TAT European Airlines
Encyclopedia
Transport Aérien Transrégional was a French regional airline
with its head office on the grounds of Tours Val de Loire Airport in Tours
. It was formed in 1968 as Touraine Air Transport (TAT) by M. Marchais. Air France
acquired a minority stake in the airline in 1989. Between 1993 and 1996 the company was gradually taken over by British Airways
. It subsequently merged with Air Liberté
. The merged entity
was sold on to the SAir Group
in 2001, which in turn merged it with AOM
.
TAT commenced scheduled operations in 1968.
During the 1970s TAT began building up a comprehensive network of regional, short-haul domestic and international scheduled routes, as a result of being taken over in 1973 by Société Auxiliare de Services et Materiel Aéronautiques (SASMAT), the owner of rival French regional airline Rousseau Aviation, as well as the subsequent mergers with regional rivals Taxi Avia France and Air Paris. The resulting regional network served 30 provincial points in France and neighbouring Europe
an countries from Paris Orly, Lyons Satolas, Lille
and St. Brieuc, respectively.
Many of TAT's French domestic routes were operated in collaboration with Air Inter
, at the time the dominant domestic scheduled airline in France as well as the largest domestic airline in Europe. Most international routes were operated in conjunction with Air France, the primary French flag carrier
at the time. Year-round services linking Lille
with London Heathrow as well as Strasbourg
with Milan Linate and a seasonal Béziers
-London Gatwick service were among the international routes TAT operated during that time.
All joint operations with Air Inter and Air France were operated under those airlines' flight numbers and were prefixed with those carriers' two-letter airline identification codes as allocated by IATA
, i.e. IT for Air Inter and AF for Air France. The aircraft used on all year-round international operations under contract to Air France wore that airline's full aircraft livery
.
From the late 1970s until the early 1980s, TAT used to operate a scheduled German internal route linking Saarbrücken
with Berlin Tegel. This route was operated on behalf of TAT Export, a wholly owned subsidiary.
The airline also started an express delivery services company in 1976 which still exists as of 2007.
During the early 1980s TAT acquired regional rivals Air Alpes
and Air Alsace. As a result of these mergers, the airline established itself as France's largest regional airline as well as the leading regional partner of Air France. It also resulted in an expanded network covering more than 50 points throughout France and Europe. TAT changed its official name to Transport Aérien Transrégional in 1984 to reflect the growth in its scheduled route network.
In July 1989 Air France acquired a 35% stake in TAT. (At that time TAT was the fourth-largest French airline [after Air France, Air Inter and UTA].)
In the early 1990s TAT began taking advantage of the EU
's newly liberalised internal air transport market by launching a three times daily scheduled service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick, the first time it had operated a scheduled service on a major international European trunk route. This was also the time TAT began marketing itself as TAT European Airlines.
In January 1993 British Airways acquired a 49.9% stake in TAT.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html From then on TAT began operating all international scheduled services in British Airways colours and under BA
flight numbers. TAT also joined the British Airways Executive Club frequent flier programme at that time. The change in ownership furthermore resulted in the launch of two new international routes linking Lyon
and Marseille
with London Gatwick from the start of the 1993 summer timetable period. TAT's subsequent launch of three daily return flights between Paris Orly and London Heathrow complemented British Airways' own thrice daily Heathrow-Orly service. This enabled British Airways to circumvent the slot restrictions the slot co-ordinator for the airports in the Paris region had imposed on Orly's non-resident airline users, which limited each of these airlines to holding a maximum of four daily pairs of slots, and to offer up to six daily round-trips on that route. As a result of these developments, Air France ended all commercial co-operation with TAT.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
In August 1996 British Airways acquired the remaining 50.1% of TAT's share capital
, thus acquiring 100% ownership.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
In 1997 British Airways brought TAT under joint management control with Air Liberté, in which it had acquired a controlling stake in October 1996.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
British Airways subsequently merged TAT into Air Liberté to achieve a significant reduction in cost
s and greater operational synergies
. The UK flag
carrier eventually disposed of the merged entity in May 2001 to rid itself of years of heavy loss
es and difficult labour relations at its French subsidiaries.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
-engined commuter airliners as well as regional turboprop
and jet aircraft
, including the following main types:
to Brest
crashed on take-off from Nantes Airport due to the failure of the aircraft's no. 2 engine, as a result of which it caught fire. The aircraft came down on a near-by railway line. All eight occupants, including both pilot
s and six passengers were killed in this accident.
The second fatal accident occurred on 4 March 1988. It involved one of the company's Fairchild-Hiller FH227Bs (registration F-GCPS) operating an early morning scheduled service from Nancy to Paris Orly. An electrical system malfunction during the start of the aircraft's descent on the final portion of its flight to Paris Orly resulted in a sudden loss of control. This in turn caused the aircraft to descend very rapidly. It struck power line
s and crashed near Fontainebleau
, killing all 23 occupants (two pilots, one flight attendant
and 20 passengers). This accident constituted the firm's worst air disaster in terms of loss of life.
On 4 September 1983 a Beech 99 (registration F-BUYG) was damaged beyond repair following a crash at Tours. There were no reported injuries among the aircraft's occupants.
