How to Lose an Airline in 8 Years (and turn it into two other failing airlines)

When I mentioned Helios Airlines to any of my friends they had no idea what I was talking about so this blog is about the forgoten airline of Cyprus.

The airline was established as "Helios Airways" on 23 September 1998 and was the first independent privately owned airline in Cyprus. On 15 May 2000, it operated its first charter flight to London Gatwick. It was formed by the owners of TEA, a Cypriot offshore air operator specialising in Boeing 737 wet leases worldwide. Helios was acquired in 2004 by Libra Holidays Group of Limassol, Cyprus.

On August 14 2005, Flight 522, a Boeing 737-300, crashed en route from Larnaca to Athens, killing all 121 aboard. The regulating valve was left open on manual which caused loss of cabin pressure this is suspected to be the cause.

After the crash Helios, only having one plane left, ceased operations on October 31 and was turned into Ajet.

On November 1, one day after it was created, Ajet was bought By XL Airways.

After 12 years of operation XL airways ceased operations over night thus ending the Helios life-line.

40 years of the 747

In 1963 the US Airforce started a series of test on large transport aircraft. The biggest at the time was the C-141 Starlifter, but much larger aircraft was needed. The first designs to come out had six engines but thier studies confirmed that they would need special made engines and a special airframe.

By 1964 many aircraft companies sent the designs to Boeing and engine manufactures sent thiers in as well.

After carefully studing each design Boeing went with a combanation of Lockheeds design for the airframe with General Electric's engine design.

Juan Trippe(the president of Pan AM) asked boeing to create and airplane twice the size of the 707, so boeing and Pan Am worked together to create the 747 design out of the transport design in 1964.

For thier work in the design Boeing sent the first 747 to Pan Am.

Before the first 747 was fully assembled, testing began on many components and systems. One important test involved evacuation of 560 volunteers from a cabin mock-up via the plane's emergency chutes.

On 30 September 1968, the first 747 was rolled out of the Everett assembly building before the world's press and representatives of the 26 airlines that had ordered the plane. Despite a minor problem with one of the flaps, the flight confirmed that the 747 handled extremely well. The plane was found to be largely immune to "Dutch roll", a phenomenon that had been a major hazard to the early swept-wing jets.

On 15 January 1970, First Lady of the United States Pat Nixon christened Pan Am's first 747 at Dulles International Airport in the presence of the Pan Am chairman.The 747 entered service on 22 January 1970, on Pan Am's New York–London route; the flight had been planned for the evening of 21 January, but engine overheating made the original aircraft unusable. Finding a substitute delayed the flight by more than six hours to the following day.

When economic problems in the United States and other countries after the 1973 oil crisis led to reduced passenger traffic, several airlines found they did not have enough passengers to fly the 747 economically, and they replaced them with the smaller and recently introduced McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and Lockheed L-1011 TriStar wide bodies (and later the twinjet 767 and A300).

Today the 747 is still not as popular as once before but i has over 9 variants including the "Dreamlifter" and Air Force One.

British airlines has the biggest fleet of 747's at a count of 57 aircraft.

How popular is Calgary Airport?

Calgary Airport has gone threw some major growths.

One may ask which airlines flys to Calgary, which will fly to Calgary and where do they come from. Well this is a list of them.Oh one airline that is not on my list is Enerjet, it is an airline that will mostly serve as transportation for worker in the oil sands.

Airlines Here at Calgary:

Air Canada

Air Canada Jazz

CMA AKA Central Mountain Air

Westjet

Airlines That Visit:

Flyglobespan(Dublin)

American Airlines (Dallas)

Continental (Houston)

Delta/Skywest (Salt Lake City)

Horizon Air (Seattle)

Northwest Airlines (Minneaplis and St.Paul)

United Airlines (Chicago and Denver)

Sunwing (Las Vegas)

United Express (Chicago, Denver, San Fransisco)

Us Airways (Phoenix)

Aeromexico (cancun)

Air North (Whitehorse)

Air Transat (Amsterdam, Cancún, Frankfurt, London, Huatulco, , Manzanillo, Montego Bay, Munich, Paris, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Santa Clara, Varadero)

British Airways (London)

Canadian North (Edmonton)

Canjet (Cancún, La Ceiba, Varadero, Vancouver)

Lufthansa (frankfurt)

Mexicana de Aviación AKA Mexicana (Mexico City)

