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Sky Express (Greece)
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Founded | 2005 | ||||||
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Hubs |
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Fleet size | 19 | ||||||
Destinations | 43 | ||||||
Headquarters | Athens, Greece | ||||||
Website | www |
Sky Express, legal name Cretan Aeronautical Operations (Greek: Κρητικές Αεροπορικές Εκμεταλλεύσεις Kritikés Aeroporikés Ekmetallefsis),[2] is a Greek airline headquartered in Athens International Airport. It was established in 2005[3] and operates a number flights, serving 35 domestic and eight international destinations.[4]
History[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Sky_Express_%28Greece%29_ATR_72-500_%28SX-FIV%29_%40_HER%2C_Sept_2019.jpg/220px-Sky_Express_%28Greece%29_ATR_72-500_%28SX-FIV%29_%40_HER%2C_Sept_2019.jpg)
The airline was established in early 2005 by Cpt. Miltiadis Tsagkarakis, a former Olympic Airlines director-general and pilot, and George Mavrantonakis, former Olympic Airlines Chief Operating Officer and Account Manager as well as advisor to the company president.[5] Operations commenced in July 2005,[6] including scheduled, charter, cargo, air taxi, emergency medical services, excursion and sightseeing flights. Sky Express Aircargo was later established as a joint venture with the Finaval Group and dedicated to cargo transport between Europe and the Far East.[citation needed]
In October 2020, the airline placed a firm order for four Airbus A320neo aircraft (the fleet now includes six of them). In addition, the company introduced a new design for their new Airbus aircraft.[7]
Logo controversy[]
The airline's initial logo was inspired by the flag of the Cretan State, a semi-independent state under the Ottoman Empire. The flag of the Cretan State was composed of a white cross extending to the edges of the flag, with the upper-hoist canton in red, featuring a white star symbolizing Ottoman sovereignty on the island, and the other squares in blue, symbolizing the Greeks of Crete. The flag has also been adopted as a symbol of the Cretan independence pseudo-movement. The logo was not well-received, and following complaints by the public in Greece, especially Cretans, the logo was changed. The company said it did not consider the flag offensive, since it represented a milestone in the unification of Crete with the Kingdom of Greece,[8] but changed the logo nonetheless to avoid any further confusion.[citation needed]
Corporate Affairs[]
In 2018, Sky Express carried 1 million passengers for the first time.[9]
2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Turnover (€m) | 16,299 | 16,616 | 34,068 | 61,475 | ΤΒΑ |
Net profit after tax (€m) | 0,169 | −1,391 | −0,156 | 0,304 | TBA |
Number of employees | 77 | 86 | 129 | 193 | ΤΒΑ |
Number of passengers | 85,174 | 168,116 | 496,562 | 1,000,000 | 1,200,000 |
Number of aircraft (at year end) | 6 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
Notes/sources | [10] | [11] | [12] | [13] | [14] |
Destinations[]
As of 2021, Sky Express operates scheduled flights to 35 destinations in Greece and to another eight abroad.
[]
Sky Express codeshares with the following airlines:
Fleet[]
As of July 2021, Sky Express's fleet consists of the following aircraft:[19][20][21]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers |
---|---|---|---|
ATR 42-500 | 5 | — | 48 |
ATR 72-500 | 5 | — | 70 |
ATR 72-600 | 3 | 3 | 70 |
Airbus A320neo | 6 | — | 186 174 |
Total | 19 | 3 |
Historical fleet[]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Sky_express_crete.jpg/220px-Sky_express_crete.jpg)
In the past, Sky Express also operated the following types:
- ATR 42-300
- BAe Jetstream 41
- McDonnell Douglas MD-83
Incidents and accidents[]
- On 12 February 2009, a BAe Jetstream 31 registered SX-SKY experienced a right main gear collapse after landing inbound from Rhodes International Airport.[22] None of the 15 passengers or three crew members were injured, but the aircraft suffered considerable damage to its right landing gear, wing and propeller. The aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair and was written off.[citation needed] The accident was caused by two previous hard landings (out of the previous 27) which had gone unreported. One of the hard landings had caused a fracture in a landing gear cylinder, which spread until the cylinder failed, causing the landing gear to collapse. The aircraft was scrapped at Heraklion Airport in late February 2011.