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
with its head office on the grounds of Tours Val de Loire Airport in Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
. It was formed in 1968 as Touraine Air Transport (TAT) by M. Marchais. 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...
acquired a minority stake in the airline in 1989. Between 1993 and 1996 the company was gradually taken over 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...
. It subsequently merged with Air Liberté
Air Liberté
Air Liberté was an airline in France founded in July 1987. Air Liberté was headquartered in Rungis. Airlib was headquartered in Orly Airport Building 363 in Paray-Vieille-Poste....
. The merged entity
Entity
An entity is something that has a distinct, separate existence, although it need not be a material existence. In particular, abstractions and legal fictions are usually regarded as entities. In general, there is also no presumption that an entity is animate.An entity could be viewed as a set...
was sold on to the SAir Group
Swissair
Swissair AG was the former national airline of Switzerland.It was formed from a merger between Balair and Ad Astra Aero , in 1931...
in 2001, which in turn merged it with AOM
AOM French Airlines
AOM French Airlines was the second largest airline in France from 1990 until 2001. Its head office was located in Building 363 at Orly Airport, Paray-Vieille-Poste.-History:...
.
History
During the 1970s TAT began building up a comprehensive network of regional, short-haul domestic and international scheduled routes, as a result of being taken over in 1973 by Société Auxiliare de Services et Materiel Aéronautiques (SASMAT), the owner of rival French regional airline Rousseau Aviation, as well as the subsequent mergers with regional rivals Taxi Avia France and Air Paris. The resulting regional network served 30 provincial points in France and neighbouring 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...
an countries from Paris Orly, Lyons Satolas, Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
and St. Brieuc, respectively.
Many of TAT's French domestic routes were operated in collaboration with Air Inter
Air Inter
Air Inter was a semi-public French domestic airline. Before its merger with Air France, the airline was headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne. Earlier in its life, it was headquartered in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.Air Inter was incorporated on 12 November 1954...
, at the time the dominant domestic scheduled airline in France as well as the largest domestic airline in Europe. Most international routes were operated in conjunction with Air France, the primary French flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
at the time. Year-round services linking Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
with London Heathrow as well as Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
with Milan Linate and a seasonal Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
-London Gatwick service were among the international routes TAT operated during that time.
All joint operations with Air Inter and Air France were operated under those airlines' flight numbers and were prefixed with those carriers' two-letter airline identification codes as allocated by IATA
International Air Transport Association
The 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...
, i.e. IT for Air Inter and AF for Air France. The aircraft used on all year-round international operations under contract to Air France wore that airline's full aircraft livery
Aircraft livery
Aircraft livery is a paint scheme applied to an aircraft, generally to fuselage, wings, empennage , or jet engines. Most airlines have a standard paint scheme for their aircraft fleet, usually prominently displaying the airline logo or name. From time to time special liveries are introduced, for...
.
From the late 1970s until the early 1980s, TAT used to operate a scheduled German internal route linking Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken
Saarbrücken is the capital of the state of Saarland in Germany. The city is situated at the heart of a metropolitan area that borders on the west on Dillingen and to the north-east on Neunkirchen, where most of the people of the Saarland live....
with Berlin Tegel. This route was operated on behalf of TAT Export, a wholly owned subsidiary.
The airline also started an express delivery services company in 1976 which still exists as of 2007.
During the early 1980s TAT acquired regional rivals Air Alpes
Air Alpes
Société Air Alpes was a French airline company headquartered in Chambéry Airport and in Viviers-du-Lac, Savoie, near Chambéry. Established in 1961 by Michel Ziegler, the airline's history began in the French Alps.-Creation:...
and Air Alsace. As a result of these mergers, the airline established itself as France's largest regional airline as well as the leading regional partner of Air France. It also resulted in an expanded network covering more than 50 points throughout France and Europe. TAT changed its official name to Transport Aérien Transrégional in 1984 to reflect the growth in its scheduled route network.
In July 1989 Air France acquired a 35% stake in TAT. (At that time TAT was the fourth-largest French airline [after Air France, Air Inter and UTA].)
In the early 1990s TAT began taking advantage of the EU
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's newly liberalised internal air transport market by launching a three times daily scheduled service between Paris Charles de Gaulle and London Gatwick, the first time it had operated a scheduled service on a major international European trunk route. This was also the time TAT began marketing itself as TAT European Airlines.
In January 1993 British Airways acquired a 49.9% stake in TAT.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html From then on TAT began operating all international scheduled services in British Airways colours and under BA
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...
flight numbers. TAT also joined the British Airways Executive Club frequent flier programme at that time. The change in ownership furthermore resulted in the launch of two new international routes linking Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
and 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...
with London Gatwick from the start of the 1993 summer timetable period. TAT's subsequent launch of three daily return flights between Paris Orly and London Heathrow complemented British Airways' own thrice daily Heathrow-Orly service. This enabled British Airways to circumvent the slot restrictions the slot co-ordinator for the airports in the Paris region had imposed on Orly's non-resident airline users, which limited each of these airlines to holding a maximum of four daily pairs of slots, and to offer up to six daily round-trips on that route. As a result of these developments, Air France ended all commercial co-operation with TAT.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
In August 1996 British Airways acquired the remaining 50.1% of TAT's share capital
Share capital
Share capital or issued capital or capital stock refers to the portion of a company's equity that has been obtained by trading stock to a shareholder for cash or an equivalent item of capital value...
