SKY Express (legally Cretan Aviation Operations Aviation and Commercial Societe Anonyme (Greek: Κρητικές Αεροπορικές Εκμεταλλεύσεις Αεροπορική και Εμπορική Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία)),[2] is a Greek airline headquartered in Heraklion International Airport.[2] It was established in 2005[6] and operates a number of flights, serving 35 domestic and eighteen international destinations year round.[7]
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| Founded | 24 February 2005[2] | ||||||
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| AOC # | GR-021[3][4] | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 27 | ||||||
| Destinations | 44 | ||||||
| Parent company | Aviareps Hellas[5] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Heraklion International Airport, Heraklion, Greece | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
editThe airline was established in early 2005 by Cpt. Miltiadis Tsagkarakis, former Olympic Airlines director general and pilot, and George Mavrantonakis, former Olympic Airlines chief operating officer and accountable manager as well as advisor to the company president.[8] Operations commenced in July 2005,[9] including scheduled, charter, cargo, air taxi, emergency medical services, excursion and sightseeing flights. Sky Express Aircargo was later established as a joint venture with the Finaval Group and dedicated to cargo transport between Europe and the Far East.[citation needed]
In October 2020, the airline placed a firm order for four Airbus A320neo aircraft (the fleet now includes six of them). In addition, the company introduced a new design for their new Airbus aircraft.[10]
Logo controversy
editThe airline's initial logo was inspired by the flag of the Cretan State, a semi-independent state under the Ottoman Empire. The flag of the Cretan State was composed of a white cross extending to the edges of the flag, with the upper-hoist canton in red, featuring a white star symbolizing Ottoman sovereignty on the island, and the other squares in blue, symbolizing the Greeks of Crete. The flag has also been adopted as a symbol of the Cretan independence pseudo-movement. The logo was not well-received, and following complaints by the public in Greece, especially Cretans, the logo was changed. The company said it did not consider the flag offensive, since it represented a milestone in the unification of Crete with the Kingdom of Greece,[11] but changed the logo nonetheless to avoid any further confusion.[citation needed]
Corporate affairs
editIn 2018, Sky Express carried 1 million passengers for the first time.[12]
| 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover (€m) | 16.299 | 16.616 | 34.068 | 61.475 | 81.340 | 54.940 | 137.569 | 287.690 | 392.680 |
| Net profit after tax (€m) | 0.169 | −1.391 | −0.156 | 0.304 | −0.250 | −7.655 | −3.793 | −1.421 | 20.141 |
| Number of employees | 77 | 86 | 129 | 193 | 229 | 263 | 462 | 577 | |
| Number of passengers | 85,174 | 168,116 | 496,562 | 1,000,000 | 1,200,000 | TBA | 1,717,191 | 3,303,997 | 4,146,921 |
| Number of aircraft (at year end) | 6 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 20 | 18 | 21 | 25 |
| Notes/sources | [13] | [14] | [15] | [16] | [17] | [18] | [16][19] | [19] | [20] |
Destinations
editAs of November 2024[update], Greek carrier Sky Express flies (or has flown) to the following destinations:[21]
Interline agreements
editSky Express interlines with the following airlines:
- Air France[24]
- Air Serbia[25]
- Air Transat[26]
- American Airlines[27]
- British Airways[28]
- Condor[citation needed]
- Cyprus Airways[citation needed]
- Delta Air Lines[29]
- El Al[30]
- EasyJet[31]
- Emirates[32]
- Etihad Airways[28]
- KLM[24]
- Middle East Airlines[33]
- Qatar Airways[34]
- Royal Jordanian[35]
- Transavia[36]
- Turkish Airlines[citation needed]
Fleet
editCurrent fleet
editAs of April 2024[update], Sky Express operates the following aircraft:[37]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 180 | [citation needed] |
| Airbus A320neo | 10 | 2 | 186 / 180 / 174 | [38][39][40] |
| Airbus A321neo | 2 | — | 236 | [41] |
| ATR 42-500 | 4 | — | 48 | |
| ATR 72-600 | 10 | — | 72 | [41] |
| Total | 27 | 2 |
Historical fleet
editIn the past, Sky Express also operated the following types:
Incidents
edit- On 12 February 2009, a BAe Jetstream 31 registered SX-SKY experienced a right main gear collapse after landing inbound from Rhodes International Airport.[43] None of the 15 passengers or three crew members were injured, but the aircraft suffered considerable damage to its right landing gear, wing and propeller. The aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair and was written off.[citation needed] The accident was caused by two previous hard landings (out of the previous 27) which had gone unreported. One of the hard landings had caused a fracture in a landing gear cylinder, which spread until the cylinder failed, causing the landing gear to collapse. The aircraft was scrapped at Heraklion Airport in late February 2011.
