Slovak Airlines (Slovenské aerolínie a.s. or Slovakian Airlines) was an airline based in Bratislava, Slovakia.[3] Slovak Airlines operated on the market as an air transport company, operating regular and irregular passenger, cargo and postal transit. It was the flag carrier of the Slovak Republic operating a scheduled service across Europe. It also offered international charter flights to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Russia, Spain, Tunisia, and Turkey. The company also ran wet-lease operations. Its main base was M. R. Štefánik Airport, Bratislava.
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| Founded | 1995 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | February 2007 | ||||||
| Hubs | M. R. Štefánik Airport Bratislava | ||||||
| Fleet size | 3 (May 2006) | ||||||
| Destinations | 37 scheduled + 22 charter | ||||||
| Parent company | Austrian Airlines (2005–2007) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Bratislava, Slovakia | ||||||
| Profit | SKK –57 million (2006)[1] | ||||||
| Employees | 147 (2006)[2] | ||||||
| Website | slovakairlines.sk/corpus/index_en.csp (archived) | ||||||
History
editAfter the Dissolution of Czechoslovakia on January 1, 1993, the Slovak Republic found itself in a specific situation in the area of air transport, in that no transport company remained and even in the past there had never been an effective network of airlines directly connecting Slovakia with the rest of the world.[6] Not a single aircraft or foreign embassy remained in Slovakia, which was a big problem in building international relations for the young republic.
A way out of the problem for the young government with Michal Kováč had been to build a transport company ensuring the connection of Slovakia with foreign countries and to resolve the entire conception of air transport, in particular in connection with tourism and the creation of an infrastructure.[7]
In 1995 the mission of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on a visit to Slovakia proposed the creation of a national air transport company as one possibility of the development of civil aviation. After almost one year of intensive discussions experts agreed on the idea that it would be possible to create a strong, high quality airline company in Slovak conditions only in the form of a national airline company. The result of this endeavor was on 24 June 1995 the designation of the company Slovenské aerolínie as the national air transport company.[8] The business plan of Slovak Airlines began with the construction of a basic network of lines over a period of 5 years and started operations in May 1998. Within the framework of the Phare programme “Air Operation Safety Improvement”, Slovak Airlines was selected as one of three operators within the states of Eastern Europe as a sample transport company and consultant in the creation of a programme of improving safety of air transport in the Phare countries.
In January 2005 Austrian Airlines acquired the majority stake (62%) in the company. Slovak Airlines ceased operations after Austrian Airlines repossessed two aircraft having withdrawn financial support in January 2007. The company filed for bankruptcy on 2 March 2007.[9] Large portion of employees and offices was taken over by the now-defunct Seagle Air.[10]
Destinations
editThe airline flew to following scheduled services from Bratislava:
- Austria: Graz, Salzburg
- Belgium: Brussels (7 weekly, codeshare with Austrian, Fokker 100)
- Czech Republic: Prague
- Finland: Helsinki
- France: Lyon, Nantes, Paris Charles de Gaulle
- Germany: Braunschweig, Cologne/Bonn, Dortmund, Dresden, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart
- Greece: Athens
- Hungary: Budapest
- Mexico: Mexico City
- Netherlands: Amsterdam, Rotterdam
- Poland: Gdańsk, Kraków, Wrocław, Warsaw-Chopin
- Portugal: Lisbon
- Russia: Moscow Sheremetyevo (4 weekly, codeshare Aeroflot, Fokker 100)
- Slovakia: Košice
- Spain: Barcelona, Madrid, Málaga
- Switzerland: Geneva
- United Kingdom: Edinburgh, London-Heathrow, London-Southend, London-Stansted, Manchester
In 2006 the airline flew the following charter flights from Bratislava (with Boeing 737-300):
- Bulgaria: Burgas
- Cyprus: Larnaca
- Egypt: Hurghada, Sharm el Sheik
- Greece: Heraklion, Chania, Karpathos, Korfu, Kos, Rhodos, Thessaloniki
- Jordan: Aqaba
- Montenegro: Tivat
- Spain: Palma de Mallorca
- Tunisia: Monastir
- Turkey: Antalya, Dalaman
And from Košice (with Boeing 737-300):
- Bulgaria: Burgas
- Egypt: Hurghada
- Greece: Heraklion, Chania, Korfu, Kos, Rhodos, Thessaloniki
- Montenegro: Tivat
- Turkey: Antalya
The airline also flew for Italian travel agencies a weekly Brescia - Rhodos service with the Boeing 737 - 300 aircraft. The smaller 100-seat Fokker 100 was used on the following charter flights for Greek travel agencies: Bratislava - Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki - Chania, Chios, Kos, Rhodos, Samos, Santorini.
Fleet
editSlovak Airlines operated the following aircraft:[11]
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Years of operation | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B | E | Total | ||||
| Boeing 737-300 | 3 | 0 | 148 | 148 | 2004 2002-2007 2005-2007 |
|
| Boeing 767-200 | 1 | 12 | 203 | 215 | 2004-2005 | |
| Fokker 100 | 2 | 0 12 |
105 85 |
105 97 |
2005 2005-2007 |
|
| Saab 340A | 1 | 0 | 34 | 34 | 1998-2000 | |
| Tupolev Tu-154M | 3 | 16 0 |
131 157 |
147 157 |
1998-2003 | OM-AAC painted with TV Markíza sticker[12] |
| Total | 10 | |||||
References
edit- ^ Austrian Airlines Group Annual Report 2006 (PDF) (Report). Bratislava: Austrian Airlines. May 2007. p. 2. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ Ročná správa – Letisko Bratislava (BTS) [Bratislava Airport (BTS) 2006 Annual Report] (Report). Vienna: Austrian Airlines. 2 February 2007. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ "Basic information." Slovak Airlines. Retrieved on 25 October 2009.
- ^ Slovak Airlines cancels all regular flights Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Press release from Austrian Airlines
- ^ "History – Slovak Airlines". Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "History – Slovak Airlines". Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ "History". www.bts.aero. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
- ^ Flight International 10 April 2007
- ^ Seagle Air could replace Slovak Airlines (2007, in Czech)
- ^ "Zoznam lietadiel" [List of aircraft]. Slovak Airports. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ Martorell, Joan (21 October 2024). "OM-AAC". JetPhotos.com. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
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