Trans European Airways

Trans European Airways
IATA code :	HE
ICAO code :	TEA
Call sign :	BELGAIR
Founding:	1970
Operation stopped:	1991
Seat:	Brussels , Belgium
Home airport :	Brussels-Zaventem Airport
Number of employees:	250
Fleet size:	11
Aims:	Mediterranean area , Portugal , Canary Islands , UK
Trans European Airways ceased operations in 1991. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

Trans European Airways (operating under the brand name TEA ) was a Belgian charter airline that also operated scheduled flights from 1990 . In addition, the company temporarily leased individual aircraft to other airlines. Trans European Airways became internationally known for its participation in Operation Moses . The company ceased flight operations in 1991.

history

TEA began in 1974 as the world's first charter airline one Airbus A300 , a

Trans European Airways (TEA) was founded by Georges Gutelman in Brussels in October 1970 to offer low-cost air travel for students and tour groups, which Gutelman marketed through his travel agency TIFA . The start of flight operations took place in early June 1971 with a Boeing 720 from the holdings of Eastern Air Lines . The aircraft was used on behalf of the Belgian tour operator Sunsnacks and other tourism companies on IT charter flights in the Mediterranean region. In August 1972 TEA acquired a second aircraft of this type from Aer Lingus , which in the winter of 1972 was temporarily leased to other airlines, including Air Cambodge . Although the demand for package tours fell across Europe as a result of the first oil crisis from autumn 1973, TEA was able to expand rapidly. The company received in the spring of 1974 three Boeing 707 and introduced in November 1974 as the world's first charter airline a widebody aircraft of the type Airbus A300 into service. The Airbus was in the same month in the wet-lease to Air Algérie rented and until January 1975 pilgrimage flights between Algiers and Mecca begins. In the following years, TEA carried out regular pilgrimage flights in addition to tourist charter services, including for the African companies Egypt Air , Nigeria Airways and Tunisair . In addition, the company temporarily leased aircraft to European and American airlines. Thanks to the leasing, TEA was able to operate its machines profitably even during the low-demand winter months.

The company planned to start IT charter flights from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol with a second Airbus A300 in the summer of 1975 , but did not receive an operating permit from the Dutch authorities . The second Airbus was then leased briefly to Transavia Holland and in 1977 long-term to Egypt Air . Aircraft of the type Boeing 737 supplemented the fleet from June 1976 and replaced the Boeing 720 (until 1978) and the three oldest Boeing 707 (until 1984). In 1979 TEA applied for traffic rights for long-haul charters departing from Brussels, but this was rejected by the Belgian Ministry of Transport. In 1982 the company's own shipyard TEAMCO was established at Brussels Airport , which from the mid-1980s serviced Belgian and Danish F-16 fighter aircraft as well as helicopters for the US armed forces stationed in Europe.

In the mid-1980s, the limited Belgian tourism market did not allow further growth. The company management decided to expand the activities to other European countries. Due to the aviation law at the time, this could only be done by establishing foreign subsidiaries. From 1987, subsidiaries of Trans European Airways were established in France , Great Britain , Italy , Switzerland and Turkey . At the same time, orders were placed for 10 Airbus A310s and 22 Boeing 737s, which were to be delivered to TEA and its subsidiaries from 1990 onwards. In addition to the charter flights, TEA started scheduled flights between Brussels and London Gatwick Airport on June 10, 1990 . In September 1990, additional routes from Brussels to Athens , Barcelona , Nice and Las Palmas were set up. The procurement of the new aircraft and the cost-intensive establishment of the initially only loss-making subsidiaries increasingly burdened the company's liquidity . As a result of the Second Gulf War , holiday travel collapsed across Europe, so that the economic situation deteriorated further. In July 1991, the company asked for government support to avert the impending bankruptcy . The Belgian government refused a grant. On September 9, 1991, the company applied for bankruptcy protection . Limited flight operations could continue until November 3, 1991. One day later, the Brussels Commercial Court declared Trans European Airways bankrupt.

Subsidiaries

The Boeing 737-200 of TUR European Airlines, founded in 1987

From 1987, Trans European Airways established five charter airlines outside Belgium. These traded under the same brand name and - with the exception of TEA Basel - in uniform corporate colors. In the order in which they were founded, the subsidiaries were:

TUR European Airways (Turkey)

The Turkish TUR European Airways was founded in 1987. Trans European Airways took over a 49% stake in the company, the remaining shares were held by the Turkish Kavala Group . TUR European Airways started operations in May 1988 with a Boeing 737-200 from the Belgian parent company between Antalya and Central Europe. In November 1988 TEA ceded all of its shares to the Kavala Group . The Turkish company then continued its flight operations until 1994.

TEA France (France)

TEA France was founded in September 1987, but only received an Air Operator Certificate from the French Ministry of Transport in 1989 . Trans European Airways owned 49% of the company's shares, the remaining 51% was borne by two French banks. Originally, the company was supposed to operate tourist charter flights from Lille Airport and also to transport Italian and Irish pilgrims to the pilgrimage site of Lourdes . The latter was not realized. The start of operations from Lille Airport took place on October 6, 1989 with two Boeing 737s. From 1990 the company also used an Airbus A310 . TEA France filed for bankruptcy on January 20, 1992. Flight operations continued until the end of April 1992 under the supervision of the insolvency administration.

