European Air Charter (Bulgarian: Юръпиън еър чартър)[4][5] (formerly Bulgarian Air Charter)[5] is a Bulgarian charter airline headquartered in Sofia.[6]
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| Founded | 2000 (as Bulgarian Air Charter) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | May 2021 (as European Air Charter) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 10[2] | ||||||
| Destinations | Charter and ACMI[1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||||||
| Key people | Apik Garabedian | ||||||
| Revenue |  €82 million (2017)[3] | ||||||
| Net income | €8.4 million (2017)[3] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
editBulgarian Air Charter
editEuropean Air Charter was established as Bulgarian Air Charter in 2000 and started operations on 14 December 2000 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Aviation Service Group. It operates flights for several tour operators to destinations mostly in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Israel and Poland.
Since the period the airline was founded, it has transported more than 3.5 million passengers. The company has 330 employees.[7] The airline has its own maintenance unit which has capabilities on McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series and Airbus A320 series aircraft covering airframe, engines and landing gear services and overhaul of aircraft components.[8]
The airline started operations with five Tupolev Tu-154s. In 2004, the airline retired these aircraft and replaced them with seven McDonnell Douglas MD-80. By 2011, the Bulgarian Air Charter fleet had grown to 12 MD-80s. In September 2015, Bulgarian Air Charter added its first Airbus A320-200 to its fleet.[9]
European Air Charter
editIn May 2021, Bulgarian Air Charter announced it was changing its name to European Air Charter.[5][4]
In October 2023, European Air Charter phased out their remaining McDonnell Douglas MD-82s as the last European operator.[10]
Destinations
editEuropean Air Charter operates flights for various airlines on wet-lease and ACMI contacts and tour operators in Europe, Middle East and Africa.[1]
Fleet
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Current fleet
editAs of September 2024, the European Air Charter fleet consists of the following aircraft:[2][11]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 10 | — | 180 | |
| Total | 10 | — |
Former fleet
editBulgarian Air Charter also used to operate Tupolev Tu-154s[12] and - as one of the last European airlines to do so - McDonnell Douglas MD-82s,[10] which have since been phased out.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d euaircharter.com - Destinations retrieved 2 August 2021
- ^ a b planespotters.net - European Air Charter Fleet Details and History retrieved 3 December 2023
- ^ a b "Най-големите транспортни компании: Нови бариери от ЕС при камионите, бум при летища и пристанища".
- ^ a b euaircharter.com retrieved 24 May 2021
- ^ a b c aerotelegraph.com - "Bulgarian Air Charter now is European Air Charter" (German) 5 May 2021
- ^ Flight International 27 March 2007
- ^ "Bulgarian Air Charter-About Us". Bulgarian Air Charter. Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-02.
- ^ "MRO – Bulgarian Air Charter MRO".
- ^ "Bulgarian Air Charter". Airliner World: 7. November 2015.
- ^ a b airliners.de (German) 25 October 2023
- ^ euaircharter.com - Aircraft retrieved 8 September 2024
- ^ md-80.com - Bulgarian Air Charter retrieved 21 May 2016
External links
edit
Media related to European Air Charter (Bulgaria) at Wikimedia Commons
