CityJet

CityJet is an Irish regional airline with headquarters in Swords, Dublin.[1] Since 2017, CityJet had moved away from scheduled flights and has instead focused on wet leasing and charter flights.[2] As of September 2019, the airline operates wet-lease services on behalf of Aer Lingus[3] and Scandinavian Airlines. Air France sold CityJet to Intro Aviation in May 2014.[4] In March 2016 the airline was bought by founder Pat Byrne and other investors.[5]

CityJet
IATA ICAO Callsign
WX BCY CITY-IRELAND
Founded1992
Commenced operations1994
Hubs
SubsidiariesCimber
Fleet size30
Destinations18
HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
Key people
  • Pat Byrne, Executive chairman
  • Eugene Quigley, COO
  • Cathal O Connell, CCO
Websitecityjet.com

History

Early years
A CityJet Saab 2000 in 1998

Cityjet was founded in 1992 and commenced operations in January 1994 serving a single route between Dublin and London City Airport under a franchise agreement with Virgin Atlantic in which it paid fees and charges to Virgin in order to operate as "Virgin Cityjet" and use Virgin Atlantic' distribution channels. The airline was mainly competing with British Midland and Aer Lingus services from Dublin to London Heathrow and Ryanair services from Dublin to London Stansted. However, Cityjet held a monopoly on services to London City until Aer Lingus launches services from Dublin to London City as well in September 1999.[6]

In June 1995, Virgin Cityjet debuted with flights between Dublin and Brussels, competing with Sabena and Aer Lingus initially.[6]

In 1996, the airline terminated its franchise agreement with Virgin Atlantic on short notice and decided to continue operations using its own CityJet name from the end of July that year. By then, the airline flew scheduled flights from Dublin to London City, Brussels and Malaga. The decision to discontinue the Virgin Atlantic franchise came as Virgin itself entered the European short-haul market with budget carrier Virgin Express and CityJet feared customers could confuse the low-cost carrier with its own full-service operation.[7]

Air France era

In 1999, Cityjet was at the verge of bankruptcy. Air Foyle acquired half of the shares in the airline in return of assuming the carriers debts. Air France took another 25 percent while investing £2 million. Under the new structure, Cityjet retained its own scheduled services while also becoming Air France' principal European subcontract airline. However, Cityjet still remained a loss-making business.[8]

In early 2000, Air France took over all shares in CityJet and became its sole owner. At the time, Cityjet already operated seven out of eight aircraft for Air France.[9] Overall savings to Air France by outsourcing regional operations to the Irish subsidiary were estimated at around 40 percent. The French national airline was allowed to outsource operations of aircraft with less than 100 seats to regional partners and subsidiaries under its contracts with Air France' labour unions.[6]

A Cityjet BAe wearing Air France colours in 2004

In 2006, Cityjet operated supplemented Air France' operations with flights from Paris to Dublin, Birmingham, Edinburgh, London City, Florence, Gothenburg and Zurich. Furthermore, the airline still operated between London City and Dublin. The fleet consisted of 20 aged BAe 146 aircraft. From December 2006, the airline began replacing them with 23 much younger but similar Avro RJ85 it had acquired in a $221 million deal from Mesaba Airlines.[10]

On 24 December 2007, Air France-KLM announced that it had signed an agreement for a full takeover of VLM Airlines NV from Panta Holdings[11] and announced on 28 May 2009 that VLM Airlines would gradually start to operate under the brand name CityJet. As of 1 June 2010, the whole VLM Airlines Fokker 50 fleet wore full CityJet livery, although VLM remained the owner of its own Airline Operators Certificate, and the Fokker 50 fleet is listed on the Belgian registry.

CityJet filed a pretax loss of €51.5 million for the year to the end of March 2010. This compared to a €53.9 million loss in the year to end March 2009. Revenues fell by 8 percent from €282.4 million to €258.9 million over the same period. Passenger numbers grew, climbing by 6.5 percent to 2.1 million, while average fares dropped by 16 percent.[12] Christine Ourmières joined as new chief executive on 1 October 2010. She has previously held a number of senior posts within the Air France-KLM group. In the IATA year ending 31 March 2010, CityJet carried just over 1 million passengers on its London City network.

Latest developments
A CityJet Sukhoi Superjet 100

In June 2012 it was announced that Air France-KLM was considering selling CityJet to support its own ailing business,[13] with a further statement in April 2013 that the winning bidder would be announced in the summer of 2013.[14]

As of October 2013 the operational agreement with Air France has been replaced by codesharing. CityJet since then operated most routes under its own WX code instead of Air France's.[15] In December 2013 Air France announced it would sell CityJet including VLM Airlines to German investor Intro Aviation. The transfer was completed in May 2014.[4][16] CityJet subsidiary VLM Airlines was bought by its own management and cut itself loose from CityJet. However, they were to remain flying routes as ACMI operator for CityJet until at least Summer 2015.

In 2014, CityJet started a new codeshare with Guernsey based airline Blue Islands, after Blue Islands pulled out of selected European routes. Blue Islands would operate flights from Jersey to London City, and then passengers would get onto a CityJet operated flight to a European destination.[17][18] This ended in March 2016.[19] It was announced in November 2014 that CityJet routes from Cardiff to Edinburgh and Paris-Orly were to be operated by Stobart Air from 1 December 2014.[20] Both routes ceased in June 2015 when Flybe introduced flights on the same routes from Cardiff, supported by the airport's operator.[21]

In June 2015, CityJet announced the termination of flights to Dresden, the last of four German destinations, due to low demand.[22] In October 2015, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced it would sell its Finnish subsidiary Blue1 to CityJet who planned to continue to operate the company on behalf of SAS as part of a larger co-operation.[23][24] In 2016 Blue1 was dissolved and merged into its parent CityJet.[25]

On 28 June 2016, CityJet inaugurated its Sukhoi Superjet 100 revenue services with its first scheduled flight from Cork to Nantes.[26] Early December 2016, CityJet started recruiting Flight & Cabin Crew for a new Sukhoi Superjet 100 base in Brussels, Belgium.[27][28]

In January 2017, CityJet agreed to buy Cimber, which has a fleet of 11 CRJ900s,[29] from SAS. CityJet continued to operate flights on behalf of SAS.[30] In March 2017, CityJet stated that it planned to focus more on its wetlease business while reducing its own scheduled flights. This led to the closure of routes from London-City to Nantes and Paris as well as a downgrade of frequencies on other routes. CityJet then planned to operate 80 percent of all flights on a wetlease basis.[31] On 5 April 2017, it was announced that KLM Cityhopper would wet lease two Avro RJ85s from CityJet to operate four additional Amsterdam–London City services per weekday over the Summer 2017 season, starting 15 May 2017. This agreement has since ceased.[32] In late October 2017, CityJet cancelled most of its remaining routes from London City Airport and leaving Dublin as its only scheduled destinations from there after operating a much larger network in previous years.[33]

In July 2018, it was announced that CityJet and Air Nostrum would merge.[34] In late August 2018, CityJet announced they would cease operating scheduled services under their own brand effective from 27 October 2018 but continue business as an ACMI leasing provider. The London–City to Dublin route was transferred to Aer Lingus, operated by CityJet using two Avro RJ85 aircraft.[35]

In 2019, Cityjet partnered with KLM to create Air Antwerp, a new airline based in Antwerp International Airport. It operates daily flights to London City Airport since 9 September 2019.[36]

In April 2020, Brussels Airlines cancelled its wetlease contract with CityJet for five aircraft in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[37] In the same month the High Court appointed an interim examiner to CityJet.[38]

Destinations
Main article: List of CityJet destinations

CityJet ceased scheduled operations under its own name in October 2018 and continues to operate several routes on wetlease contracts for Scandinavian Airlines.[39]

Fleet

Current fleet
CityJet Avro RJ85 in former livery.

As of February 2020, the CityJet fleet consists of the following aircraft:[40]

CityJet Fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Notes
Avro RJ85 2 — 95
Bombardier CRJ900 5 — 90
23 Operated for Scandinavian Airlines[41]
Total 30 —

CRJ900s replaced Cimber aircraft which were formerly operated for SAS in 2017 and 2018.[29]

Historic fleet

The airline has previously operated BAE146, Fokker 50, Saab 2000, and Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft.

Sponsorships
gollark: The other one kept producing `CthulhuRlyehWgahnaglFhtagnException`s, apparently.
gollark: *That* one was considered an anomaly and contained last year.
gollark: So actually no.
gollark: Although I don't think I specified that it was a uniform distribution.
gollark: No, I think it has a greater than 50% chance of being positive.

See also

References

Citations
  1. "CityJet Archived 5 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine." Air France. Retrieved 21 June 2010. "Address: CityJet Ltd. Swords Business Campus Balheary Road Swords, Co. Dublin Ireland"
  2. "Cityjet is shifting gear from scheduled services to wet leasing". The Irish Times. 7 October 2017. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  3. cityjet.com - Aer Lingus and CityJet announce new agreement on Dublin-London City Route 28 August 2018
  4. "Air France confirms offer from Intro Aviation for CityJet, VLM - ch-aviation.com". Ch-aviation.ch. Archived from the original on 26 December 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  5. ""Archived copy". Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)"
  6. Barrett, Sean (15 May 2009). Deregulation and the Airline Business in Europe. Routledge.
  7. "CityJet flies solo as Virgin brand goes". irishtimes.com. 5 July 1996.
  8. "Decisions". www.managementtoday.co.uk. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  9. "Air France devient seul actionnaire de l'irlandais CityJet". Les Echos (in French). 15 February 2000. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  10. "ERA 2006: Mesaba's loss is CityJet's gain as Avros find way across Atlantic". Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  11. Message on the VLM website announcing the takeover Archived 14 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine – access date 24 December 2007
  12. "Irish Times article reporting filing of CityJet's annual accounts". irishtimes.com. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  13. volaspheric: Air France-KLM considering to sell CityJet Archived 16 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  14. "Irish regional CityJet CEO impressed with bidders | Wales Air Forum". Walesairforum.wordpress.com. 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  15. "Cityjet to terminate Air France franchise agreement from October - ch-aviation.com". Ch-aviation.ch. Archived from the original on 9 March 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  16. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1 May 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  18. Vernooij, Niek (15 December 2014). "Blue Islands houdt het voor gezien op Schiphol". Luchtvaartnieuws (in Dutch). Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  19. https://blueislands.com Archived 4 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  20. "CityJet and Stobart Air ink routes agreement - Independent.ie". independent.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  21. "Cityjet pulls out of Cardiff in protest at Flybe routes". ch-aviation. Archived from the original on 12 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  22. "aero.de – Luftfahrt-Nachrichten und -Community". aero.de. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  23. businesswire.com – SAS Enters into Agreements with Cityjet for Wet Lease and Sale of Blue1 Archived 16 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 October 2015
  24. "CityJet to Fly New Aircraft For SAS". cityjet.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2016.
  25. "Blue 1 on ch-aviation". ch-aviation. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  26. ch-aviation.com – CityJet begins scheduled SuperJet operations Archived 2 July 2016 at the Wayback Machine 1 July 2016
  27. "Superjet bases available Brussels". cityjet.com. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  28. "Senior Cabin Crew based in Brussels, Belgium". latestpilotjobs.com. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
  29. Nelson, Chris (25 January 2017). "Bombardier wins CRJ900 jet order from Irish carrier CityJet". The National. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 31 March 2017.
  30. "CityJet to pay up to $434m for new jets and buys Denmark's Cimber - Independent.ie". independent.ie. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  31. "More Wetlease – CityJet reduces at London City Airport". aerotelegraph.com. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017.
  32. "KLM Cityhopper signs agreement with CityJet for the summer season". klm.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  33. "Where We Fly". www.cityjet.com. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  34. Hamilton, Peter. "CityJet deal with Spanish airline is 'prelude to a merger'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  35. "Aer Lingus and CityJet Join Forces on Dublin London City Route". www.cityjet.com. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  36. Schneider, Oscar (9 August 2019). "Air Antwerp flies to London from 9 September". The Brussels Times. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  37. aerotelegraph.com (German) 15 April 2020
  38. O Faolain, Aodhan (17 April 2020). "Interim examiner appointed to Dublin-based airline CityJet". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  39. "News Stream". www.cityjet.com. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
  40. "Latest Register and Monthly Changes". Irish Aviation Authority. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  41. "CityJet Fleet". CityJet. 19 August 2019.
  42. "Celebrates The Heineken Cup As Official Airline of the Leinster Team". CityJet. Archived from the original on 19 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2014.

Bibliography

Media related to CityJet at Wikimedia Commons

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