Blue Panorama Airlines

Blue Panorama Airlines S.p.A. was[4] an Italian airline headquartered in Fiumicino operating scheduled and charter flights mostly to domestic and international leisure destinations.[5] As of late 2021, the airline was in the process to change its brand name to Luke Air[6] also retiring their former Blu-express[7] brand used for domestic and short-haul destinations. Additional business charter flights used to be operated under the name Executive Blue.[8] As of late October 2021, it suspended all operations until further notice[9] and was subsequently liquidated in late 2022.[4]

Not to be confused with Air Bleu, Airblue, Blue1, Blue Air, JetBlue, Pacific Blue Airlines, or Virgin Blue.
Blue Panorama Airlines
Luke Air
IATA ICAO Callsign
BV[1] BPA[2] BLUE PANORAMA
Founded3 September 1998
Commenced operations26 December 1998
Ceased operationsDecember 2022
Focus cities
Fleet size2
Destinations5
HeadquartersFiumicino, Rome, Italy
Key peopleLuca Patanè (President)
Net income€2.7 Million (2018)
Employees624 (2020)
Websitewww.blue-panorama.com

History

Blue Panorama Airlines

Blue Panorama is a private Italian airline operating intercontinental, international, and national charter and scheduled flights.[7][10] It was founded in Rome in 1998 by Franco Pecci,[5] and has been an IATA member since 2002 (IATA code BV).[11][12] Since 2005, Blue Panorama Airlines' Boeing 737 fleet has operated national and international flights for the Blu-Express low-cost division.[13]

In 2012, Alitalia declared interest in a merger with Blue Panorama, as well as with Wind Jet, another Italian airline,[14][15][16][17][18][19] but decided not to proceed with the acquisitions.[20][21] In October 2012, Blue Panorama entered bankruptcy protection.[22][23] This license gave the airline the ability to restructure itself.[24][25][26] On 25 November 2013, Blu-express started flights from Italy to Tirana International Airport Nënë Tereza after Belle Air ceased operations there.[27][28]

In January 2014, Blue Panorama Airlines requested to be admitted to extraordinary administration procedure and the abandonment of the composition procedure in continuity.[29] The management of the airline is left to the company's founder. Blue Panorama confirmed that company business and flights are fully operational.[30]

In 2018 the airline came under fire as it has been the policy of Blue Panorama Airlines to charge significant fees to passengers for minor name changes.[31]

Luke Air

In October 2019, the airline announced it would be changing its name to Luke Air by the end of 2019, revealing a new yellow-blue livery on an Airbus A330-200 which was then due to be delivered.[32] On 7 March 2020, the first A330-200 was delivered. However, the rebranding had yet to take place. In late 2020, Blue Panorama retired their last Boeing 767-300ER.[33] In January 2021, it was announced that the rebrand will go ahead.[34] As of September 2021, the airline's official website had its content changed to Luke Air operated by Blue Panorama Airlines.[6]

On 27 October 2021, the airline announced the suspension of all flights stating financial difficulties in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blue Panorama went through recurring restructuring proceedings in recent years.[9] Shortly after, it filed for bankruptcy protection.[35] In June 2022, it has been reported that the grounded airline retired both of their Airbus A330-200s leaving them without long-haul capable aircraft.[36]

In December 2022, it has been announced that the airline will be liquidated and not resume operations.[4]

Destinations
A former Blue Panorama Boeing 737-400
A former Blue Panorama Boeing 757-200
A former Blue Panorama Boeing 767-300ER

Blue Panorama operated a network of Italian domestic destinations branded as blu-express as well as long-haul leisure flights mainly around the Caribbean.

Codeshare agreements

Blue Panorama Airlines maintained Codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

Fleet

As of November 2022, the Blue Panorama fleet no longer included any aircraft. The following types have been operated before:[33]

Blue Panorama Airlines former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A330-200 2 2019 2022[36]
ATR 72-200 1 2015 2015 leased from Avanti Air[33]
Boeing 737-300 2 2000 2000 leased from Sterling European Airlines[33]
2 2002 2003 leased from Ukraine International Airlines[33]
1 2015 2020
Boeing 737-400 16 1999 2020 some leased from Air Horizont and Hapag-Lloyd Flug[33]
Boeing 737-500 1 2013 2016
Boeing 737-800 10 2000 2022
Boeing 757-200 2 2005 2012
Boeing 767-300ER 10 2002 2020
Piaggio P.180 Avanti 3 2009 2014 Operated under the Executive Blue brand.

