Eagle Air (Iceland)

Infobox Airline
airline=Eagle Air Iceland

logo_size=177
IATA=-
ICAO=FEI
callsign=ARCTIC EAGLE
parent=
founded=1970
headquarters=Reykjavik Airport
key_people=Hörður Guðmundsson & Jónína Guðmundsdóttir
hubs=Reykjavik Airport
fleet_size=6
destinations=5
website=http://www.eagleair.is

Eagle Air (Icelandic name: Flugfélagið Ernir) is an Icelandic airline with 38 years of flying experience in the fields of transport, tourism and emergency response. Based at Reykjavík Airport it offers domestic flights, charter serives and adventure tours in Iceland.

History

Eagle Air was founded in 1970 by Hördur Gudmundsson. The company soon became important in enabling transportation and security to and within the West fjords in Iceland, that had long been an isolated part of Iceland. Shortly after its foundation, Eagle Air took over postal flights between the main towns in the West fjords. In addition to postal flights, the company served with ambulance flights in the area.

Domestic charter flights were also an important part of the operation from the start, as well as were International charter flights between 1981 and 1992. During these years, Eagle Air among other operated a Cessna 404 Titan aircraft that was purchased new from the U.S. in 1980. The destinations were mainly the neighbouring countries to Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and the Scandinavian countries with ship crew members, spare parts for ships, factories and freezing plants.

In 1998, Eagle Air started operating 19 passenger Twin Otter airplane. Along with purchasing the Twin Otter, a large hangar was built. Eagle Air thus became the first aviation company in Iceland which erected such facilities for itself. Around the same time, the offices and reception were built at Reykjavik airport. Eagle Air started offering scheduled flights which were operated for almost two years.

Following this, Eagle Air established a partnership with an airline in Switzerland, which operated air transportation and services for international institutions and oil companies. Eagle Air undertook the flying part of a development aid project in Kenya in 1989. The pilots took the Twin Otter aircraft there and worked there until 1990. Another assignment followed, this time for the International Red Cross (IRC) in Kenya. The project was flying with aid and supplies to South-Sudan because of the civil war there. This project lasted for about a year, requiring one aircraft with crew. The next project that Eagle Air was offered was in Mozambique, transporting supplies and food for the IRC for about three years. In 1994, the assignment was completed, and the aircraft came home to Iceland after extensive service and renovations in Switzerland. In the fall of 1994, the aircraft and crew was again requested to fly with aid on behalf of the IRC to Angola for about one year.

Following changes in the working environment of domestic airlines in Iceland, the managers of Eagle Air decided to cease operations in 1995. The aircraft of the company were sold, but various other assets were retained, including the office and reception facilities at Reykjavik airport. The company resumed its operations in late summer of 2003, although with different emphasis from before.

cheduled flight destinations

From Reykjavík Airport to:
*Höfn
*Sauðárkrókur
*Bíldudalur
*Gjögur

Fleet

*British Aerospace BAe-3201 Jetstream Super 31: TF-ORA, TF-ORC
*Cessna 441 Conquest II: TF-ORF
*Reims F406 Caravan II: TF-ORD
*Cessna 207A Stationair 8: TF-ORB
*Cessna A185F Skywagon: TF-ORN

External links

* [http://www.ernir.is Official website] is icon
* [http://www.eagleair.is Official website] en icon