Air VIA
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| Founded | 1990 | ||||||
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| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | Charters | ||||||
| Headquarters | Sofia, Bulgaria | ||||||
| Key people | Michael Donsky (MD) | ||||||
| Website | www.air-via.com | ||||||
Air VIA Bulgarian Airways is a charter airline with its head office in Sofia, Bulgaria,[1] operating charter flights on behalf of the largest European tour operators, most of them from a broad range of European destinations into Varna Airport and Burgas Airport, as well wet lease subservices.[2]
History
The airline was founded and started operations in 1990 as Varna International Airways. The company is licensed and certified according to the national and European standards for non-regular transport of passengers.
In 1990, Air VIA started operations with five new Tupolev 154M.
After the airline was founded by a group of private Bulgarian investors the company initially performed charter flights for Bulgarian and leading European tour operators (Neckermann, TUI Travel, Jetair and Prodintour) to and from Bulgarian seaside resorts.
In 2005, Air VIA's management decided to completely change the fleet due to the ever growing competition, EU regulations, environmental responsibility, increasing fuel prices and last but not least - higher customer requirements. Since the summer of 2006, Air VIA is once again the first Bulgarian airline to operate brand new aircraft - Airbus A320-232.
In 2013, the company had 217 employees.[3]
Destinations
Air Via mainly operates charter flights between the Bulgarian seaside airports Bourgas and Varna and countries in Western Europe and the Middle East. The company also operates charter flights on behalf of TUIfly and Condor.
Fleet
The Air VIA fleet consists of an all Airbus A320-232 fleet in a 180 passengers all-economy class layout. The average age of the Air VIA fleet is 5.5 years.[4] The fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of September 2014):[5]
| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-232 | two operated for WOW Air and one aircraft on repair at LEJ |
Retired fleet
Incidents and accidents
On 24 May 2013, Air VIA flight 502 from Leipzig to Varna overshot the runway at Varna Airport after touchdown because of backwind. Two people onboard were injured during evacuation.[6][7]
On 4 July 2014, in clear weather and calm winds, the Air VIA's A320 flight 501 from Varna to Leipzig failed to land within length of runway 08R and touched down hard short of the runway threshold. The aircraft bounced and touched down for a second time at the very beginning of the runway (in the area of the ‘piano keys’) in a nose-high attitude resulting in a tailstrike. The landing run was completed normally and the A320 taxied to the main apron without assistance. Nobody was injured. Substantial damage occurred to the aft fuselage and a longer repair is expected.
See also
References
- ^ "Contacts." Air VIA. Retrieved on 28 April 2012. "AIR VIA Bulgarian Airways 54, G.M. Dimitrov Blvd., 1125 Sofia, Bulgaria"
- ^ Flight International 27 March 2007
- ^ http://www.air-via.com/index.php?category=1&page=10
- ^ http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Air-Via
- ^ Air VIA Fleet
- ^ http://www.dnevnik.bg/morski/2013/05/24/2067707_samolet_izleze_ot_pistata_na_letishte_varna_dve_jeni/
- ^ http://avherald.com/h?article=462c0ec6&opt=7168
External links