TEA Basel (Switzerland)

A Boeing 737-300 from TEA Basel

The subsidiary TEA Basel was founded on March 18, 1988, watched with suspicion by Balair and Swissair . The Belgian Trans European Airways owned a third of the company's shares, the remaining shares were held by Swiss investors. Flight operations began on March 23, 1989 between Zurich and Lisbon . Although the company had the addition of Basel , the company used its two Boeing 737-300s mainly from Zurich. After the insolvency of the Belgian parent company, the Swiss Air Finance AG took over its holdings, so that TEA Basel could continue flight operations. The company was renamed TEA Switzerland on April 1, 1994 and in 1998 began a cooperation with the British easyJet airline , which acquired 40% of the shares in the same year. The company was renamed easyJet Switzerland on April 1, 1999 , but remained a legally separate company. The British easyJet airline company later increased its stake in the company to 49%.

TEA UK (United Kingdom)

In January 1989, Trans European Airways acquired the insolvent British airline Mediterranean Express , which was subsequently renamed TEA UK . The start of flight operations took place on March 21, 1989 with a Boeing 737 from Birmingham Airport . A month later, two more aircraft of this type were put into service. The Birmingham- based company also operated charter flights from East Midlands and Newcastle airports . TEA UK ceased operations on September 27, 1991 and filed for bankruptcy on October 16, 1991.

TEA Italia (Italy)

TEA Italia , in which Trans European Airways held a 33.3% stake, was founded in Treviso in February 1990 . Flight operations began on December 22, 1990 with a Boeing 737-300. From April 1991 the company operated three aircraft of this type. After the Belgian parent company's bankruptcy, the Italian shareholders took over their shares. TEA Italia ceased operations in 1995.

Operation Moses carried out

The Boeing 707-300 (OO-TYC) that was used in Operation Moses .

In the early 1980s, thousands of people fled Ethiopia to neighboring Sudan as a result of the famine , including at least 8,000 Jewish Falashes . In Sudan they were placed in reception centers. In early 1984, Israel decided to take in the Ethiopian Jews, and to do so, they negotiated with the Sudanese government. This approved the project.

Due to the political situation, the refugees from Sudan could only be transported in secrecy and with the help of a neutral airline. Contacts were made with Georges Gutelman , owner of Trans European Airways , who had previously worked with the Israeli government. A further positive factor was that TEA had carried out several pilgrimage flights on behalf of African airlines, so that the presence of the aircraft in Sudan would not arouse suspicion. Because the flights could not go directly to Israel, Gutelman decided to fly the refugees from Khartoum to Israel via Brussels. For this he needed the consent of the Belgian government. Gutelman was able to win his friend and then Belgian Minister of Justice Jean Gol as a supporter, so that the refugee flights could begin on November 21, 1984 with the approval of the Belgian Prime Minister Wilfried Martens . The Trans European Airways put this one a Boeing 707-300, which it had acquired in May 1984 in Israel. On January 5, 1985, Operation Moses became public. Under pressure from the Arab states, the Sudanese government withdrew the company's landing rights on the same day. By that time, the company had transported around 7,000 refugees to Israel.

fleet

• Airbus A300B1 and A300B4 (service life: A300B1 from 1974 to 1990, A300B4 from 1975 to 1977)
• Airbus A310-300 (duration: from 1990 to 1991 at TEA France)
• Boeing 707-100 and 707-300C (service life: Boeing 707-100 from 1974 to 1984, Boeing 707-300C from 1984 to 1988)
• Boeing 720 (duration: from 1971 to 1978)
• Boeing 737-200 and 737-300 (service life: Boeing 737-200 from 1976 to 1991, Boeing 737-300 from 1988 to 1991)

See also

• Former Airlines List (Europe)
• Former Airlines List (Asia) (for TUR European)

Web links

Commons : Trans European Airways  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Leisure Airlines of Europe, K. Vomhof, Newcastle-upon-Tyne 2001
2. ^ Flight International, March 22, 1973 [1]
3. ↑ jp airline fleets 75
4. ^ Airliners - Airbus A300, Jim Lucas, Hounslow, 1976
5. ^ Flight International, March 6, 1976 [2]
6. ↑ ^{a b} jp airline-fleets international, various years
7. ↑ Flight International, October 22, 1988 [3]
8. ↑ jp airline-fleets international, Edition 92/93
9. ↑ Flight International March 20, 1990 [4]
10. ↑ jp airline-fleets international, Edition 1995/96
11. ↑ Flight International, March 20, 1990 [5]
12. ↑ Benedikt Meyer : In flight. Swiss airlines and their passengers, 1919-2002. , Page 300, Chronos, Zurich 2014, ISBN 978-3-0340-1238-6
13. ↑ Flight International, January 21, 1989 [6]
14. ^ Flight International, April 2, 1991 [7]
15. ^ Haaretz, The Making of History - Operation Georges [8]