Germania (airline)

__NOTOC__Infobox_Airline
airline=Germania
logo=Germania airline.gif
logo_size=
IATA=ST
ICAO=GMI
callsign=GERMANIA
parent=
founded=1978
headquarters=
key_people=O. Markow (CEO)
hubs=Berlin-Tegel International Airport
focus_cities=
frequent_flyer=
lounge=
alliance=
fleet_size=18
destinations=10
website= http://www.germania.aero

Germania (Germania Fluggesellschaft mbH) is an airline based in Berlin-Tegel International Airport, Germany. It operates mainly dry and wet lease services for other airlines, as well as a reduced holiday charter programme to the Mediterranean, North Africa and Kosovo.

History

Germania was founded in April 1978 as SAT in Cologne and started operations in September 1978. It was renamed Germania in June 1986.cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 86 | date= 2007-04-03] In 1992 the head office was relocated to Berlin-Tegel. In the same year Germania won the bid for flight services from the old German capital (Bonn) to the new one (Berlin) on behalf of the German government, establishing a short-lived "Beamten-Shuttle" ("shuttle for civil servants").

The airline's main business is now the charter business: Germania flies, amongst others, on behalf of the German travel concern TUI and the German airline TUIfly. In 1998, the airline pioneered the use of aircraft for advertising in Germany. From 2003 to March 2005 Germania was acting in the low-cost airline business with its wholly owned affiliate "gexx" (Germania Express), until its operations were absorbed into dba.

Air Berlin chief, Joachim Hunold, was tasked by Germania owner, Hinrich Bischoff, to take charge of the future of the company shortly before Bischoff's death on 11 November 2005. However, an agreement between Bischoff and Hunold wasn't reached in the end as Bischoff's heirs refused to accept. The airline had 647 employees as of March 2007.

Destinations

Germania operates charter services from:
*Berlin to Adana, Ankara, Gaziantep, Istanbul, Izmir, Kayseri (Turkey)
*Berlin to Bastia (Corsica)
*Berlin to Heraklion (Crete)
*Berlin to Tel Aviv (Israel)
*Berlin to Pristina (Kosovo)

The flights for TUIfly and Air Berlin are operated to their destinations.

References

Fleet

The Germania fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 10 September 2008) [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=ST&al_op=1] :

*2 Boeing 737-300 (one aircraft is operated for Air Berlin)
*8 Boeing 737-700 (six aircraft are operated for Air Berlin)
*8 Fokker 100 (six aircraft are operated for Air Berlin)

Note: aircraft in full Germania colors are contracted by tour-operators not wishing to fly their customers with planes in Air Berlin livery.

As of 10 September 2008, the average age of the Germania fleet is 12 years ( [http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Germania.htm] ).

External links

* [http://www.germania.aero/ Germania]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=ST&al_op=1 Germania Fleet]