholly owned by Paul Stoddart and had 270 employees (at March 2007).
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...
based in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It operated ad hoc charter services, VIP flights, and inclusive-tour and sub-charter flights, as well as ACMI wet lease
Wet lease
Aircraft leases are a number of types of leases used by airlines and other aircraft operators. Airlines lease aircraft from other airlines or leasing companies for two main reasons; to operate aircraft without the financial burden of buying them, and to provide temporary increase in capacity...
s for other airlines. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
. The company went into administration on Tuesday 2 December 2008.
European Aviation Air Charter Limited held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence. It was permitted to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
History
European Aviation Air Charter began in 1989, as European Aviation. Paul StoddartPaul Stoddart
Paul Stoddart, born 26 May 1955, is an Australian millionaire airline magnate, and former owner of the Minardi Formula One racing team. He later took the Minardi brand into the Champ Car World Series after his purchase of a portion of CTE-HVM Racing which he renamed Minardi Team USA for 2007.-Early...
, the boss of European Aviation Air Charter, saw a gap in the market for an ad-hoc charter airline. The aircraft used at first were rather old BAC-111 jets, which had been first built during the 1960s. The aircraft were flown over from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, as their previous owner was the Royal Australian Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
. European Aviation was initially based in the building where the British Aircraft Corporation
British Aircraft Corporation
The British Aircraft Corporation was a British aircraft manufacturer formed from the government-pressured merger of English Electric Aviation Ltd., Vickers-Armstrongs , the Bristol Aeroplane Company and Hunting Aircraft in 1960. Bristol, English Electric and Vickers became "parents" of BAC with...
used to make aircraft such as the Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
and, coincidentally, the BAC-111s that the airline was operating. European Air Charter has flown from Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport
Bournemouth Airport is an airport located north-northeast of Bournemouth, in southern England...
since its beginning, making the airport a hub for the airline. The airline was profitable, so the company expanded its operation into other areas such as flight crew training, maintenance
Maintenance, Repair and Operations
Maintenance, repair, and operations or maintenance, repair, and overhaul involves fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it become out of order or broken...
for other operators and leasing and selling aircraft.
In 1993, the company directors took the decision of changing European Aviation's name to European Aviation Air Charter, or EAC for short. That same year, twenty other BAC-111s were bought from 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...
. This meant the airline could include tour groups among its charter clients. By then the airline also acquired but never operated the far newer Airbus A300
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
, as well as Boeing 737
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s. By 1997 European had acquired one Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
airliner ex OK-TGX as well.
European Air Charter asked for permission to land at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and other US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
destinations in 2001. Due to the volume of passengers the airline projected to transport on each flight to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
s were bought, once again from British Airways. A total of six former British Airways aircraft of that type entered service with the airline after the permits were granted. Although black
Black
Black is the color of objects that do not emit or reflect light in any part of the visible spectrum; they absorb all such frequencies of light...
and silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
became prevalent colors in the airline's livery after operating with a standard (for European Aviation) red
Red
Red is any of a number of similar colors evoked by light consisting predominantly of the longest wavelengths of light discernible by the human eye, in the wavelength range of roughly 630–740 nm. Longer wavelengths than this are called infrared , and cannot be seen by the naked eye...
and white
White
White is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light that stimulates all three types of color sensitive cone cells in the human eye in nearly equal amounts and with high brightness compared to the surroundings. A white visual stimulation will be void of hue and grayness.White light can be...
livery, the airline reminded some of Braniff
Braniff International Airways
Braniff International Airways was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982, primarily in the midwestern and southwestern U.S., South America, Panama, and in its later years also Asia and Europe...
because, after the 747s arrived, the airline's livery also featured lines that crossed both their airplanes' fuselages and engines. The colors used for that line included pink
Pink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
, blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
, yellow
Yellow
Yellow is the color evoked by light that stimulates both the L and M cone cells of the retina about equally, with no significant stimulation of the S cone cells. Light with a wavelength of 570–590 nm is yellow, as is light with a suitable mixture of red and green...
, red and others. European Air Charter has formed an association with Palmair
Palmair
Palmair was a British tour operator with its head office in the Space House in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. Palmair offered charter and scheduled flights on behalf of Bath Travel. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport...
, which used to fly over passengers to Bournemouth so they could board the European Air Charter jets to North America.
However, in 2004, EAC started losing money. Paul Stoddart resumed control of EAC and went about cost-cutting, this involved selling or scrapping the Boeing 747s, selling some Boeing 737-200
Boeing 737
The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...
s and disposing of the rest of the fleet. Currently, EAC has 10 Boeing 737-200s, 1 is used for Palmair, and 4 are used by ozjet
OzJet
Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd was a scheduled and charter airline with its head office in Tullamarine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating within Australasia from Melbourne Airport, Sydney Airport and Perth Airport. In 2008 the airline was sold to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, and on 20 May 2009 it...
with their own registrations.
In May 2008 it was announced that Paul Stoddart had sold his stake in OzJet
OzJet
Ozjet Airlines Pty Ltd was a scheduled and charter airline with its head office in Tullamarine, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, operating within Australasia from Melbourne Airport, Sydney Airport and Perth Airport. In 2008 the airline was sold to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines, and on 20 May 2009 it...
to HeavyLift Cargo Airlines
Heavylift Cargo Airlines
For the former UK Cargo Airline see: Air Foyle HeavyLiftHeavylift Cargo Airlines Pty Ltd is a cargo airline headquartered in Sydney, Australia. It started operations in 2004 and operates scheduled and charter cargo services. Its main base is Brisbane Airport...
, and the 4 B737-200s which were in European's fleet were handed over in the process.
The airline was wholly owned by Paul Stoddart and had 270 employees (at March 2007).
Fleet
The European Aviation Air Charter fleet consisted of the following aircraft at the time of collapse:- 6 Boeing 737-200 (one aircraft is wet leased to PalmairPalmairPalmair was a British tour operator with its head office in the Space House in Bournemouth, United Kingdom. Palmair offered charter and scheduled flights on behalf of Bath Travel. Its main base was Bournemouth Airport...
) as of 2008-07-01