Van Air Europe
Van Air Europe is a Czech passenger and cargo charter airline headquartered in Brno and based at Brno–Tuřany Airport.
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| Founded | 2004 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | Brno–Tuřany Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Brno, Czech Republic | ||||||
| Website | vanair.org | ||||||
History
The airline was founded in 2004 by its parent company Aeroservis.[2]
On 15 July 2006, the airline began operating flights on behalf of Citywing, operating flights out of Blackpool, the Isle of Man, Gloucester, Belfast City, Leeds/Bradford, Newcastle upon Tyne and Jersey, the Jersey service only operating during the summer months. The Leeds service has been discontinued. Until 6 May 2013, it also operated a Shoreham – Paris-Pontoise service on behalf of Brighton City Airways. A new service to Glasgow was inaugurated in March 2014.[3]
On 23 February 2017, a Van Air Europe Let L410 (OK-LAZ), departed Ronaldsway Airport, Isle of Man operating a scheduled service on behalf of Citywing (schedule V9-502) to Belfast City Airport.[4] During the latter stages of the aircraft's approach to Runway 04 at Belfast City the approach was discontinued as a consequence of adverse weather.[4] An appraisal of the weather at both Belfast City and Belfast Aldergrove airports resulted in the crew diverting the aircraft back to the Isle of Man, touching down at Ronaldsway at 09:25hrs (GMT).[4] The weather report for the time of arrival reported the wind blowing offset from the main runway by an angle of approximately 30 degrees, with a mean speed of 42 knots (48 mph; 78 km/h) and gusts of 56 knots (64 mph; 104 km/h)[4] – at that time other operators had suspended operations.[4] After landing the aircraft was instructed to stop by local Air Traffic Control, and the emergency services were requested. Passengers disembarked the aircraft without injury.[4]
On 23 February 2017, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) revealed it has suspended Van Air's permission to fly in the United Kingdom.[5] Following the response to Safety Recommendation 2018-005 made on 1 March 2018, the case was closed by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).[6]
Fleet
As of November 2021, the Van Air Europe fleet consists of the following aircraft:[7]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Let L-410 Turbolet | 5 | 19 |
References
- "IATA – Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- "VAN AIR Europe a.s. – Facts – Services – News". Vanair.org. 15 July 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- "The Experience". Brighton City Airways. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
- "Van AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES Turbolet at Belfast and Isle of Man on Feb 23th 2017, weather related diversion results in grounding of airline". AeroInside. 25 February 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- "CityWing flights grounded after incident". EnergyFM. 24 February 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
- "Annual Safety Review 2018".
- vanair.org – L410 FLEET. Retrieved 14 March 2017
