Venus Airlines
| |||||||
| Founded | 1992 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | April 1993 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 1996 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Athens | ||||||
| Hubs | Heraklion | ||||||
| Fleet size | 6 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Athens, Greece | ||||||
| Key people | Theodore Karabatis (President) [1] | ||||||
| Employees | 450(1997) [1] | ||||||
Venus Airlines was a Greek charter airline based in Athens; it operated between 1992 and 1997. [2]
History
The airline was founded in 1992 as one of the first privately owned airline companies to acquire an Air Operator Certificate (AOC) from the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (HCAA).[citation needed]
The first service was a charter flight between Heraklion and Lyons on 7 April 1993 using a leased MD-83. [3] A service between Athens-Thessaloniki-Gatwick started in December 1993. [4] A leased McDonnell Douglas MD-87 joined the fleet in March 1994. [5]
By April 1995, two MD-82s and two Boeing 757s had joined the fleet. [6][7] The first Boeing 757 services were flown between Athens and Zurich on 31 March 1995. [7]
From 15 November 1995, the airline operated a service from Athens to Thessaloniki using MD-82s for Skybus while it awaited an Air Operators Certificate. [8]
Venus Airlines faced financial difficulties in 1996 and ceased operations. It later re-emerged as Princess Airlines in 1998 with support from a French tour operator. [9]
Fleet
Venus Airlines' fleet in 1997 comprised:
- 2 x Boeing 727-200
- 2 x Boeing 757-200
- 2 x McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Former Fleet
,_Venus_Airlines_AN0207801.jpg)
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- McDonnell Douglas MD-87
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "World Airline Directory". Flight International. 26 March 1997.
- ↑ List of airlines from Greece, at airlineupdate.com Archived February 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "Aircraft News/Douglas". Air-Britain News. Air-Britain. August 1993. p. 553.
- ↑ "Aircraft News/Douglas". Air-Britain News. Air-Britain. March 1994. p. 221.
- ↑ "Aircraft News/Douglas". Air-Britain News. Air-Britain. June 1994. p. 438.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Overseas Registers/Meditterranean". Air-Britain News. Air-Britain. May 1995. p. 363.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Aircraft News/Boeing". Air-Britain News. Air-Britain. June 1995. p. 519.
- ↑ "Greek Start Up". Flight International. 6 December 1995. p. 16.
- ↑ "Greek new entrants - well capitalised, but too many?". Aviation Strategy Ltd. 1999.
- ↑ "World Airline Directory". Flight International. 23 March 1994.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Venus Airlines. |
