Darwin Airline

Darwin Airline
IATA code :	F7
ICAO code :	DWT
Call sign :	DARWIN
Founding:	2003
Operation stopped:	2017
Seat:	Lugano , Switzerland
Home airport :	Lugano-Agno
Company form:	Corporation
IATA prefix code :	033
Management:	Emilio Martinenghi ( Chairman of the Board of Directors ) Maurizio Merlo ( CEO )
Number of employees:	320
Fleet size:	10
Aims:	national and continental
Website:	www.adriaairways.ch
Darwin Airline ceased operations in 2017. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

Darwin Airline was a Swiss airline based in Lugano and based at Lugano-Agno Airport . She recently used the names Etihad Regional and then Adria Airways Switzerland in the external appearance . The company was revoked on November 28, 2017, the necessary licenses and received a flight ban . On December 12, 2017, it ceased flight operations.

history

2003 - foundation

The airline was founded in 2003 after the national airline Swiss Lugano withdrew from its route network. Since the end of July 2004, Darwin Airline has had an operating license from the Federal Office for Civil Aviation (FOCA) and began scheduled flight operations on July 28, 2004 with the maiden flight from Lugano to Geneva .

In November 2010, the company announced that it had acquired the goals served by Baboo and part of its business activities. The takeover was completed in the first quarter of 2011 after approval by the responsible authorities.

2013 - Etihad joins

In November 2013 it was announced that Etihad Airways would take over a 33.3 percent stake. Darwin Airline was given the name Etihad Regional and should be expanded significantly. In April 2015, the participation was approved by the Swiss Federal Office for Civil Aviation; the long processing time has been criticized by both Darwin Airline and Etihad.

2015 - route dismantling

In January 2015 it was announced that Etihad Regional would cancel the routes from Zurich to Lugano and Linz, as well as the routes from Geneva to Toulouse and Nice at the end of the month and lay off 60 of 320 employees. Excess aircraft capacities should be compensated for with wet lease agreements in favor of other airlines. The reason given was the tough competition with Swiss and pending approvals from the Federal Office for Civil Aviation for codeshare flights together with Etihad Airways.

On February 18, 2015, the company discontinued most of its routes without prior notice; only the domestic flights Zurich-Geneva and Lugano-Geneva and the flights to Italy in cooperation with Alitalia will continue to be offered.

In December 2015, Darwin Airline ended its cooperation with SkyWork Airlines .

2017 - Takeover by 4K Invest

On July 20, 2017, it was announced that Etihad and all other shareholders of Darwin Airline would sell their shares to the Luxembourg investment company 4K Invest, which u. a. Owner of the Slovenian airline Adria Airways . Darwin Airline should remain as an independent company in the course of the takeover; the external appearance should take place under the brand Adria Airways Switzerland . On November 27, 2017, Darwin Airline announced a debt restructuring moratorium , the Swiss variant of the American Chapter 11. One day later, the Swiss supervisory authority, the Federal Office of Civil Aviation, revoked Darwin Airline's operating license with immediate effect. The company was then no longer allowed to operate its own commercial scheduled flights, but flights on behalf of other airlines. On December 12, 2017, Darwin Airline was declared bankrupt. The company is wound up and dissolved, and the AOC is now invalid.

Destinations

Interior of a Saab 2000

Darwin Airline served destinations within Europe for Adria Airlines. From 2018, Darwin Airline should focus on ACMI leasing , the fleet should be further reduced.

Former goals

In March 2015, flights to England , the Netherlands , Germany , Austria , Serbia and Italian islands such as Sicily , Lampedusa and Pantelleria were suspended. The base in Leipzig / Halle , which had existed since September 2013, was also dissolved in March 2015. Destinations from Leipzig-Halle were Paris , Amsterdam , Zurich and Geneva . The daily connection from Dresden to Amsterdam and Zurich (since August 2014) and two daily connections to Vienna (since November 2014) have also been discontinued.

From June 2013 to mid-2015, a daily connection from Bolzano to Rome was offered on the basis of a codeshare agreement with Alitalia .

fleet

The home base of Darwin Airline: Lugano Airport

As of May 2017, the Darwin Airline fleet consisted of ten aircraft with an average age of 19.1 years:

Aircraft type	number	ordered	Remarks	Average age
ATR 72-500	04th		First delivery 2012; 4 operated for Alitalia	16.1 years
Saab 2000	06th		First delivery in 2004; 2 operated for Alitalia	21.1 years
total	10			19.1 years

Incidents

• Darwin Airline Flight 250 : On January 28, 2014, a Saab 2000 from Leipzig broke the nose wheel on landing in Paris, causing the front part of the aircraft to hit the runway. The 16 passengers and three crew members were uninjured.

See also

• Former Airlines List (Europe)

Web links

Commons : Darwin Airline  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Adria Airways Switzerland website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Airline and Airport Code Search , accessed September 15, 2014
2. ↑ ^{a b} Leadership ETIHAD REGIONAL TEAM ( Memento from December 8, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 4, 2015
3. ^ Darwin Airline grounded, AOC suspended. ch-aviation , November 28, 2017.
4. ^ Austrianaviation.net - Etihad Regional lands in Graz and Linz ( memento from November 19, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) November 17, 2013
5. ↑ Etihad is allowed to buy into Darwin . aerotelegraph.com, accessed April 2, 2015.
6. ^ Etihad Regional in the air hole . aerotelegraph.com, accessed January 20, 2015.
7. ^ Etihad Regional cancels flights again . austrianaviation.net, February 18, 2015.
8. ↑ There is a lot of air between Swiss regional airlines
9. ↑ Stefan Eiselin: Etihad ends Swiss adventure . aerotelegraph.com, July 20, 2017, accessed July 20, 2017.
10. ↑ Stefan Eiselin: Darwin Airline is insolvent aerotelegraph.com, July 27, 2017, accessed on July 29, 2017.
11. ↑ NZZ, November 29, 2017, page 23: Darwin Airline loses take-off permission .
12. ↑ St. Galler Tagblatt: Darwin planes stay on the ground ( memento from December 1, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) tagblatt.ch, November 28, 2017.
13. ↑ Jan Gruber: Final end for Darwin Airline austrianaviation.net, December 12, 2017, accessed on December 14, 2017.
14. ^ Adria Airways buys Etihad Regional ( English ) Retrieved October 30, 2017.
15. ↑ FLY WITH US ( Memento from September 12, 2015 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on December 4, 2015
16. ↑ Leipzig-Halle Airport , press release of September 2, 2013.
17. ↑ [1]
18. ↑ [2]
19. ↑ Archive link ( Memento from June 29, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
20. ^ Ch-aviation - Darwin Airline , accessed on May 3, 2017
21. ^ Aviation Safety Network , accessed January 21, 2015
22. ^ Aviation Herald , accessed January 21, 2015
23. ^ Austrian Aviation Net , accessed on January 21, 2015

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