Small Planet Group
| Small Planet Group
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| legal form | UAB |
| founding | 2014 |
| resolution | 2019 |
| Reason for dissolution | insolvency |
| Seat |
Vilnius , Lithuania
|
| management | Vytautas Kaikaris ( CEO ) |
| Number of employees | about 800 |
| Branch | transport |
.jpg)
Small Planet Group was the Lithuanian holding company of the various Small Planet Airlines, which had to file for bankruptcy on October 31, 2018.
history
After the takeover of Small Planet Airlines Lithuania and Small Planet Airlines Poland by the two managers Vytautas Kaikaris and Andrius Staniulis, the Small Planet Group UAB was founded in 2014 as a holding company for these companies. In addition, a subsidiary was founded in Thailand in 2014 and a subsidiary in Germany in 2015, and a Cambodian subsidiary was added in 2017.
In the summer of 2018, the Small Planet Group repeatedly came under criticism due to high delays and flight cancellations. Among other things, the resulting costs meant that the German subsidiary had to file for bankruptcy in September 2018. As a result, difficulties arose throughout the Small Planet Group, as planned missions for Small Planet Airlines Germany in the 2018/2019 winter season were canceled. As a result, Small Planet Airlines Poland had to reduce its fleet to one machine in the shortest possible time and also file for bankruptcy on October 8, 2018.
On the evening of October 23, 2018, it was announced that the Small Planet Group had announced a restructuring process that is comparable to German insolvency proceedings. A middle double-digit number of employees have to leave the company.
At the beginning of November 2018, the German, Polish and Cambodian subsidiaries shut down operations one after the other within a few days after no investors were found. The application for restructuring proceedings for the Lithuanian subsidiary was rejected by the competent court in Vilnius, as a result of which the Lithuanian civil aviation authority withdrew the company's AOC and operating license on November 28, 2018. Thus, on November 29, 2018, the flight operations of the last subsidiary ceased and insolvency proceedings opened.
subsidiary company
The Small Planet Group had a total of eight subsidiaries in seven countries:
Small Planet Airlines Lithuania
The wholly-owned Lithuanian subsidiary was founded in 2010 as the successor to FlyLAL and was based at Vilnius Airport . It operated up to 10 Airbus A320-200 aircraft . The company had to file for bankruptcy on October 23, 2018, the planned restructuring process was rejected by the competent court on November 28, 2018, so that the AOC was withdrawn the following day and operations had to be stopped.
Small Planet Airlines Estonia
The Estonian subsidiary , which was active from 2010 to 2012 , emerged from FlyLAL Charters Estonia and operated a Boeing 737-300. This was used in 2011 for the Swedish company Tor Air and transferred to the Lithuanian subsidiary after its insolvency. Small Planet Airlines Estonia was then dissolved in 2012.
Small Planet Airlines Poland
The Polish subsidiary was founded in Warsaw in 2010 and started operations with a Boeing 737-300. Most recently it operated up to 12 aircraft of the Airbus A320 family and mainly operated flights for various tour operators. As a result of the insolvency of the German subsidiary, Small Planet Airlines Poland also got into difficulties and had to reduce the fleet to one machine in a very short time. As a result, important orders were lost, so that bankruptcy had to be filed on October 8, 2018 and flight operations were suspended on November 9, 2018.
Small Planet Airlines Italia
Also in 2010 a subsidiary was founded in Italy , which was based at Rome-Fiumicino Airport . The company owned two Boeing 737-300s and was sold in April 2013.
Small Planet Airlines Thailand
The Thai subsidiary was founded in Bangkok at the end of 2014, in which the Small Planet Group held 49% of the shares. She should keep the machines of the Small Planet Group busy in the weak European winter season and operate two Airbus A320-200s. After the ICAO put Thailand on the list of Red Flag countries due to safety deficiencies, inadequate infrastructure and a lack of supervision, the subsidiary was given up in 2015 because it would not have been possible to add new routes abroad.
Small Planet Airlines Germany
Together with the two former Germania managing directors Andreas Wobig and Oliver Pawel, the German subsidiary was founded in Berlin in May 2015 , in which they held an 80% stake. From October 2015, flights from Germany were carried out with aircraft from the Polish and Lithuanian sister companies until the German AOC was granted in May 2016 and operations began with two Airbus A320-200s leased by Air Berlin . By 2018, the fleet had grown to six aircraft from the Airbus A320 family, and several leased aircraft were used in the summer months. As a result of massive delays and flight cancellations in summer 2018 and the resulting high costs for subcharter and compensation payments, the German subsidiary got into massive financial difficulties, so that bankruptcy had to be filed on September 18, 2018. Since no new investor could be found despite intensive negotiations, flight operations were discontinued on November 1, 2018 and regular insolvency proceedings opened on December 1, 2018.
Small Planet Airlines Cambodia
After the plans for the Thai subsidiary failed, the Cambodian subsidiary was founded in 2017 with a similar concept, in which the Small Planet Group had a 29% stake. Flight operations began on November 30, 2017 with two Airbus A320-200s and destinations in China and South Korea were headed for. Due to the financial situation of the Small Planet Group, flight operations were suspended on November 9, 2018 and the aircraft were returned to the lessors.
KlasJet
The Small Planet Group also had a 25 percent stake in the Lithuanian business class charter airline KlasJet , based in Vilnius .
fleet
At the time of the cessation of operations, the Small Planet Group's fleet consisted of 8 aircraft with an average age of 15.6 years.
| Aircraft type | number | ordered | Remarks | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 8th | - | 5 of them inactive
2 leased from Afriqiyah Airways |
180 |
The Small Planet Group operated a fleet of different types of the Airbus A320 family . Before the bankruptcy in summer 2018, the fleet comprised a total of 29 aircraft, including 21 Airbus A320s and 8 Airbus A321s . Continued to come in the summer season various Wetleases used, including GetJet Airlines , Star East Airlines and Via Airways.
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deutsche Small Planet apologizes . In: airliners.de . ( airliners.de [accessed October 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Deutsche Small Planet slips into bankruptcy . In: airliners.de . ( airliners.de [accessed October 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Wielkie Kłopoty Small Planet. Linia czarterowa zostanie z dwoma samolotami . In: Business Insider . October 5, 2018 ( com.pl [accessed October 5, 2018]).
- ↑ Small Planet: Polish branch is also bankrupt - Austrian Aviation Net. Retrieved October 8, 2018 .
- ↑ Small Planet Holding is broke . In: airliners.de . ( airliners.de [accessed October 26, 2018]).
- ↑ Jan Gruber: Judgment in Lithuania: Final out for Small Planet. In: austrianaviation.net. November 28, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018 .
- ↑ Small Planet Holding is broke. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ^ Judgment in Lithuania: Final End for Small Planet. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ^ Small Planet Airlines Estonia on ch-aviation. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet: Polish offshoot is also broke. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet Airlines Polska terminates operations. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet Airlines Italia license revoked, flights canceled. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet Airlines Thailand Airline Profile | CAPA. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Status changed: Icao trusts Thailand again. In: aeroTELEGRAPH. October 9, 2017, accessed on July 24, 2019 (Swiss Standard German).
- ^ Small Planet Airlines' Cambodian unit secures AOC. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet Cambodia no longer flies. Retrieved July 24, 2019 .
- ↑ Small Planet prepares for its next stage by organizing itself as a Group - News - Small Planet Airlines. April 23, 2014, accessed July 26, 2019 .
- ^ Small Planet Group Fleet Details and History. Retrieved November 25, 2018 .
- ^ Small Planet Group Fleet Details and History. Retrieved October 5, 2018 .