Monarch (London and Manchester)

KLM (Amsterdam(bgins May 3))

Skyservice (Cabo San Lucas, Cancún, Holguin, Huatulco, Liberia, Manzanillo, Mazatlan, Montego Bay, Puerto Plata, Puerto Vallarta, Punta Cana, Varadero)

Sunwing (Cancun, Holguin, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta, Toronto)

Thomas Cook Airlines (London-Gatwick, Manchester)

Cargo Airlines Here at Calgary:

Astar Air Cargo

Bax Global

Cargo jet

Fed Ex Express

Fed Ex Feeder

Purolator

Cargo Airlines That Visit Calgary:

UPS (Louisville)

Cargo Lux (Lexembourg)

Asiana Airlines (Seoul-Incheon)

Antonov Airlines (Bagdad and Kiev-Gostomel)

Airlines that do not park at Calgary Airport but are based in Calgary:

Alta Flights
Bar XH Air
Corporate Express
Kenn Borek Air
Skyxpress Airline
Sunwest Aviation

Westjet in 2016

Westjets profit-sharing has paved the way in aviation history.

Only being the third largest airline in Canada Westjet has been very profitable, so profitable that it is said that by 2016 Westjet will be one of the top 5 profitable international airlines in the WORLD!!!!! all thanks to Thier profit-sharing.

Westjet and its equal airline Southwest Airlines where the only airlines in north america that where able to be profitable.

Westjet is also begining flights up north, which I believe could create a merger between Westjet and Canadian North(which like Air Canada Jazz was once owned by Air Canada).

Westjet hopes to code share with KLM, Air France, British Airways, and Cathay Pacific.(not even Air Canada could do that)

WestJet will also introduce their own frequent flyer program in 2009.

In my oppinion I think in the next ten years, Air Canada will go Bankrupt(as long as our government does not bail them out) and Westjet will be our national airline or if westjet continues on the path its on it will buy Air canada.

Air Canada and thier spending habbit

Air Canada recently finished a "Extreme Makeover" on thier A3221-200 fleet. The makeover (also known as Project XM) comes at a cost of $200,000,000Air

Canada plans to upgrade all its fleet by 2012 including thier new 787 dreamliners.

In case you are going to fly with Air Canada Here are the Projet XM finished airplanes:

A319

A320

A321-200

B767-300ER(three of which are being retired)

Air Canada's A330-300 fleet should be finished by the end of 2009. Air Canada's EMB 175, EMB 190, 777-200LR, 777-300ER fleets have been factory fitted. Thier 787's also have been fitted but will not enter service until 2012 and will be the last fleet to go threw the make over.

This upgrade includes:

-In Executive First, new horizontal fully-flat Executive First Suites in a 'herringbone pattern' (on B767's, B777's and A330's).

-New cabins in all classes on all aircraft.-Personal AVOD (8.9 in/230 mm touch-screen LCD) in Economy class (domestic and international) and Executive Class (domestic) providing over 200 hours of video and audio entertainment.

-Larger AVOD (12 in/300 mm touch-screen LCD) equipped with noise-canceling Sennheiser headphones available in Executive First Suites.

-Interactive games at all seats.

-Three-prong 120 V AC plugs for laptops in both classes.

-USB ports to recharge electronic devices.

-USB ports for game controllers

Is Air Canada Jazz really owned by Air Canada?

Alot of people assume the just because Air Canada Jazz has Air Canadas name means they are running like Air Canada(with the wonderful srvice we've all come to love). Truth it was once owned by Air Canada when it was created.

Established in 2001, Air Canada Jazz was formed make up for the failed Air Canada connector carriers such as Air BC, Air Nova, Air Ontario and Canadian Regional Airlines and shortly after the successful takeover of Canadian Airlines by Air Canada.

When Air Canada Jazz was started they did a Toronto City Centre Airport to Ottawa. After many flights from Toronto Air Canada could no longer afford the price of treminal space and canceld one of Jazz's main routes (The drop of Air Canada's Terminal space helped paved the way to create Porter Airlines(top left)

In 2006 ACE Aviation Holdings sold off all of their Air Canada Jazz assets. Air Canada Jazz is now an independent company known as Jazz Air Income Fund. They are not run by Air Canada but they are running for Air Canada.

Air Canada Jazz has three aviation incidents but there has been no injury or fatalites on thier record.