PrivatAir

PrivatAir
IATA ICAO Callsign
PV[1] PTI PRIVATAIR
Founded 1977[2]
Operating bases
Fleet size 11
Destinations 6 (scheduled)
Headquarters Meyrin, Switzerland
Website privatair.com

PrivatAir is a Swiss airline operating business jets, headquartered at Geneva Airport in Meyrin. It operates scheduled services for other airlines as well as charter flights for corporations or VIPs.[3][4]

History

The airline was established in 1977 as a subsidiary of the Latsis Group. In 1995 it received its Swiss air operator's certificate.

In March 2001 the PrivatAir Group was formed. Also in March 2001, the PrivatAir Group gained ETOPS 180 minutes and FAA 129 Foreign Carrier approval as a designated carrier under the US-Switzerland bilateral "open skies" agreement. These approvals allow the company to offer the most direct routes across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and unlimited operations to the US. At the time, PrivatAir was the only ad hoc commercial charter operator in the world with these approvals.

In February 2002, PrivatAir completed the construction of its private terminal in Geneva where its headquarters are now based. The new "C3" terminal is a joint venture between PrivatAir and Geneva International Airport and offers a full range of VIP passenger services to PrivatAir's customers. The corporate jet alliance AirClub was founded in Geneva in October 2012. AirClub currently has eight members aside PrivatAir: ACM Air Charter, Air Alsie, AIR HAMBURG, Corporatejets, FLYINGGROUP, GlobeAir, London Executive Aviation, and Masterjet.

In May 2003, PrivatAir and Swissport created the joint company PrivatPort, which is an executive jet handling business.[2] In October 2003, German subsidiary PrivatAir Germany GmbH, Düsseldorf, gained JAR – 145 approval from the German civil aviation authority, giving the company more autonomy and flexibility within the framework of its operations on behalf of Lufthansa and Airbus.

In April 2015, Lufthansa announced it would reduce their involvement with PrivatAir as the route from Frankfurt to Dammam will be shut down by the end of October 2015.[5] PrivatAir also used to operate flights to Libreville,[6] Pointe-Noire,[6] Accra[7] Bahrain,[8] and Tel Aviv[9] on behalf of Lufthansa but these routes were all terminated a few years earlier. Another route operated for Lufthansa to Nairobi ended on 31 August 2016.[10]

PrivatAir did also operate aircraft on behalf of ECAir based at Maya-Maya Airport until 10 October 2016, when ECAir was forced to suspend operations due to financial difficulties.

Company overview

Head office of PrivatAir in Meyrin

PrivatAir is made up of three key divisions: Scheduled Services,[11] Business Aviation[12] which includes aircraft management, charter, sales, PrivatJetFuel and ground services, and PrivatTraining:[13]

PrivatAir specialises in scheduled and charter flights using mid-sized, long-range jets. Its main base is Geneva International Airport with further contracted operational bases at Frankfurt Airport, Germany (operating for Lufthansa), Stavanger Airport, Sola, Norway (operating for Scandinavian Airlines), and Maya-Maya Airport, Republic of the Congo (operating for ECAir).

PrivatAir's Business Aviation department is designed to provide every aspect of service surrounding any aviation needs covering Aircraft Management, Aircraft Sales & Acquisitions, Aircraft Charter, AirClub (leading corporate jet alliance), PrivatJetFuel (Fuel Management) and Ground Services (PrivatPort).

PrivatTraining are a specialist in-house training department focusing on safety, security and service in the industry. They also provide training for private jet operators, offering tailored programmes designed to help other private jet operators fulfil their regulatory obligations.

Scheduled services

As of November 2016, the following scheduled destinations are served by PrivatAir:[14]

Destinations operated for Lufthansa

Destinations operated for Saudia Private Aviation

Destinations operated for Scandinavian Airlines

Fleet

PrivatAir Boeing 757-200

As of June 2016, the PrivatAir fleet consists of the following aircraft[15]

AircraftIn fleetOrdersSeatsNotes
F B E Total
Airbus A319-100
3
—
 — 48 — 48 operated for Saudia
Boeing 737-300
2
—
 — 12 108 120
Boeing 737-700
1
—
 — 12 114 126
Boeing 737-700 BBJ1
1
1
—
—
 —
—		 20
20		 66
60		 86
80		operated for Lufthansa
operated for Scandinavian Airlines
Boeing 757-200
2
—
 — 16132 148
Boeing 767-300ER
1
—
 330164197
Bombardier CS100
—
5
TBA
Plus 5 options[16]
Total
11
5

Additionally, PrivatAir operates several more smaller business jets from Dassault, Bombardier and Gulfstream.[17]

References

Media related to PrivatAir at Wikimedia Commons

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