City Airways
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Founded | 2011 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | September 2012 | ||||||
Hubs | Don Mueang International Airport | ||||||
Secondary hubs | Phuket International Airport | ||||||
Alliance | Thai Sky Airlines | ||||||
Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
Destinations | 3 | ||||||
Company slogan | Go every city by City Airways | ||||||
Headquarters | Bangkok, Thailand | ||||||
Website |
www |
City Airways (Thai:ซิตี้แอร์เวย์) is an airline in Thailand, founded in 2011 by CEO Mr. Johnny Hung Mak Hung Terence, it began operations in September 2012. It serves regularly scheduled domestic and international (scheduled and charter) flights in Thailand, Hong Kong and China. Its main hub is Don Mueang International Airport.
During the past several years the airline has had several problems. Although the CEO insisted its aircraft were safe, in August 2014 the Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand (CAAT) grounded City Airways for failing a safety audit; and in May 2015 the Civil Aviation Administration of China restricted the airline from flying to China as a result of safety concerns. The Thai DCA grounded City Airways again in February 2016 due to safety concerns and the company's huge financial debt, causing it to cancel flights to Hong Kong and leave passengers stranded. City Airways was banned from flying into mainland China due to lack of payment of fees owed to Chinese airports. The airline's financial viability has been called into question as well, as a result of the repossession of four Boeing 737 aircraft by three different U.S. leasing companies in a 2-year span. In early January 2016, City Airways' fleet was reduced to two aircraft when one of its leased 737-400s was repossessed by its owner after almost a year of non-payment of lease fees. Its two remaining aircraft (a 737-400 and a 737-800) are both under repossession procedures currently by two different U.S. lessors.
In 2015, the Chairman Mr. Yan Zexin of City Airways signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) to lease ten Comac C919 and ten Comac ARJ21-700 aircraft.[1]
On February 13, 2016, City Airways was ordered by the CAAT to halt its operations until the safety concerns were rectified.[2]
Destinations
City Airways currently flies to the following destinations:[3]
- Hong Kong
- Thailand
Fleet
As of December 2015, the City Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers |
---|---|---|---|
Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 0 | 168 |
Boeing 737-800 | 1 | 0 | 189 |
Comac C919 | 0 | 10 | TBA |
Comac ARJ21-700 | 0 | 10 | TBA |
References
- ↑ "City Airways". Airliner World: 19. November 2015.
- ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/863156/caat-puts-brakes-on-city-airways
- ↑ http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/aviation/367876/city-airways-to-launch-domestic-flights
http://news.thaivisa.com/thailand/5-thai-airlines-fail-to-meet-chinas-safety-requirements/61859/
http://atwonline.com/regulation/thailand-regulator-grounds-lcc-city-airways
http://www.thephuketnews.com/airline-strands-300-chinese-tourists-at-phuket-airport-47821.php
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/863156/caat-puts-brakes-on-city-airways
External links
Media related to City Airways at Wikimedia Commons