Azurair GmbH,[2] trading as Azur Air or Azur Air Germany, was a German leisure airline headquartered in Düsseldorf. It was founded in 2016 by Turkish-Dutch tour operator Anex Tourism Group as part of an expansion into the German leisure market and ceased operations in September 2018.[1]
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| Founded | 2016 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 4 July 2017 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 26 September 2018[1] | ||||||
| Focus cities | Düsseldorf Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 3 | ||||||
| Destinations | 8 | ||||||
| Parent company | Anex Tourism Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Düsseldorf, Germany | ||||||
| Key people | Alper Altun, General Director | ||||||
| Website | azurair.de | ||||||
History
editEarly developments
editIn mid 2016, Anex Tourism Group, yet engaged especially in Russian leisure market and operating airlines both in Russia (Azur Air) und Ukraine (Azur Air Ukraine), founded a German subsidiary in Düsseldorf and started distribution for 2017 travel season in late 2016. The AOC for its German carrier was requested simultaneously. First flights are scheduled to start in April 2017.[3] Beside its home base at Düsseldorf Airport, where the fleet will also be maintained, Azur Air planned to operate from Berlin-Schönefeld and Munich. At the beginning, Azur Air flew to Mediterranean destinations and the Caribbean for Anex Tour only.
At first, Azur Air was to receive three Boeing 767-300ER from sister company Azur Air from Russia. The fleet was planned to be enhanced by Boeing 737 and 757s later on while destination network would be expanded.[4] Operations were firstly planned to start in spring 2017,[5] but have been shifted towards summer 2017. Azur Air then received its AOC and commenced operations a few days later on 4 July.
During summer 2017, Azur Air announced it would increase its long-haul operations by offering more flights to Punta Cana from its existing departure airports Berlin-Schönefeld and Düsseldorf as well as starting the destination from several more German cities such as Hannover.[6]
Demise
editIn March 2018, Azur Air announced it would replace two of its three Boeing 767-300ER, which were handed to sister company Azur Air Ukraine, by two smaller Boeing 737-900s.[7]
In July 2018, Azur Air Germany announced major changes to its operations due to insufficient business figures. While the last remaining Boeing 767, which was then already leased out to Azur Air Ukraine, was to be transferred to Azur Air in Russia by October 2018, Azur Air Germany was to continue its operations with only one remaining aircraft without any long-haul services. In the same time, the entire station in Berlin was to be shut down, laying off 90 staff.[8][9]
In September 2018, Azur Air Germany sparked controversy amongst its employees after the relocation of its sole remaining aircraft to other operations while the flights from Germany have been taken over by leasing contractors on short notice.[10] On 26 September 2018, it has been announced that the airline ceased all operations with immediate effect and will be dissolved due to a negative business outlook.[1] Prior to this, the owners tried to sell the airline's operational license without success.[11]
Destinations
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As of August 2018, Azur Air (Germany) served the following destinations:[12]
| City | Country | Airport | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antalya | Turkey | Antalya Airport | Seasonal charter |
| Amsterdam | Netherlands | Schiphol | For Transavia |
| Bangkok | Thailand | Don Mueang International Airport | Seasonal charter |
| Berlin | Germany | Berlin Schönefeld Airport | Seasonal charter[8] |
| Düsseldorf | Germany | Düsseldorf Airport | Base |
| Enfidha | Tunisia | Enfidha–Hammamet International Airport | Seasonal charter |
| Hannover | Germany | Hannover Airport | Seasonal charter |
| Hurghada | Egypt | Hurghada International Airport | Charter |
| Munich | Germany | Munich Airport | Seasonal charter |
| Palma de Mallorca | Spain | Palma de Mallorca Airport | Seasonal charter |
Fleet
editThe Azur Air (Germany) fleet consisted of the following aircraft as of September 2018:[13]
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-900ER | 2 | 215 | |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | 334 | leased to Azur Air Ukraine; was to be transferred to Azur Air by October 2018.[8] |
| Total | 3 | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c airliners.de - "Operations ceased with immediate effect: German Azur Air to be dissolved" (German) 26 October 2018
- ^ Azur Air Imprint Archived 29 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine 15 December 2016
- ^ Neue Airline Azur sitzt in Düsseldorf 16 December 2017 (German source)
- ^ Azur Air will mit Boeing 737 und 757 wachsen 15 December 2016 (German source)
- ^ Azur Air Germany to launch in 2Q17 using B767s 15 December 2016
- ^ cc-pr.com - Ab Juli 2017: AZUR air erhöht Frequenzen nach Punta Cana 5 May 2017
- ^ airliners.de - "Azur Air does not grow until further notice" 8 March 2018
- ^ a b c airliners.de - Azur Air shrinks to one aircraft" (German) 31 July 2018
- ^ ch-aviation.com - Azur Air Germany ends B767 ops, to close Berlin base in 4Q18 4 August 2018
- ^ airliners.de - "Confusion at Azur Air" (German) 14 September 2018
- ^ touristik-aktuell.de - Aus für Azur Air in Deutschland(German) 26 September 2018
- ^ anextour.de - Sommerziele 2018 Archived 28 August 2018 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 4 August 2018
- ^ azurair.de - Fleet Archived 30 April 2018 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 24 September 2018
External links
edit
Media related to Azur Air (Germany) at Wikimedia Commons