- On 2 February 2015, a BAe Jetstream 41 aircraft registered SX-DIA, operating flight GQ-100 from Heraklion, experienced a left main gear collapse and runway excursion after a hard landing at Rhodes Diagoras Airport caused by strong winds. None of the 16 passengers or three crew members were injured. The aircraft suffered substantial damage.[23]
- On 21 June 2019, the 3 PM flight from Heraklion to Rhodes Diagoras Airport performed an emergency landing at Karpathos Airport after one of the engines exploded. None of the 47 passengers suffered any injuries.[24][25]
References[]
- ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
- ^ "Ιστορική αναδρομή". skyexpress.gr. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014.
- ^ "About us". SKY express. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "Destinations". SKY express. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "Profile". skyexpress.gr. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Sky Express". airlinesxl.com. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ "SKY express orders four A320neo and becomes a new Airbus customer". Airbus. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ^ ΔΕΛΤΙΟ ΤΥΠΟΥ (in Greek). www.skyexpress.gr. 25 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 July 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ https://www.businessnews.gr/el/epixeiriseis/epixeiriseis/sky-express-diplasiase-toys-epivates-tis-2018.html
- ^ {https://www.airlinepros.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Sky-Expresentation-Product-Presentation.pdf
- ^ {https://www.businessregistry.gr/publicity/show/77782327000
- ^ {https://www.skyexpress.gr/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/5.-ΙΣΟΛΟΓΙΣΜΟΣ-ΚΑΧ-2018.pdf
- ^ "Στοιχεία Δημοσιότητας".
- ^ {https://www.metaforespress.gr/aeroporika/αποκλειστικο-μεγαλύτερα-αεροσκάφη-π/
- ^ https://atwonline.com/airports-routes/air-france-klm-partner-greek-regional-sky-express}}
- ^ "Sky Express and Air Serbia ink deal".
- ^ https://atwonline.com/airports-routes/air-france-klm-partner-greek-regional-sky-express}}
- ^ "Συμφωνία Διασύνδεσης μεταξύ Qatar Airways και Sky Express".
- ^ "Live Flight Tracker - Real-Time Flight Tracker Map".
- ^ "SKY express". www.skyexpress.gr. Retrieved 2021-06-09.
- ^ "Fleet Renewal Underway as SKY express Orders Five More ATR 72s". 13 July 2021.
- ^ "Accident: Sky Express JS31 at Heraklion on Feb 12th 2009, right main gear collapsed on landing". www.avherald.com. 15 February 2009. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Accident: Sky Express JS41 at Rhodes on Feb 2nd 2015, gear collapse and runway excursion on landing". www.avherald.com. 2 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
- ^ "Αναγκαστική προσγείωση στην Κάρπαθο για αεροπλάνο με 46 επιβάτες". ProtoThema (in Greek). 2019-06-21. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
- ^ "Αναγκαστική προσγείωση αεροσκάφους στην Κάρπαθο - Εκτελούσε το δρομολόγιο Ηράκλειο – Ρόδο | Kathimerini". www.kathimerini.gr. Retrieved 2019-06-21.
External links[]
- Official website
- Sky Express fleet from airfleets.net
- Sky Express (Greece) on ch-aviation.com
- Report no 08 / 2009 on SX-SKY by the Air Accident Investigation & Aviation Safety Board
- Report no 03 / 2018 on SX-DIA by the Air Accident Investigation & Aviation Safety Board
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- Airlines established in 2005
- Airlines of Greece
- Greek companies established in 2005