European

[ivo de groot]

BOURNEMOUTH-based charter carrier European Aviation became the latest
casualty of the economic crisis yesterday after it called in the
administrators.

Stunned staff were called into a meeting at the Bournemouth Airport
headquarters over the weekend to be told by boss Paul Stoddart that
the firm was in trouble.

Operations Director Richard Woollam confirmed to the Daily Echo last
night that the company, launched in 1989, was set to be wound up.

He said: "Unfortunately it is true. We have run out of funds. It has
been a bleak summer for most of us and the winter has not improved
our fortunes.

"Administrators are coming to the company tomorrow; we are not
actually wound up yet.

"We are in the process of telling our staff, including pilots and
cabin crew, not to report for work tomorrow."

Mr Woollam, who has been involved with the company since 1994,
added: "We have had our ups and downs but have always ridden them.

"This time the financial situation has caught us out. Having survived
until the end of the summer we thought we were in for a better New
Year."

European was launched in 1989 after Australian businessman Mr
Stoddart saw a gap in the market for an ad-hoc charter airline.

He was boss of the Formula One Minardi team for five years until 2005
when he sold it on to Red Bull.

European employed around 270 workers in March last year, based at
Bournemouth Airport, operating ad hoc charter services, VIP flights
and inclusive-tour and sub-charter flights.

It bought a large number of BAC-111s from British Airways and well as
Boeing 747s which are no longer in service.

Ironically, European recently came to the rescue of stranded
passengers following the collapse of the airline XL.

The company was chartered to fly stranded passengers from Porto
Santo, near Madeira and from Greece back to Gatwick Airport during
the summer.

Got this snippet as well re Palmair, looks like they will be using
another aircraft for the canaries? see below!!

BOSSES at Bournemouth tour operator Palmair said it would be business
as usual this week, despite the problems at European.

Palmair leases a Boeing 737 from the company and yesterday Managing
Director, David Skillicorn, was organising alternative planes for his
flights.

The immediate priority was to bring home 90 passengers from Monastir,
Tunisia, today.

Tomorrow there is a flight to Fuerteventura with a return service
later in the day.

Mr Skillicorn told the Daily Echo last night: "This has come as a
something of a surprise and we have been pulling out all the stops to
make alternatives arrangements."

He added: "Although we have been leasing aircraft from European for
some time, the two companies are quite separate and not connected in
any other way.

"The collapse of European does not affect Palmair, apart from the
need to find alternative planes.

"Fortunately we are now in the winter season and there are
substantially fewer flights than in the summer period.

"There are also a large number of aircraft sitting around doing
nothing at the moment because many airlines have been cutting
capacity and routes in recent months."


Credits: Martin akerman for his mail to Ace spottinggroup.

[patrick@tediek.com]

The msg has a strange contents, the managers are surprised, how can you be surprised. When you know your numbers financially and operationally, when loads are down, revenues are down, what can be a surprise.