From Balair To Belair in The Early 2000s
In the fall of 2001 was responsible for the travel company Hotelplan clear that heralded the end of Swissair and the airline companies of the Group SAir also the end of the charter company was Balair. After consultation with the parent company Migros founded Hotelplan the new charter airline Belair Airlines, on 16 October was registered in Commercial Register. This slight name change made it possible for the two (Migros) own Boeing 757 temporarily to repaint with very little effort. Of the 120 employees Balair could be assumed.
The aircraft remained a day at the ground before them the third after the transfer of all mission-critical documents to the new company and the issuance of air permit from the FOCA. In November 2001 for the first commercial flight the Belair took off from Zurich. The flights of the two machines perform since then mainly to seaside resorts on the Mediterranean and northern Africa. Besides the two Boeing 757-200 (HB-IHR HB-and IHS), has since been a Boeing 767-300 (HB-ISE) are leased, which is used over long distances.
In addition to the regular holiday flights were used Belair B767 and the Edelweiss A330 on several occasions along the returning holiday travelers from areas of conflict, natural disasters or after attacks. In collaboration with the Swiss Air Rescue REGA, the Swiss Air Rescue, the B757 HB-IHR was umkonzipiert of Belair so that they could be used in case of disasters as rescue aircraft Thus forming a partnership with REGA Belair in the repatriation.
Since 1 November 2007 Air Berlin in terms of a strategic partnership with a 49% stake in the company, which entered into force gradually. Cooperation with the Air Berlin increases its presence in Switzerland on the distribution network of the Migros group, conversely, is the Migros customers a significantly enlarged flights available. For this reason, the two Boeing 757-200ER has been repainted in Air Berlin colors and integrated into the fleet. The first aircraft in the new colors was the HB-IHR.
Read more about this topic: Belair (airline), History
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