Thomsonfly , formerly known as Britannia Airways , is a former charter airline that operated regular and charter passenger flights from the UK to airports in Europe , Africa , Asia and North America until September 2007.
| Thomsonfly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
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| Established | 2004 | |||
| Termination of activity | November 1, 2008 | |||
| Base airports | London Luton | |||
| Hubs |
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| Additional hubs |
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| Alliance | TUI Airlines | |||
| Tagline | Built with you in mind | |||
| Fleet size | 46 | |||
| Destinations | 87 | |||
| Parent company | TUI Travel | |||
| Headquarters |
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| Guide | Chris Brown [4] [5] [6] [7] | |||
| Site | flights.thomson.co.uk | |||
In September 2007, as a result of the merger of the British subsidiary of the tourist concern TUI AG with the management company of another tour operator First Choice Holidays , the company TUI Travel PLC was formed, which is part of TUI AG. The merger entailed the merger of the two airlines Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways and the formation on November 1, 2008 of the integrated airline Thomson Airways , which is currently the world's largest charter airline.
Thomsonfly's headquarters was located at London Luton Airport. The airline used the Luton and Gatwick airports in London as the main transit hubs ( hubs ); the additional hubs of the carrier were airports in Belfast , Birmingham , Bournemouth , Bristol , Glasgow , Doncaster / Sheffield , Cardiff , Coventry , Liverpool , Manchester and Newcastle .
Thomsonfly Airlines operated under A license from an operator of the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, which allowed the use of aircraft with a capacity of 20 or more passenger seats, as well as cargo and mail transportation within the country and abroad [8] .
History
The history of the airline dates back to the foundation in 1962 by Ted Langton of the British airline Euravia , which subsequently changed its official name to Britannia Airways and operated under this brand until December 2004. The airline operated throughout Europe, its fleet was regularly replenished with new aircraft, in the mid-1990s, the carrier took into operation Boeing 757 airliners and became the first European customer to order Boeing 767 airplanes. By the end of 2004, the Britannia Airways fleet comprised 45 Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft.
In 2005, the management company Thomson Holidays rebranded its subsidiaries, as a result of which Britannia Airways changed its official name to Thomsonfly .
The airline opened its first regular routes on March 31, 2004 from the new passenger terminal in Coventry , intending to officially lease the airport infrastructure. The local government council of the Warwick region did not agree with these plans, launching a campaign against transferring the passenger airline of the airport, which previously operated both passenger and cargo carriers, to control. In anticipation of the outcome, Britannia Airways continued to work actively in the local market, offering several daily routes with a regular transportation scheme. As a result, the rights to manage the large building of the passenger terminal on a rental basis were transferred to the development company CAFCO.
On April 28, 2005, Thomsonfly became the first airline to open commercial flights from the new Doncaster / Sheffield Robin Hood Airport and, subsequently, the first long-haul operator from this airport.
In 2004, the airline was recognized as the UK's best charter carrier according to the Air Transport Users' Council.
In November 2008, Thomsonfly closed all scheduled flights from Coventry Airport, leaving the city’s air harbor without permanent commercial air routes.
Merger with First Choice Airways
In March 2008, the British division of the tourist concern TUI AG merged with another tourist operator First Choice Holidays PLC, which resulted in the formation of the new company TUI Travel , which is a subsidiary of TUI. TUI Travel is headquartered in Crowley, West Sussex , and its headquarters in Luton, UK and Ireland .
The merger entailed the merger of the two carriers Thomsonfly and First Choice Airways , while the enlarged airline received the official name Thomson Airways , the operator’s certificate, IATA , ICAO codes and the former call sign of the former Thomsonfly airline.
Routing Network
Fleet
As of October 2008, the Thomsonfly Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft [9] :
| Type of aircraft | Total | Passenger Seats [10] | Routes |
| Boeing 737-300 | ten | 148 | Near- and medium-haul |
| Boeing 737-800 | 13 | 189 | Short-haul |
| Boeing 757-200 | 14 | 235 | Near- and medium-haul |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2 | 290 | All directions |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 7 | 283 | All directions |
| Total | 46 |
In October 2008, the average age of Thomsonfly aircraft was 10.1 years [11] .
Statistics
| Number of passengers [12] | Number of flights [13] | Load factor [14] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 9 505 928 | 52,461 | 80.1% | |
| 2006 | 9 617 416 | 54,063 | 82.6% | |
| 2007 | 9 444 973 | 54 515 | 84.6% | |
| source: UKA [1] | ||||
Prizes
- Skytrax : the best travel airline of 2011
- FlightOnTime.info - Second place in punctuality of flights among UK charter airlines in the summer 2005, summer 2007 and 2007/2008 winter seasons
- FlightOnTime.info - The UK's most punctual charter airline in the summer 2004 season
- AUC Crown Awards: The Most Punctual Charter Carrier of the Summer 2004 Season
- Travel & Tourism Web Awards: Best Airline of 2004
- Telegraph Travel Awards: Best Charter Airlines of 2003
Notes
- ↑ Thomson Airways CASA AOC (link not available)
- ↑ UK CAA aircraft ownership details
- ↑ Luton is the base of operations the registered office is a Crawley, West Sussex near Gatwick Airport.
- ↑ Company press release quoting MD
- ↑ Carl Gissing (Director of Customer Service) LinkedIn profile
- ↑ BALPA news article quoting John Murphy, Director of Flight Operations Archived December 12, 2010.
- ↑ Fraser Ellacott (Director of Engineering)
- ↑ CAA operating license
- ↑ CAA Aircraft Register
- ↑ Thomsonfly Fleet
- ↑ Thomsonfly Fleet Age
- ↑ Number of passengers carried on scheduled and charter flights
- ↑ Number of all flights per year
- ↑ Load factor of flights, passenger kilometers