Accidents and incidents
  • On 16 July 2004, a Boeing 767-300ER operating as flight 1504 experienced an uncontained engine failure on takeoff from Rome-Fiumucino Airport. The plane returned and conducted a successful emergency landing. Investigation revealed that a high pressure fuel hose leaked approximately 700 kilograms of fuel into the engine's nacelle during taxi, which ignited upon takeoff.[39][40]
  • On 22 September 2018, a Blue Panorama Spanish pilot, Emilio Leone, was arrested by Albanian police as his colleagues reported him for trying to fly the aircraft intoxicated.[41]

See also

References
  1. "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. "Elenco delle imprese titolari di licenza di trasporto aereo". enac.gov.it. Archived from the original on 22 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  3. Bartłomiej Morga. "Blue Panorama zbazuje w Polsce dwie maszyny. Obsłuży rejsy dla Itaki". Pasazer.com. Retrieved 2022-03-21.
  4. ch-aviation.com - Italy's Blue Panorama, EGO Airways to be liquidated 23 December 2022
  5. "Blue Panorama Airlines". Archived from the original on 2014-11-02. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  6. blue-panorama.com retrieved 28 September 2021
  7. "Blu Express - ch-aviation.com". ch-aviation. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  8. fonte: Executive Blue web site
  9. ch-aviation.com - Italy's Blue Panorama suspends flight operations 27 October 2021
  10. "Profile on Blue Panorama Airlines - CAPA - Centre for Aviation". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  11. IATA. "IATA - Current Airline Members". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  12. "Blue Panorama Airlines". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  13. UBM Information Ltd. 2015 (6 December 2012). "Blu Express to Start Rome – Moscow Service from April 2013". Routesonline. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  14. "Alitalia plans merger with Blue Panorama and Wind Jet". Reed Business Information Limited. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  15. "Alitalia to merge with Wind Jet and Blue Panorama Airlines". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  16. "Airline merger The integration of Blue Panorama, Wind Jet and Alitalia - eTurboNews.com". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  17. "Alitalia, Blue Panorama and Wind Jet plan to merge". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  18. "Alitalia moves ahead with a merger with Blue Panorama and Wind Jet". World Airline News. February 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  19. "Alitalia plans merger with Blue Panorama and Wind Jet". Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  20. "Integration of Wind Jet operations with Alitalia receives board approval". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  21. "Avionews.com - Alitalia will integrate Wind Jet: operation approved". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  22. "Italy's Blue Panorama enters bankruptcy protection". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  23. N. Tchallabes. "volaspheric". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  24. "Blue Panorama Airlines enters into bankruptcy protection and reorganization". World Airline News. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  25. N. Tchallabes. "volaspheric". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  26. "Blue Panorama applies for bankruptcy protection, continues operations". ch-aviation. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  27. Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso. "Albania, Belle Air stops flights". Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  28. Business Traveller. "Belle Air ceases operations - Business Traveller". Retrieved 7 June 2015. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  29. "Avionews.com - Blue Panorama confirms business continuity and that its flights are fully operational". Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  30. "Blue Panorama Airlines enters administration, in negotiations with an 'international investor'". D.
  31. "Another added fee: Airline required passenger to pay extra to add a middle name". Star Tribune. 27 July 2018.
  32. austrianaviation.net - "Blue Panorama becomes Luke Air" (German) 26 October 2019
  33. "Blue Panorama Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
  34. ch-aviation.com - Italy's Blue Panorama proceeds with rebranding 6 January 2021
  35. ch-aviation.com - Italy's Blue Panorama applies for bankruptcy protection 1 November 2021
  36. ch-aviation.com - Italy's Blue Panorama retires both A330s 3 June 2022
  37. "Route Map". www.albawings.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-22. Retrieved 2018-11-16.
  38. "Blue Panorama Airlines". Aeropuertos.Net (in Spanish). 11 June 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  39. "Accident Boeing 767-3G5ER EI-CXO, 16 Jul 2004".
  40. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Air accident real voice recording and flight data". YouTube.
  41. "Ekskluzive/ Rinas, shmanget tragjedia në avionin me 200 pasagjerë, kapet i dehur piloti i Blue Panorama - Shqiptarja". Shqiptarja.com.
  42. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "John Legend - Show Me (Official Video)". YouTube.

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