Airlines Remembered

SkyEurope Airlines

Photos © R.Leeuw

Ceased operations: 2009
Homebase: Bratislava, Slovakia
Founded: 2001
ICAO callsign: RELAX
IATA / ICAO prefix: NE / ESK
Operations: passengers

 

SkyEurope 737 OM-NGD
Boeing 737-76N OM-NGD (c/n 32674/1952) seen on final approach into Schiphol on 06Aug07.


The JP Airline Fleet 2008 showes the following aircraft
Sky Europe fleetlist JP08

 

SkyEurope Airlines was formed by private investors (led by York Global Finance Sarl): European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, ABN Amro and Austria's Creditanstalt. Flight operations started with 2 Boeing 737-300s.
It started operations 13Feb2002. IPO in 9/05 in Warsaw and Vienna. A share of 7.82% was purchased Feb07 by RPR Privatstiftung, Austria; 7.24% was purchased in Jun08 by ASP, Austria.
Controlling interest was purchased in Dec08 by SAPO Int'l, Greece and Longstock Financial Group.
SkyEurope entered bankrupcy protection on 22Jun09 and ceased all operations on 31Aug09.

 

SkyEurope OM-SEA Adriana
Boeing 737-5Y0 OM-SEA (c/n 25186/2236) seen on 09Aug04, displaying the remarkable image of topmodel, Slovak-born, Adriana Sklenaříková -Karembeu.
Later her image would also decorate SkyEurope's first 737-700NG.

SkyEurope 737 OM-SED
Boeing 737-53C OM-SED (c/n 24826/2041) at Amsterdam IAP on 08Aug04

SkyEurope introduced a new colourscheme during 2006, on its first Boeing 737-700. The white tail was replaced by a forceful red tail.

SkyEurope Airlines announced ambitious plans during 2007 that it would enter the Russian market during the next couple of years. Its subsidiary SkyEurope Airlines Hungary (5P/Budapest) took delivery of a first B737-700 at that time too. The airline then announced intentions for a new network strategy, that would include the closure of its bases in Budapest and Krakow by the end of 2007. And it was to start using its Prague and Vienna bases as hubs, offering connections throughout its network.

Early 2009, struggling SkyEurope was still continuing operations even though several lessors had repossessed all but 4 of its B737-700s. It wet-leased 1 MD-83 from MAP Jet, 2 B737-300s from Air Slovakia, 2 B737-300s from Bulgaria Air and 1 Fokker 100 from Trade Air (Zagreb), to continue operations with a reduced schedule.
Investors showed doubts to continue with SkyEurope.
Routes Vienna-Copenhagen/Kastrup was cancelled and other destionations, such as Rimini and Trieste, were cancelled from the network.

By 31Aug09 it was all over.

Fleetlist by ATDB.org
Fleetlist by Aerotransport.org (Sep.2009)

Sources:
Aerotransport Data Base (ATDB)
Thomas Jaeger Newsletter (http://www.ch-aviation.ch) 


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Created 23.Sep.2009