, thus acquiring 100% ownership.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
In 1997 British Airways brought TAT under joint management control with Air Liberté, in which it had acquired a controlling stake in October 1996.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
British Airways subsequently merged TAT into Air Liberté to achieve a significant reduction in cost
Cost
In production, research, retail, and accounting, a cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in which case the amount of money expended to acquire it is counted as cost. In this...
s and greater operational synergies
Synergy
Synergy may be defined as two or more things functioning together to produce a result not independently obtainable.The term synergy comes from the Greek word from , , meaning "working together".-Definitions and usages:...
. The UK flag
Flag
A flag is a piece of fabric with a distinctive design that is usually rectangular and used as a symbol, as a signaling device, or decoration. The term flag is also used to refer to the graphic design employed by a flag, or to its depiction in another medium.The first flags were used to assist...
carrier eventually disposed of the merged entity in May 2001 to rid itself of years of heavy loss
Income statement
Income statement is a company's financial statement that indicates how the revenue Income statement (also referred to as profit and loss statement (P&L), statement of financial performance, earnings statement, operating statement or statement of operations) is a company's financial statement that...
es and difficult labour relations at its French subsidiaries.http://www.bamuseum.com/museumhistory90.html
Aircraft types operated
Throughout its existence TAT operated a variety of pistonPiston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tight by piston rings. In an engine, its purpose is to transfer force from...
-engined commuter airliners as well as regional turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
and jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
, including the following main types:
- Aérospatiale CorvetteAérospatiale Corvette|-See also:-References:...
http://www.airliners.net/photo/TAT---Touraine/Aerospatiale-SN-601-Corvette/0660217/&sid=60901bc430a4f51957ed074d9ed1a0e0 - Beech King Air C90Beechcraft King AirThe Beechcraft King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation...
- Beech 99/99ABeechcraft Model 99|-See also:-External links:*...
- Fokker F27 "Friendship"/Fairchild F-27AFokker F27The Fokker F27 Friendship is a turboprop airliner designed and built by the Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:Design of the Fokker F27 started in the 1950s as a replacement to the successful Douglas DC-3 airliner...
- Fairchild-Hiller FH-227BFairchild Hiller FH-227The Fairchild F-27 and Fairchild Hiller FH-227 were versions of the Fokker F27 Friendship twin-engined turboprop passenger aircraft manufactured under license by Fairchild Hiller in the United States...
- Fokker F28 "Fellowship"Fokker F28The Fokker F28 Fellowship is a short range jet airliner designed and built by defunct Dutch aircraft manufacturer Fokker.-Design and development:...
(1000/2000/4000 series) - Fokker 100
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9McDonnell Douglas DC-9The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
(10/20 series) - Nord 262Nord 262|-See also:-References:* Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965–1966. London:Sampson Low, Marston & Company, 1965.* Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–1977. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. ISBN 0 354 00538 3....
- VFW 614.
Incidents and accidents
During its existence TAT suffered two fatal accidents and four non-fatal incidents. These occurred between 1975 and 1991.Fatal accidents
The first fatal accident occurred on 2 July 1975. One of the airline's Beech 99 commuter airliners (registration F-BTQE) operating a scheduled domestic flight from NantesNantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
to Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
crashed on take-off from Nantes Airport due to the failure of the aircraft's no. 2 engine, as a result of which it caught fire. The aircraft came down on a near-by railway line. All eight occupants, including both pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s and six passengers were killed in this accident.
The second fatal accident occurred on 4 March 1988. It involved one of the company's Fairchild-Hiller FH227Bs (registration F-GCPS) operating an early morning scheduled service from Nancy to Paris Orly. An electrical system malfunction during the start of the aircraft's descent on the final portion of its flight to Paris Orly resulted in a sudden loss of control. This in turn caused the aircraft to descend very rapidly. It struck power line
Power Line
Power Line is an American political blog, providing news and commentary from a conservative point-of-view. It was originally written by three lawyers who attended Dartmouth College together: John H. Hinderaker, Scott W. Johnson, and Paul Mirengoff...
s and crashed near Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
, killing all 23 occupants (two pilots, one flight attendant
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
and 20 passengers). This accident constituted the firm's worst air disaster in terms of loss of life.
Non-fatal incidents
On 5 July 1979 a Fairchild F-27A (registration F-GBRS) with 18 occupants on board was damaged beyond repair in an incident that occurred on the ground at Paris Orly while the aircraft was stationary. None of the aircraft's occupants were injured as a result of that incident. The aircraft was subsequently written off.On 4 September 1983 a Beech 99 (registration F-BUYG) was damaged beyond repair following a crash at Tours. There were no reported injuries among the aircraft's occupants.
Code data
- Former IATA code (1): IJ (TAT)
- Former IATA code (2): IO (TAT Export)
- Former 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: - Former callsign: