Airlines Remembered
Trans Travel Airlines
Photos © R.Leeuw
Photos © R.Leeuw
Since 1996 Trans Travel Airlines (TTA) operated scheduled services between European cities. It was formerly known as Turdus Airways B.V. Its activities included general aviation, charter flights, ambulance flights and ownership of a fleet of leased-out single engine aircraft. The development of a regional scheduled network started in 1996 with the route between Rotterdam and Hamburg, with the intention to expand the route network within north-west Europe. TTA targeted primarily the region-to-region routes and links to main airports for feeder traffic.
TTA had interline and ticketing agreements with a large number of other airlines as KLM, SAS, Lufthansa, Sabena, Aer Lingus, British Airways, Deutsche BA, LOT, etc. The total number of passengers flown on TTA network in 2000 was 32.000. Expectations for 2002 were for more than 75.000 passengers.
But in the first week of January 2003, Trans Travel Airlines ceased operations, at least until January 20th, due to financial problems. All flights from Rotterdam to Birmingham, Eindhoven, Hamburg and London Gatwick had been cancelled. TTA is trying to find new investors, to restart operations. Trans Travel's ATR42s and Beech 1900s have been ferried to Lelystad (Netherlands).
TTA is a d.b.a. (doing business as) company of Rossair Europe, based in Lelystad (NL). Rossair Europe, is a subsidiary of Rossair Holdings of South Africa. At the beginning of the year 2000, Rossair Europe commenced its operations at Lelystad Airport, The Netherlands, mainly to service Rossair's existing operations in Europe and with intentions to expand operations worldwide.
During April 2003 it was rumored that TTA would make a restart as 'CityConnect', operating an ATR-42 leased from Rossair; but City Connect Airlines ceased operations in August 2003.
Sources:
Fleet info: www.aerotransport.org
websites: www.tta.nl and www.rossair.com
