Flybaboo
Encyclopedia
Fly Baboo SA, marketed as Baboo, is a regional airline
based on the grounds of Geneva International Airport and in Grand-Saconnex
, Switzerland
. The airline's registered office is in Geneva
. A subsidiary of Lebanese Investment Group M1, it operates scheduled services within Europe
, as well as charter flights. Its main base is Geneva International Airport.
’ decision to abandon the Geneva-Lugano
route. The first flight to Lugano took place on November 3, 2003 with a Cirrus Airlines
aircraft. In May 2004 the airline obtained its Air Operator's Certificate
licence from the Federal Office for Civil Aviation of Switzerland(FOCA), allowing it to operate with its own aircraft - a 50-seat Dash 8-Q300 leased from the manufacturer, Bombardier Aerospace
.
Baboo was then able to acquire its own aircraft, two Dash 8-Q400 turboprops that formed the airline's fleet for the next 5 years.
Among the major developments, an equity increase amounting to 9.2 million Euros, which was subscribed in 2007, enabled the management to devise a sound growth strategy and to give the company a new dimension and corporate image.
The company also ordered three Embraer E190 regional jets, which were to be delivered from April 2008. The airline announced routes to Kiev
and St-Petersburg. By September 2008, the three aircraft had been delivered and Baboo announced new routes to Toulouse
, Bordeaux
, Athens
, Bucharest
and Zagreb
from Geneva. However, the airline encountered problems with its two previously-announced routes: its flights to St-Petersburg were blocked by Russian authorities, whereas its flights to Kiev did not prove popular enough; as a result, neither route ever operated.
At the end of 2009 Baboo posted a turnover of 73 million CHF. More than 1,300,000 passengers had been carried by that date. Baboo had invested time into securing codeshare agreements with TAROM
, Air France
-CityJet
, Alitalia
and Olympic Air
. The airline introduced flights to Milan
, Marseille
, London
and a seasonal ski route to Oxford
from Geneva in December 2009, but by June 2010 flights to Naples, Milan and Marseille had been stopped, and the Oxford service had been dropped from the airline's winter timetable.
In October 2010, Baboo announced it planned to return its three Embraer E190 aircraft to their lessors by the end of November 2010. On 25 November 2010, Darwin Airline
announced its plans to take over Baboo by early 2011. Under the plan, Darwin will acquire some assets of Baboo.
The Baboo fleet consists of the following aircraft (at 15 November 2010):
The Baboo fleet previously consisted of the following aircraft:
As of 15 November 2010, the average age of the Flybaboo fleet is 5.3 years.
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 on the grounds of Geneva International Airport and in Grand-Saconnex
Grand-Saconnex
Grand-Saconnex is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland.Several international organizations and permanent missions to the United Nations are located in Grand Saconnex...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The airline's registered office is in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
. A subsidiary of Lebanese Investment Group M1, it operates scheduled services within Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, as well as charter flights. Its main base is Geneva International Airport.
History
Baboo was founded by Julian Cook in August 2003 following SWISSSwiss International Air Lines
Swiss International Air Lines AG is the principal airline of Switzerland operating scheduled services in Europe and to North America, South America, Africa and Asia. Its main hub is Zurich Airport...
’ decision to abandon the Geneva-Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
route. The first flight to Lugano took place on November 3, 2003 with a Cirrus Airlines
Cirrus Airlines
Cirrus Airlines Luftfahrtgesellschaft mbH is an airline based in Saarbrücken, Germany. It operates both charter and scheduled flights, the latter on behalf of Lufthansa and Swiss International Air Lines. Its main base and hub is Saarbrücken Airport, Germany....
aircraft. In May 2004 the airline obtained its Air Operator's Certificate
Air Operator's Certificate
An air operator's certificate is the approval granted from a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public...
licence from the Federal Office for Civil Aviation of Switzerland(FOCA), allowing it to operate with its own aircraft - a 50-seat Dash 8-Q300 leased from the manufacturer, Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
.
Baboo was then able to acquire its own aircraft, two Dash 8-Q400 turboprops that formed the airline's fleet for the next 5 years.
Among the major developments, an equity increase amounting to 9.2 million Euros, which was subscribed in 2007, enabled the management to devise a sound growth strategy and to give the company a new dimension and corporate image.
The company also ordered three Embraer E190 regional jets, which were to be delivered from April 2008. The airline announced routes to Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and St-Petersburg. By September 2008, the three aircraft had been delivered and Baboo announced new routes to 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...
, Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
, 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...
, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
and Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
from Geneva. However, the airline encountered problems with its two previously-announced routes: its flights to St-Petersburg were blocked by Russian authorities, whereas its flights to Kiev did not prove popular enough; as a result, neither route ever operated.
At the end of 2009 Baboo posted a turnover of 73 million CHF. More than 1,300,000 passengers had been carried by that date. Baboo had invested time into securing codeshare agreements with TAROM
TAROM
S.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
, Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
-CityJet
Cityjet
CityJet Limited is an Irish regional airline headquartered in the Swords Business Campus in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It operates at London City Airport, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM...
, Alitalia
Alitalia
Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
and Olympic Air
Olympic Air
Olympic Air is the largest Greek airline by destinations served, formed from the privatisation of the former national carrier Olympic Airlines. Olympic Air commenced limited operations on 29 September 2009, after Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, with the official full-scale opening of the...
. The airline introduced flights to Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
, 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...
and a seasonal ski route to Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
from Geneva in December 2009, but by June 2010 flights to Naples, Milan and Marseille had been stopped, and the Oxford service had been dropped from the airline's winter timetable.
In October 2010, Baboo announced it planned to return its three Embraer E190 aircraft to their lessors by the end of November 2010. On 25 November 2010, Darwin Airline
Darwin Airline
Darwin Airline is a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Lugano Airport in Agno, Switzerland, near Lugano. It operates scheduled domestic services and international services to Italy, France and Spain. Its main base is Lugano Airport....
announced its plans to take over Baboo by early 2011. Under the plan, Darwin will acquire some assets of Baboo.
Destinations
Codeshare agreements
Baboo has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:- Air FranceAir FranceAir France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
- AlitaliaAlitaliaAlitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. , in its later stages known as Alitalia - Linee Aeree Italiane S.p.A. in Extraordinary Administration, was the former Italian flag carrier...
- Olympic AirOlympic AirOlympic Air is the largest Greek airline by destinations served, formed from the privatisation of the former national carrier Olympic Airlines. Olympic Air commenced limited operations on 29 September 2009, after Olympic Airlines ceased all operations, with the official full-scale opening of the...
- TAROMTAROMS.C. Compania Națională de Transporturi Aeriene Române TAROM S.A., doing business as TAROM Romanian Air Transport, is the flag carrier and oldest currently operating airline of Romania. The brand name is an acronym for...
Fleet
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Seats (Economy) |
|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 | 2 | 74 |
| Total | 2 | - |
The Baboo fleet previously consisted of the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Number | Retired In |
|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 | 3 | 2008 |
| Embraer ERJ 135 | 1 | 2004 |
| Embraer E-190 | 3 | 2010 |
| Total | 7 |
As of 15 November 2010, the average age of the Flybaboo fleet is 5.3 years.