Aero Airlines
Encyclopedia
Aero Airlines was a regional airline
based in Tallinn
, Estonia
. It operated services between three Finnish
destinations as well as international flights to Tallinn
. All of their flights were operated under Finnair's designation
AY. Its main bases were Helsinki-Vantaa
and Tallinn-Lennart Meri. Aero ceased its operations in January 2008.
seaplane
took off from Helsinki harbor in Katajanokka
to a lake near to the present Ülemiste Airport in Tallinn
for its first flight, March 24, 1924, carrying 162 kg (357 lbs) of mail. Other destinations were quickly added: Stockholm
and Königsberg
, from where passengers took trains respectively to Göteborg
(sometimes boarding other planes to Copenhagen
, Oslo
and London
) and to Berlin
, and passengers began to queue up at some periods — up to 48 per day in 1926 waiting for the four-seaters to fly them.
After initial reluctance from the Finnish authorities to build airports, Aero's fleet could eventually dispose of its seaplanes and get on wheel-landing aircraft in 1938. But the airlines disappeared as a consequence of the annexion of Estonia by the Soviet Union in June 1940.
Finnair retained Aero AS's IATA designator AY, while the modern-day Aero Airlines flew as EE. The airline was re-established in 2000 and started operations in March 2002 within the Baltic region
. It was owned by Aero Holding (51%) and Finnair (49%), was the ownership was later transferred wholly to Finnair. Aero had 128 employees (at March 2007).
Aero scaled down its operations during 2007 and finally flew its last flight on 6 January 2008. All its former routes are now operated by Finncomm Airlines
and Finnair
.
, Tallinn, Turku
and Vaasa
.
airplanes, which were formerly operated by its parent company Finnair. The last two were sold to UTair when Aero ceased its operations.
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
, Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
. It operated services between three Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
destinations as well as international flights to Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
. All of their flights were operated under Finnair's designation
Airline codes
This is a list of airline codes. The table lists the IATA airline designators, the ICAO airline designators and the airline call signs...
AY. Its main bases were Helsinki-Vantaa
Helsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
and Tallinn-Lennart Meri. Aero ceased its operations in January 2008.
History
The name harkens back to Aero Airlines's and Finnair's first incarnation, Aero AS, founded in 1923, and its first Junkers F 13Junkers F.13
The Junkers F.13 was the world's first all-metal transport aircraft, developed in Germany at the end of World War I. It was an advanced cantilever-wing monoplane, with enclosed accommodation for four passengers. Over 300 were sold...
seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
took off from Helsinki harbor in Katajanokka
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
to a lake near to the present Ülemiste Airport in Tallinn
Tallinn
Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...
for its first flight, March 24, 1924, carrying 162 kg (357 lbs) of mail. Other destinations were quickly added: Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
and Königsberg
Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, from where passengers took trains respectively to Göteborg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
(sometimes boarding other planes to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
) and to Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and passengers began to queue up at some periods — up to 48 per day in 1926 waiting for the four-seaters to fly them.
After initial reluctance from the Finnish authorities to build airports, Aero's fleet could eventually dispose of its seaplanes and get on wheel-landing aircraft in 1938. But the airlines disappeared as a consequence of the annexion of Estonia by the Soviet Union in June 1940.
Finnair retained Aero AS's IATA designator AY, while the modern-day Aero Airlines flew as EE. The airline was re-established in 2000 and started operations in March 2002 within the Baltic region
Baltic region
The terms Baltic region, Baltic Rim countries, and Baltic Rim refer to slightly different combinations of countries in the general area surrounding the Baltic Sea.- Etymology :...
. It was owned by Aero Holding (51%) and Finnair (49%), was the ownership was later transferred wholly to Finnair. Aero had 128 employees (at March 2007).
Aero scaled down its operations during 2007 and finally flew its last flight on 6 January 2008. All its former routes are now operated by Finncomm Airlines
Finncomm Airlines
Finnish Commuter Airlines Oy operating as Flybe Nordic, trading as Finncomm Airlines, was a regional airline with its head office on the grounds of Seinäjoki Airport in Ilmajoki, Finland, near Seinäjoki. The carrier operates flights to Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Romania, Sweden and 16...
and Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
.
Destinations
Aero Airlines operated services to the following scheduled destinations (at December 2007): HelsinkiHelsinki-Vantaa Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
, Tallinn, Turku
Turku Airport
Turku Airport , is located in Turku, Finland, north of Turku city centre. It serves approximately 350,000 passengers per year, being the fourth busiest airport in Finland. Turku Airport is operated by a stated-owned company Finavia exclusively. The airport has a secondary passenger terminal...
and Vaasa
Vaasa Airport
Vaasa Airport is located in Vaasa, Finland, about south-east of Vaasa city centre. It is the 6th biggest airport in Finland in terms of passengers. In 2010, about 288,000 passengers traveled via the airport. In 2005, and again in 2008, Vaasa Airport was chosen as the Airport of the Year in...
.
Fleet
The Aero Airlines fleet consisted of ATR-72-200 turbopropTurboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
airplanes, which were formerly operated by its parent company Finnair. The last two were sold to UTair when Aero ceased its operations.