Hemus_Air Knowpia

Hemus Air
Хемус Ер
Founded	1991
Ceased operations	2014 (merged with Bulgaria Air)
Hubs	Sofia Airport
Focus cities	Varna Airport
Subsidiaries	Viaggio Air
Fleet size	12
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Website	www.air.bg

Hemus Air (Bulgarian title: Хемус Ер) was an airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operated scheduled domestic and international services from Sofia and Varna, as well as charter, cargo and air ambulance services. Its main base was Sofia Airport, with a hub at Varna Airport.^[1] After the acquisition of Bulgaria Air, all of Hemus Air's destinations are now under the plate of Bulgaria Air.

History edit

Hemus Air, named after the ancient name for the Balkan mountains, is owned by Varna-based industrial/financial enterprise TIM.^[2] The airline was established and started operations in 1986, when it branched off from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines. It initially operated as a separate department providing ambulance services, flight calibration and aerial photography. In 1996 it became a separate legal entity from Balkan and was named Hemus Air.^[1] The company was privatized by Bulgarian corporate investors in 2002 and has faced stiff competition from foreign carriers, as well as the newly established successor of Balkan, Bulgaria Air.

Hemus Air's management pledged to unite the major Bulgarian airlines and was selected as the preferred bidder for the sale of Bulgaria Air by the Bulgarian government. In November 2006, Balkan Hemus Group sealed a deal to purchase Bulgaria Air with a 99.99% share of the airline for €6.6 million. The new airline will operate under the Bulgaria Air brand.^[3] Hemus promised to invest a further €86m over the next five years. Hemus and Bulgaria Air began to coordinate their schedules and operations in 2007. As of February 2009, all Hemus Air aircraft are operating for the parent company, Bulgaria Air.

Destinations edit

All Hemus Air destinations are now operated under the commercial brand of Bulgaria Air.

Fleet edit

A Hemus Air Boeing 737-400 landing at Ruzyně Airport, Czech Republic (2005)

Hemus Air BAe146-200

The Hemus Air fleet includes the following aircraft (at July 2012):^[4]^[5]

**Hemus Air fleet**
Aircraft	Total	Passengers	Routes	Notes
Airbus A319-100	2	144	Short-Medium haul Europe and Middle East	Operating for Bulgaria Air
ATR 42-300	1	46	Short haul Balkans	stored at Sofia Airport
Avro RJ70	1	26	Short haul VIP	Operating private and VIP charters
BAe146-200	3	90	Short-Medium haul Europe	Operating for Bulgaria Air, 2 are stored at Sofia Airport
BAe146-300	3	110	Short haul Europe	Operating for Bulgaria Air
Total	10

Most of these aircraft are operating for Bulgaria Air until the two airlines merge; then they will all be transferred to Bulgaria Air's fleet.

Retired fleet edit

Accidents and incidents edit

Hemus Air Flight 7081 was hijacked en route from Beirut International Airport to Varna on 3 September 1996. The hijacker, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, allowed the 150 passengers to leave the aircraft at Varna and he and the eight crew members continued to Oslo Airport, Gardermoen where he gave up. He initially claimed that he only wanted to seek asylum, but he later claimed he was under orders to crash the aircraft into Oslo.^[6]^[7]

References edit

^ ^a ^b Flight International 3 April 2007
^ Airliner World January 2007
^ Balkan Hemus Group wins tender to buy national flag carrier, Bulgaria Air
^ "Directorate General "Civil Aviation Administration"". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2009-04-06.
^ "CH-Aviation - Airline News, Fleet Lists & More". Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
^ "Hijacking description". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
^ Milli, Øystein (16 September 2001). "Kaprer hevder han skulle styrte i døden". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). p. 9.