Aigle Azur - History

History

In April 1946, Sylvain Floirat established the original Aigle Azur as one of the first wholly privately owned, independent airlines in post-war France. Between 1946 and 1955, the airline operated a large fleet of Douglas DC-3s.

During the early 1950s, Aigle Azur began operating long-haul scheduled routes linking metropolitan France with Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. France's Ministry of Public Works and Transport had transferred Air France's traffic rights for these routes to the country's newly created independent airlines, including Aigle Azur.

In 1970, the airline was re-constituted as a regional airline named Lucas Aviation. The re-formed airline's corporate and operational headquarters was at Paris Pontoise Airport, located in Boissy l'Aillerie. Lucas Aviation initially traded as Lucas Air Transport and operated regional scheduled services, including a year-round operation linking Deauville with London Gatwick. The name subsequently changed once more to Lucas Aigle Azur.

In May 2001, Groupe GOFAST acquired Lucas Aigle Azur from its previous owners, once again changing the name to Aigle Azur, its original name. The new owner refocused the airline as a mainstream short- to medium-haul scheduled and charter carrier. Aigle Azur began replacing its Boeing 737s with Airbus A320 family aircraft. It has 450 employees as of May 2007.

A plane operated by Aigle Azur landed in Baghdad on 31-10-2010 becoming the first flight from a European airline to arrive in the city since a 1990 international embargo on Iraq after 20 years.