- On 2 February 2015, a BAe Jetstream 41 aircraft registered SX-DIA, operating flight GQ-100 from Heraklion, experienced a left main gear collapse and runway excursion after a hard landing at Rhodes Diagoras Airport caused by strong winds. None of the 16 passengers or three crew members were injured. The aircraft suffered substantial damage.[44]
- On 21 June 2019, the 3 PM flight from Heraklion to Rhodes Diagoras Airport performed an emergency landing at Karpathos Airport after one of the engines exploded. None of the 47 passengers suffered any injuries.[45][46]
References
edit- ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ a b c "Στοιχεία Δημοσιότητας". Business Registry (in Greek). Union of Hellenic Chambers Of Commerce. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT AIRCRAFT ATR 42-500 SX-GRI AT ATHENS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON OCTOBER 07, 2017" (PDF). Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "Action Plan on Emissions Reduction of Greece" (PDF). ICAO. Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
- ^ "ΕΝΟΠΟΙΗΜΕΝΕΣ ΧΡΗΜΑΤΟΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΚΕΣ ΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΕΙΣ ΣΥΜΦΩΝΑ ΜΕ ΤΙΣ ΔΙΑΤΑΞΕΙΣ ΤΟΥ Ν 4308/2014 (ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ ΛΟΓΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΠΡΟΤΥΠΑ ) «AVIAREPS ΕΛΛΑΣ Α.Ε. ΣΥΜΜΕΤΟΧΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΡΟΧΗΣ ΥΠΗΡΕΣΙΩΝ»" (in Greek). 18 November 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "About us". SKY express. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "Destinations". SKY express. Retrieved 2024-12-22.
- ^ "Profile". skyexpress.gr. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Sky Express". airlinesxl.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "SKY express orders four A320neo and becomes a new Airbus customer". Airbus. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ "Sky Express S.A." ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ (in Greek). www.skyexpress.gr. 25 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "Sky Express Diplasiase Toys Epivates Tis". Archived from the original on 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2019-10-31.
- ^ "Product Presentation" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-11-01. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
- ^ Business Registry
- ^ "ΙΣΟΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΣ-ΚΑΧ" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-09-26. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ a b "Στοιχεία Δημοσιότητας".
- ^ ΑΠΟΚΛΕΙΣΤΙΚΟ: Μεγαλύτερα αεροσκάφη προμηθεύεται η Sky Express. Διακίνησε 1,2 εκατ. επιβάτες το 2019, 20 January 2020, metaforespress.gr
- ^ https://assets.skyexpress.gr/assets/documents/financial-results-2019.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ a b Κλώντζα, Όλγα (12 December 2023). "Sky express: Αύξηση επιβατών κατά 900.000, κινήσεις για νέα αεροσκάφη". Business Daily (in Greek). Retrieved 27 December 2023.
- ^ Ffotinos (22 November 2024). "SKY express: Κέρδη 20,14 εκατ. ευρώ το 2023, με συνολικές πωλήσεις 392,68 εκατ. ευρώ". Metaforespress.
- ^ "Sky Express Route Map September 2023".
- ^ a b c d e f "Sky Express NW24 Athens Network Additions".
- ^ "SKY Express Announces Nonstop Flights to Amsterdam, Connecting Athens to the Netherlands". 21 September 2024.
- ^ a b "New agreement between Air France, KLM and Sky Express". Air France KLM. 5 April 2019.
- ^ "Sky Express and Air Serbia ink deal". 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Sky Express and Air Transat ink deal".
- ^ "Sky Express and American Airlines ink deal".
- ^ a b "Partnership with the leading airlines British Airways and Etihad Airways!".
- ^ "Delta partners with SKY express to offer more travel options between the US and Greek Islands". Delta News Hub.
- ^ "Cooperation with El AL".
- ^ "EasyJet, another travel buddy joins the club!".
- ^ "Cooperation with Emirates".
- ^ "The cooperation with Middle East Airlines continues". Retrieved 2022-10-26.
- ^ "Συμφωνία Διασύνδεσης μεταξύ Qatar Airways και Sky Express". 2 November 2022.
- ^ "Starts of Cooperation with Royal Jordanian".
- ^ "Cooperation with Transavia".
- ^ "Our Fleet". SKY express. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "Airbus Order and Deliveries". Airbus. December 2021.
- ^ "Αεροπορικά Εισιτήρια | Κάντε Κράτηση Online".
- ^ "SKY Express: Νέοι προορισμοί στο εξωτερικό και νέα αεροσκάφη". 10 November 2024.
- ^ a b "SKY express: Κερδίζει... ύψος στην αγορά και προσθέτει 6 νέα αεροσκάφη". 20 December 2023.
- ^ "Airfleets aviation".
- ^ "Accident: Sky Express JS31 at Heraklion on Feb 12th 2009, right main gear collapsed on landing". www.avherald.com. 15 February 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Accident: Sky Express JS41 at Rhodes on Feb 2nd 2015, gear collapse and runway excursion on landing". www.avherald.com. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ "Αναγκαστική προσγείωση στην Κάρπαθο για αεροπλάνο με 46 επιβάτες". ProtoThema (in Greek). 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Αναγκαστική προσγείωση αεροσκάφους στην Κάρπαθο - Εκτελούσε το δρομολόγιο Ηράκλειο – Ρόδο | Kathimerini". www.kathimerini.gr. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
External links
edit Media related to Sky Express at Wikimedia Commons