Spanair
Encyclopedia
Spanair is a Spanish airline
, with its head office in the Spanair Building in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
, near Barcelona
. It was, until 2009, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, which now holds slightly under 20% of the company. Spanair provides a scheduled passenger network within Spain and Europe
, with an extension to West Africa
. Worldwide charters are also flown for tour companies. Its main hub is El Prat Airport in Barcelona, with focus cities at Barajas Airport in Madrid
and Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma de Mallorca
. The airline has 3,161 employees. On 25 January 2011, the company was in an "Emergency Financial Situation". The Catalonian government approved a €10.5 million loan plan in order to save it. Revenue has since improved and the company has been cutting costs; so far it has not required the further injection of €9.5 million lined up by the government.
, Mexico
and the Dominican Republic
were launched in 1991, followed by domestic scheduled flights in March 1994. The airline flew long-haul flights with Boeing 767-300ER
aircraft to Washington
and Buenos Aires
in the late 1990s. Spanair joined Star Alliance
on 1 May 2003.
The company was owned 94% by the SAS Group Scandinavian Airlines Systems. SAS Group
announced in a press release 13 June 2007 that it would sell its shares in Spanair. The divestment was canceled on 19 June 2008 due to SAS not being able to sell for a price that it considered to "reflect the underlying value in Spanair". On 30 January 2009, however, a one euro bid from group of investors from Catalonia, led by the Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives, was later accepted, whereupon SAS became a minority shareholder.
A report in The Times
on the day of the Madrid crash suggests that staff were threatening strike action due to concerns about the company's viability.
In 2009 the airline asked for public input on a new logo, with a winner being officially confirmed on 13 May 2009.
As of June 2009, Spanair has begun applying the new corporate identity to their aircraft.
Spanair has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of October 2010, * indicate as Star Alliance
.
service offering food and drinks for purchase.
As in November 2011, the average age for the Spanair fleet is 12.1 years.
The airline announced on 19 August 2009 that it intends to replace 11 McDonnell Douglas
jets in its fleet with new Airbus planes in 2010.
, near Barcelona
.
Previously Spanair's head office was in the Spanair Building on the grounds of Palma de Mallorca Airport
in Palma de Mallorca
. In 2008, during the changes in ownership, Spanair said that its head office would remain in Palma de Mallorca, despite rumors that the company would relocate its head office to Barcelona.
In 2009 the company announced that it planned to relocate its corporate offices to Barcelona. In May 2009 Spanair made Barcelona its registered domicile. The airline began to search for a site for the Spanair headquarters in Barcelona. In June of that year around 200 employees protested outside of the Spanair offices in Palma, saying that the timetable to move the offices was too hasty.
, a Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft, flight number JK 5022
, crashed with 165 passengers and nine crew members on board moments after takeoff at Madrid's Barajas Airport on a scheduled flight to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
. 18 of the 172 on board survived. Initially 19 people survived, but one person died in hospital three days after the crash.
The initial investigation reports no deployment of flaps with failures in the take-off configuration warning system.
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...
, with its head office in the Spanair Building in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or briefly L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Catalonia by population...
, near Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. It was, until 2009, a subsidiary of Scandinavian Airlines, which now holds slightly under 20% of the company. Spanair provides a scheduled passenger network within Spain and 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...
, with an extension to West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
. Worldwide charters are also flown for tour companies. Its main hub is El Prat Airport in Barcelona, with focus cities at Barajas Airport in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
. The airline has 3,161 employees. On 25 January 2011, the company was in an "Emergency Financial Situation". The Catalonian government approved a €10.5 million loan plan in order to save it. Revenue has since improved and the company has been cutting costs; so far it has not required the further injection of €9.5 million lined up by the government.
History
The airline was established in December 1986 and began operations in March 1988. It was set up as a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines and Viajes Marsans, and began operations with European charters. Long-haul flights to the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
were launched in 1991, followed by domestic scheduled flights in March 1994. The airline flew long-haul flights with Boeing 767-300ER
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
aircraft to Washington
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
in the late 1990s. Spanair joined Star Alliance
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
on 1 May 2003.
The company was owned 94% by the SAS Group Scandinavian Airlines Systems. SAS Group
SAS Group
Scandinavian Airlines System Aktiebolag , trading as SAS Group and SAS AB, is a holding company based in Solna, Sweden. It is the parent company of the airlines Scandinavian Airlines, Blue1 and Widerøe, and the aviation services companies SAS Business Opportunities, SAS Cargo Group, SAS Ground...
announced in a press release 13 June 2007 that it would sell its shares in Spanair. The divestment was canceled on 19 June 2008 due to SAS not being able to sell for a price that it considered to "reflect the underlying value in Spanair". On 30 January 2009, however, a one euro bid from group of investors from Catalonia, led by the Consorci de Turisme de Barcelona and Catalana d'Inciatives, was later accepted, whereupon SAS became a minority shareholder.
A report in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
on the day of the Madrid crash suggests that staff were threatening strike action due to concerns about the company's viability.
In 2009 the airline asked for public input on a new logo, with a winner being officially confirmed on 13 May 2009.
As of June 2009, Spanair has begun applying the new corporate identity to their aircraft.
Codeshare agreements
Star Alliance
Star Alliance is the world's first and largest airline alliance, headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany . The alliance was founded in 1997 by five of the world's leading airlines: Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Thai Airways International and United Airlines...
.
|
Continental Airlines Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc... * Croatia Airlines Croatia Airlines d.d. is the national airline and flag carrier of the Republic of Croatia. Based in Buzin, Zagreb, the airline is a member of Star Alliance and operates domestic and international services. Its main base is Zagreb Airport, with focus cities being Dubrovnik and Split... * EgyptAir EgyptAir is the flag carrier airline of Egypt and a member of Star Alliance. The airline is based at Cairo International Airport, its main hub, operating scheduled passenger and freight services to more than 75 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas... * Estonian Air AS Estonian Air is Estonia's national carrier, owned by the Estonian state. The airline is based in Tallinn, Estonia. It is a regional airline feeding into the Scandinavian Airlines System network via Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen from Estonia.... Lufthansa Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating... * LOT Polish Airlines Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. , trading as LOT Polish Airlines, is the flag carrier of Poland. Based in Warsaw, LOT was established in 1929, making it one of the world's oldest airlines still in operation. Using a fleet of 55 aircraft, LOT operates a complex network to 60 destinations in Europe,... * |
Singapore Airlines Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets... * Swiss 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... * TAP Portugal TAP Portugal, commonly known as TAP, is the national airline of Portugal. It has its head office in Building 25 on the grounds of Portela Airport in Lisbon, and has been a member of the Star Alliance since 14 March 2005, the same day on which the company celebrated its 60th anniversary... * Thai Airways International Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a... * Turkish Airlines Turkish Airlines is the national flag carrier airline of Turkey, headquartered in the Turkish Airlines General Management Building on the grounds of Atatürk Airport in Yeşilköy, Bakirköy district, Istanbul... * US Airways US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country.... * |
On-board service
For economy-class passengers traveling within Western Europe the airline offers a buy on boardBuy on board
In commercial flight, buy on board is a system where food or beverages are paid for on board; often food or beverages are not included in the ticket price for certain fare classes....
service offering food and drinks for purchase.
Fleet
The Spanair fleet consists of the following aircraft in November 2011.| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | |||
| Airbus A320-200 | 19 | 48 — |
108 180 |
156 180 |
flexible two-class layout |
| Airbus A321-200 | 5 | — | 212 | 212 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 1 | 68 — |
85 170 |
153 170 |
Flexible two-class layout Exit from service: 2012 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 3 | ||||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-87 | 1 | — | 125 | 125 | Flexible two-class layout Exit from service: 2012 |
| Total | 29 | ||||
As in November 2011, the average age for the Spanair fleet is 12.1 years.
The airline announced on 19 August 2009 that it intends to replace 11 McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
jets in its fleet with new Airbus planes in 2010.
Head office
Spanair's head office is now in the Spanair Building (Edifici Spanair) in L'Hospitalet de LlobregatL'Hospitalet de Llobregat
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or briefly L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Catalonia by population...
, near Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
.
Previously Spanair's head office was in the Spanair Building on the grounds of Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport
Palma de Mallorca Airport is an airport located east of Palma, Majorca, adjacent to the village of Can Pastilla. Also known as Son Sant Joan Airport or Aeroport de Son Sant Joan, it is the third largest airport in Spain, after Madrid's Barajas Airport and Barcelona Airport...
in Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
. In 2008, during the changes in ownership, Spanair said that its head office would remain in Palma de Mallorca, despite rumors that the company would relocate its head office to Barcelona.
In 2009 the company announced that it planned to relocate its corporate offices to Barcelona. In May 2009 Spanair made Barcelona its registered domicile. The airline began to search for a site for the Spanair headquarters in Barcelona. In June of that year around 200 employees protested outside of the Spanair offices in Palma, saying that the timetable to move the offices was too hasty.
Incidents and Accidents
On 20 August 2008 at 14:45 CESTCentral European Summer Time
Central European Summer Time is one of the names of the Daylight saving time offset using the UTC offset of UTC+02:00, 2 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used as a summer daylight saving time in most European countries. During the winter, Central European Time is used...
, a Spanair McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft, flight number JK 5022
Spanair Flight 5022
Spanair Flight JK 5022, from Barajas Airport in Madrid to Gran Canaria Airport in Gran Canaria, Spain, crashed just after take off from runway 36L of Barajas Airport at 14:24 CEST on 20 August 2008. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registration EC-HFP...
, crashed with 165 passengers and nine crew members on board moments after takeoff at Madrid's Barajas Airport on a scheduled flight to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria commonly known as Las Palmas is the political capital, jointly with Santa Cruz, the most populous city in the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands and the ninth largest city in Spain, with a population of 383,308 in 2010. Nearly half of the people of the island...
. 18 of the 172 on board survived. Initially 19 people survived, but one person died in hospital three days after the crash.
The initial investigation reports no deployment of flaps with failures in the take-off configuration warning system.
See also
- List of airlines of Spain
- List of airports in Spain
- List of companies of Spain
- Transport in SpainTransport in SpainTransportation in Spain is characterized by an extensive network of roads, railways, rapid transit, air routes, and ports. Its geographic location makes it an important link between Europe, Africa, and the New World...
External links
- Spanair /
- Spanair mobile version
- SAS Group
- Spanair MD-82 crash - August 20th 2008 - Investigation and photos