Luxair

Luxair
IATA
LG
ICAO
LGL
Callsign
LUXAIR
Founded 1961
Hubs Luxembourg - Findel Airport
Focus cities Saarbrücken Airport
Frequent-flyer program Miles & More
Fleet size 17
Destinations 59 (39 seasonal)
Parent company 50% State owned
Headquarters Sandweiler, Luxembourg
Key people Adrien Ney (CEO)
Website http://www.luxair.lu

Luxair (Luxair Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne SA) is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services. Its head office is located on the grounds of Luxembourg - Findel Airport in Sandweiler.[1][2] Its main base is Luxembourg - Findel Airport.[2]

Contents

History

Descended from the Luxembourg Airlines Company, founded in 1948, Luxair was set up in 1961 to meet the growing demand for air links between Luxembourg and other European cities.

Luxair's first aircraft was this Fokker F27 operating a holiday flight at Manchester Airport in 1966

In 1962, Luxair began flights by launching a Luxembourg-Paris route with a Fokker F27 Friendship. By 1967, Luxair's fleet consisted of three Fokker Friendships and one Vickers Viscount. The latter was written off in a non-fatal accident in 1969 and replaced the following year by the airline's first jet airliner, a Caravelle built by Sud Aviation in Toulouse. The first Boeing aircraft, a Boeing 737-200, joined the fleet in 1977. Over the years, Luxair gradually introduced further jet aircraft Boeing 747SP (for routes to South Africa), Boeing 737-400 and Boeing 737-500 as well as Fokker 50 turboprops and Embraer jets. In an effort to move to an all-jet fleet, the last Fokker 50 aircraft was withdrawn from service in April 2005.

In March 2003, Luxair ordered two new Boeing 737-700 to replace its older Boeing aircraft. The first of the new aircraft was delivered on 18 February 2004. A third aircraft was ordered in August 2003 and delivered in January 2005.

In the last few years, the rising cost of oil made operating regional jets increasingly difficult. To lessen its exposure, Luxair therefore decided to reintroduce turboprop aircraft. In June 2006, it signed a firm order with Bombardier for 3 Dash 8-Q400, plus 3 options. The last of these aircraft was delivered in September 2007. In the meantime, 2 additional Q400s have been ordered. The fifth aircraft is expected to join the fleet by 2010.

Boeing 737-500 in old livery

In October 2008, Luxair decided to place an order for its first Boeing 737-800. This aircraft will replace the last Boeing 737-500 in Luxair's fleet and contribute to increasing Luxair's offer on its holiday destinations.

The airline is owned by the Luxembourg Government (23.1%), Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État (13.4%), Luxair Group and others (13.2%), Dexia/BIL (13.1%), Lufthansa (13%), Banque Generale du Luxembourg - BGL (12.1%) and Panalpina World Transport (12.1%). It had 2,210 employees (at March 2007)[2]

In 2009, the airline was awarded as the most punctual scheduled operator at London City Airport during 2008 by Flight on Time, based on CAA statistics.[3]

Destinations

Fleet

Embraer ERJ 145 in old livery
Embraer ERJ 145 in current livery

The Luxair fleet includes the following aircraft as of June 2010:[4][5]

Luxair Fleet
Aircraft Total Orders Passengers Notes
Boeing 737-700 3 0 141
Boeing 737-800 1 1 186 One currently leased; second on order to be delivered in 2012
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 4 1 72
Embraer ERJ 135 2 0 37
Embraer ERJ 145 6 0 49
Total 15 2

As of February 2010, the average age of the Luxair fleet is 6.3 years.[6]

1970

Luxair fleet in 1970 [7]
Aircraft Total
Boeing 707-320 1
Fokker F27 3
Sud Caravelle 1
Vickers Viscount 800 1
Total 6

Incidents and accidents

References

  1. "Luxair S.A. Notes to the accounts." paperJam. Retrieved on 2 November 2009.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 108. 2007-04-03. 
  3. Flight on Time Awards 2008
  4. Luxair fleet
  5. "Luxair orders single 737-800". Flightglobal.com. 2 June 2010. http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2010/06/02/342683/luxair-orders-single-737-800.html. Retrieved 2 June 2010. 
  6. Luxair Fleet Age
  7. Flight International 26 March 1970
  8. Focus-Online: Luxair

External links