Flybaboo

Infobox Airline
airline = Baboo

logo_size =
fleet_size = 5
destinations = 21
IATA = F7
ICAO = BBO
callsign = BABOO
parent = M1 Travel Ltd
company_slogan =
founded = 2003
headquarters = Geneva, Switzerland
key_people =
hubs = Geneva Cointrin International Airport
secondary_hubs =
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer =
lounge =
alliance =
website = http://www.flybaboo.com/

Flybaboo S.A., trading as Baboo, is a regional airline based in Geneva, Switzerland. It operates scheduled services in Europe, seasonal summer flights and charter services. Its main base is Geneva Cointrin International Airport. [cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= Flight International | page= 83 | date= 2007-04-03]

History

Every year, hoping to elicit its students’ most inventive ideas, Columbia Business School offers cash prizes in its Outrageous Business Plan Competition. It is not unheard-of for the outrageous plans to become reality. The Swiss airline Baboo, for one, came into being after Julian Cook won the competition in 2000 with his plan. (As Crocs Departs, Quebec Turns Bitter, Stacey Stowe – New York Times, 04.20.08)

The airline was established in 2003 and started operations on 3 November 2003. Its first flight took off from Geneva to Lugano in October 2003. Julian Cook, son of Neville Cook -chairman of Anglo Irish Bank's Geneva Branch-, is the 33 years old founder and was the CEO until February 2008.Fact|date=May 2007 From March 2008, Jacques Bankir took over as CEO and planned new targets for Baboo's future with an increasing fleet of DASH 8 Q400 plus ERJ 190.

M1 Travel is one of the biggest shareholders of Baboo and is a subsidiary of M1 Group, located in Geneva, Switzerland.

Destinations

Baboo operates the following services to international scheduled destinations (as of September 2008):

Regular

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* Austria
**Vienna "(Vienna International Airport)"

* Bulgaria
**Sofia "(Sofia Airport)"

* Croatia
**Zagreb "(Zagreb Airport)" [begins 28 October]

* France
**Bordeaux "(Bordeaux - Mérignac Airport)" [begins 27 October]
**Nice "(Côte d'Azur International Airport)"
**Toulouse "(Toulouse Blagnac International Airport)" [begins 26 October]

* Greece
**Athens "(Athens International Airport)" [begins 26 October]

* Italy
**Florence "(Peretola Airport)"
**Naples "(Naples International Airport)"
**Rome "(Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport)"
**Venice "(Venice Marco Polo Airport)"

* Romania
**Bucharest "(Henri Coandă International Airport)" [begins 27 October]

* Spain
**Valencia "(Valencia International Airport)"

* Switzerland
**Lugano "(Lugano Airport)"

Charter

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**Agadir "(Al Massira International Airport)"
**Ajaccio "(Ajaccio - Campo dell'Oro Airport)"
**Cagliari "(Cagliari-Elmas Airport)"
**Catania "(Catania-Fontanarossa Airport)"
**Djerba "(Djerba-Zarzis Airport)
**Figari "(Figari Sud-Corse Airport)"
**Monastir "(Monastir Habib Bourguiba International Airport)"
**Olbia "(Olbia - Costa Smeralda Airport)"
**Pristina "(Pristina International Airport)"

easonal

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**Biarritz "(Biarritz - Anglet - Bayonne Airport)"
**Ibiza "(Ibiza Airport)"
**Kiev "(Boryspil International Airport)"
**Saint Tropez "(Saint Tropez International Airport)"
**Tangier "(Ibn Batouta International Airport)"

Fleet

The Baboo fleet includes the following aircraft(July 2008) [ [http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Flybaboo.htm Baboo Fleet - Airfleets ] ] :
*2 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
*3 Embraer 190

2 additional Embraer 190 will be delivered in spring 2009

Baboo's average fleet age is 2.4 years (January 2008) [ [http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Flybaboo.htm Baboo Fleet Age] ] .

Aircraft orders

*In November 2006, the airline's parent company M1 Travel Ltd, placed firm orders for two Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 aircraft, with options on four more. The first new aircraft will enter service in 2007 [Airliner World, February 2007] .
*In February 2007, M1 Travel Ltd placed firm orders for five Embraer 190s, plus five options for either E-190s or E-195s. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in May 2008. The airline will lease the first three aircraft from M1, which selected the Steep Approach option that will enable it to operate the aircraft into London City, Sion, Lugano and Florence [ATW OnLine, February 2007] .

External links

* [http://www.flybaboo.com/ Baboo official website]

References