Cityjet
Encyclopedia
CityJet Limited is an Irish regional airline headquartered in the Swords Business Campus in Swords
, County Dublin
, Ireland
. It operates at London City Airport
, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France
from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM Airlines, CityJet has some head-office departments located in London
and Antwerp, Belgium. The airline owns and operates maintenance facilities at Dublin Airport
and Antwerp Airport.
They operate a mixed fleet of Avro RJ85 and Fokker 50 aircraft on a network out of London City Airport. CityJet competes with BA CityFlyer
on flights to Edinburgh and Amsterdam, and Luxair
to Luxembourg. It is the sole carrier on its routes to Dublin, Dundee, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Antwerp, Paris, Florence, Milan and Nantes.
In the IATA year ending 31 March 2010, CityJet carried just over 1 million passengers on its London City Network.
The airline was established on 28 September 1992 and started scheduled operations on 12 January 1994. It was founded by Pat Byrne and began operations between London City Airport
and Dublin under a franchise agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways
. On 4 July 1997 the airline began operations on the route using its own identity, with Saab 2000
aircraft.
Initially CityJet operated the Paris to London City service on behalf of Air France
. In May 1999, Air France in partnership with Air Foyle Ireland took a 25% equity stake in the airline. In February 2002, Air France assumed complete control.
Geoffrey O’Byrne White replaced Jacques Bankir as CEO of CityJet in 2000, and held this position until 2010.
On 24 December 2007, Air France-KLM
announced it had signed an agreement for a full takeover of VLM Airlines
NV from Panta Holdings and later they announced on 28 May 2009 that VLM Airlines
would gradually start to operate under the brand name CityJet. As of 1 June 2010 all of the VLM Airlines Fokker 50 fleet wore full CityJet livery although VLM remained the owner of its own Airline Operators Certificate and the Fokker 50 fleet is listed on the Belgian registry.
Christine Ourmières joined as new chief executive on 1st October 2010. She has previously held a number of senior posts within the Air France-KLM group.
using an Avro RJ85. A fourth destination to Southampton
will be operated by Flybe
, a UK regional carrier on a code-share basis with Air France
.
Rugby Club for the third season. They were the official airline of the Edinburgh International Film Festival
2010.
Swords, Dublin
Swords is the county town of Fingal in Ireland. It is about 13 km north of Dublin city centre and is part of its commuter belt.- History :...
, County Dublin
County Dublin
County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It operates at London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM Airlines, CityJet has some head-office departments located in 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 Antwerp, Belgium. The airline owns and operates maintenance facilities at Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport
Dublin Airport, , is operated by the Dublin Airport Authority. Located in Collinstown, in the Fingal part of County Dublin, 18.4 million passengers passed through the airport in 2010, making it the busiest airport in the Republic of Ireland, followed by Cork and Shannon...
and Antwerp Airport.
They operate a mixed fleet of Avro RJ85 and Fokker 50 aircraft on a network out of London City Airport. CityJet competes with BA CityFlyer
BA CityFlyer
BA CityFlyer is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of British Airways based in Didsbury, Manchester, England. It operates a network of domestic and European services from London City Airport...
on flights to Edinburgh and Amsterdam, and Luxair
Luxair
Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, operating as Luxair, is the flag carrier airline of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It operates scheduled services to 50 destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East, plus charter and seasonal summer services....
to Luxembourg. It is the sole carrier on its routes to Dublin, Dundee, Rotterdam, Eindhoven, Antwerp, Paris, Florence, Milan and Nantes.
In the IATA year ending 31 March 2010, CityJet carried just over 1 million passengers on its London City Network.
History
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
and Dublin under a franchise agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines...
. On 4 July 1997 the airline began operations on the route using its own identity, with Saab 2000
Saab 2000
|-See also:-References:* Lambert, Mark. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1993–94. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Data Division, 1993. ISBN 0 7106 1066 1....
aircraft.
Initially CityJet operated the Paris to London City service on behalf of Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
. In May 1999, Air France in partnership with Air Foyle Ireland took a 25% equity stake in the airline. In February 2002, Air France assumed complete control.
Geoffrey O’Byrne White replaced Jacques Bankir as CEO of CityJet in 2000, and held this position until 2010.
On 24 December 2007, Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM
Air France-KLM is a European airline holding company incorporated under French law with its headquarters at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, Paris...
announced it had signed an agreement for a full takeover of VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines is a Belgian airline whose head office is in Airport Building B50 at Antwerp International Airport in Deurne, Antwerp...
NV from Panta Holdings and later they announced on 28 May 2009 that VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines is a Belgian airline whose head office is in Airport Building B50 at Antwerp International Airport in Deurne, Antwerp...
would gradually start to operate under the brand name CityJet. As of 1 June 2010 all of the VLM Airlines Fokker 50 fleet wore full CityJet livery although VLM remained the owner of its own Airline Operators Certificate and the Fokker 50 fleet is listed on the Belgian registry.
Christine Ourmières joined as new chief executive on 1st October 2010. She has previously held a number of senior posts within the Air France-KLM group.
Future plans
As of 2 April 2011, CityJet will operate three new flights from Pau-Pyrénées to London-City, Dublin and AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
using an Avro RJ85. A fourth destination to Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
will be operated by Flybe
Flybe
Flybe Group PLC is a British low-cost regional airline headquartered at the Jack Walker House at Exeter International Airport in Devon, England...
, a UK regional carrier on a code-share basis with Air France
Air France
Air France , stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the French flag carrier headquartered in Tremblay-en-France, , and is one of the world's largest airlines. It is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and a founding member of the SkyTeam global airline alliance...
.
Financial Situation & Staff Relations
CityJet filed a pretax loss of €51.5 million for the year to the end of March 2010. This compared to a €53.9 million loss in the year to end March 2009. Revenues fell by 8 per cent from €282.4 million to €258.9 million over the same period. Passenger numbers grew, climbing by 6.5 per cent to 2.1 million, while average fares dropped by 16 per cent. CityJet’s directors said “the negative result at operating level was due to the continued severe economic environment with sharp decline in business traffic and extreme volatility in oil prices and currencies”. They said the airline’s network out of London City Airport “continued to be impacted by the difficulties in the banking and financial sectors”.Product
- No charge for any onboard services. No credit card fee for booking on CityJet website
- Franchise flights from Paris: three classes (business, premium economy, economy)
- Flights from London: two classes (premium economy, economy)
Flight number prefixes
CityJet operates flights using four IATA flight prefixes.- AF – the majority of scheduled flights are numbered AF5XXX
- KL – CityJet flights from London City to Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam carry both KL and AF codes
- VG – charter flights operate using the former VLM Airlines IATA code VG
- WX – charter flights operate using CityJet's own IATA code WX
Sponsorships
CityJet is the main shirt sponsor of London IrishLondon Irish
London Irish RFC is an English rugby union club based in Sunbury, Surrey, where the senior squad train, the youth teams and senior academy play home games, and the club maintain their administrative offices. The senior squad play home games at the Madejski Stadium in Reading and compete in the top...
Rugby Club for the third season. They were the official airline of the Edinburgh International Film Festival
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
2010.
Fleet
As of November 2011 the CityJet fleet consists of the following aircraft:| Aircraft | In Fleet | Passengers | Registrations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | |||
| Avro RJ85 | 22 | var. | var. | 95 | |
| Fokker 50 | 14 | var. | var. | 50 | |