Air Belgium

Air Belgium was a Belgian charter and scheduled airline ceased operations in 2000.

History

The Belgian tour operator Sun International and specialized in business aviation company Abelag Aviation founded on May 3, 1979 in Brussels, the airline Abelag Airways. The Company adopted on 19 May 1979, a Boeing 707, which was rented from June to October 1979, the French airline UTA and following a Canadian airline. The Boeing 707 was replaced in January 1980 by a leased Boeing 737-200, conducted by tourist charter flights to the Mediterranean on behalf of Sun International. During that period he Abelag Aviation withdrew from the company. The Abelag Airways was then renamed on 15 February 1980 Air Belgium. Until October 1989 Air Belgium had only one private aircraft used all year round. The first Boeing 737-200 was replaced in March 1982 by an identical pattern, which was held in a Belgian national colors of paint for the first time. The engine was replaced in March 1986 by a Boeing 737-300, which was in turn replaced by a Boeing 737-400 in October 1988. Air Belgium rented from 1983 in the high demand additional aircraft from the Sobelair and put them in their color scheme briefly on its own route network a. The company also operating in 1987, two business aircraft of the type Dassault Falcon 20 on behalf of DHL Worldwide Express.

In autumn 1989 Air Belgium leased a Boeing 757 with the from the October 29, 1990 charter flights from Brussels to Bangor to Fort Lauderdale were taken. As a further transatlantic destinations were served from 1991 Miami, Curacao, Punta Cana and Recife. In the same year Sobelair involved in the tour operator Sun International and subsequently held a 35 % stake in Air Belgium. In order to improve the utilization of the aircraft, the company offered from November 26, 1991 scheduled flights to Palma de Mallorca and from 1992 to other tourist destinations. Here, the residual free spaces were marketed in the machine, so that a combined charter and scheduled air traffic was carried on some European routes. In 1995, Air Belgium presented a transatlantic charter flights for economic reasons and leased the Boeing 757 until the end of the lease to the Swedish airline Sunways Airlines. In the same year the company carried 304,000 passengers.

The tour operator Sun International and its subsidiary Air Belgium was bought in 1998 by the British travel company Airtours. After the acquisition, Air Belgium was initially an independent company exist. As of 1999, the company sold a two Airbus A320, which had been painted in the colors of the British sister company Airtours International. On 31 October 2000 Air Belgium was fully integrated into the airline Airtours International and hired its own operation.

Objectives

Air Belgium led mainly by Brussels, Liège and Ostend outbound charter flights to the Mediterranean, the Algarve and Madeira, and the Canary Islands. In addition, between 1990 and 1995 were made transatlantic charter flights to Bangor, Curacao, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Punta Cana and Recife.

In line air traffic Alicante, Faro, Funchal, Malaga, Las Palmas, Palma and the airport Tenerife -South were served.

Used aircraft

• 2 Airbus A320 -200 OO - OO - AEY and AEZ (from 1999 operated in colors of Airtours International)
• 1 Boeing 707- 300C OO -ABA (1979 operated by Abelag Airways )
• 3 Boeing 737-200 OO - ABB ( 1980-1982 ), OO - RVM (Summer 1982), OO - PLH ( 1982-1986 ) and other short-term leased aircraft of Sobelair
• 2 Boeing 737-300 OO - ILF (1986 to 1988) and OO - ILK (1996 to 1999)
• 2 Boeing 737-400 OO - ILH (1988 to 1991) and OO - ILJ ( 1991-2000 )
• 1 Boeing 757-200 OO - ILI (1989 to 1995)
• 2 Dassault Falcon 20 OO -STE and OO - STEF (1987 operated for DHL Worldwide Express)

At the time of cessation was the fleet of the company consists of two machines of the type Airbus A320 and a Boeing 737-400.