L'Avion
Encyclopedia
Elysair SAS, operating as L'Avion, was an airline
headquartered in Paray Vieille Poste, France, near Wissous
. It operated business class only long-haul services between Orly Airport, Paris and Newark Liberty International Airport
in the USA
.
The airline was successfully sold to British Airways
and has since merged with OpenSkies
an all business class airline also owned by British Airways
.
Founded by young French entrepreneur Frantz Yvelin and run by CEO Marc Rochet and Frantz Yvelin, L'Avion was the marketing name for Elysair. It had been created as Elysair but changed to use the marketing name "L'AVION" in late autumn 2006 after market research showed the new name tested well in the US and in France. L'Avion kept Elysair as its call sign and corporate name. The first flight was on 3 January 2007 from Paris to Newark
. Similar to the concept that was later used by Silverjet
, L'Avion offered a premium-only service on TransAtlantic routes. It used two Boeing 757-200
aircraft, maintained by Lufthansa Technik (and modified by Gamco in Abu Dhabi) with detailed engineering and on site supervision at Gamco by Northview Aviation. H4 Aerospace helped to undertake certification. The Aircraft were configured with a total of only 90 seats in a 2x2 configuration. The seating and service level was all Business class. It offered laptop power at every seat, French food and wine, and seats that reclined by 140 degrees. L'Avion featured "On-Demand" digEplayer XT individual units with a 7" screen.
The airline did have plans to expand to the Middle East
.
L'Avion was wholly owned by Société de Participation Aérienne (SPA) and had about 100 employees in 2008.
On July 2nd, 2008 British Airways
announced it had agreed to buy L'Avion for £54 million. The deal was completed in July 2008 and resulted in the full integration of L'Avion with OpenSkies
. Operations of the two airlines were merged on April 4th 2009, with the former now operating as OpenSkies, a wholly British Airways owned French airline subsidiary.
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...
headquartered in Paray Vieille Poste, France, near Wissous
Wissous
Wissous 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 Wissous are known as Wissoussiens.-History:...
. It operated business class only long-haul services between Orly Airport, Paris and Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport
Newark Liberty International Airport , first named Newark Metropolitan Airport and later Newark International Airport, is an international airport within the city limits of both Newark and Elizabeth, New Jersey, United States...
in the USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The airline was successfully sold to 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...
and has since merged with OpenSkies
OpenSkies
OpenSkies is a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways that began operations in June 2008. Originally OpenSkies was operated by BA European Limited but in April 2009 the name was transferred to Elysair . It is a full-service carrier and offers business class only cabins on board its...
an all business class airline also owned by 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...
.
Founded by young French entrepreneur Frantz Yvelin and run by CEO Marc Rochet and Frantz Yvelin, L'Avion was the marketing name for Elysair. It had been created as Elysair but changed to use the marketing name "L'AVION" in late autumn 2006 after market research showed the new name tested well in the US and in France. L'Avion kept Elysair as its call sign and corporate name. The first flight was on 3 January 2007 from Paris to Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
. Similar to the concept that was later used by Silverjet
Silverjet
Silverjet was a British all-business class airline headquartered at London Luton Airport, Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that, prior to the suspension of operations on 30 May 2008, operated services to Newark Liberty International Airport and Dubai International Airport...
, L'Avion offered a premium-only service on TransAtlantic routes. It used two Boeing 757-200
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
aircraft, maintained by Lufthansa Technik (and modified by Gamco in Abu Dhabi) with detailed engineering and on site supervision at Gamco by Northview Aviation. H4 Aerospace helped to undertake certification. The Aircraft were configured with a total of only 90 seats in a 2x2 configuration. The seating and service level was all Business class. It offered laptop power at every seat, French food and wine, and seats that reclined by 140 degrees. L'Avion featured "On-Demand" digEplayer XT individual units with a 7" screen.
The airline did have plans to expand to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
L'Avion was wholly owned by Société de Participation Aérienne (SPA) and had about 100 employees in 2008.
On July 2nd, 2008 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...
announced it had agreed to buy L'Avion for £54 million. The deal was completed in July 2008 and resulted in the full integration of L'Avion with OpenSkies
OpenSkies
OpenSkies is a fully owned subsidiary airline of British Airways that began operations in June 2008. Originally OpenSkies was operated by BA European Limited but in April 2009 the name was transferred to Elysair . It is a full-service carrier and offers business class only cabins on board its...
. Operations of the two airlines were merged on April 4th 2009, with the former now operating as OpenSkies, a wholly British Airways owned French airline subsidiary.