Air Toulouse International

☆ Save On Wikipedia ↗
Aeris
Boeing 767-300
IATA ICAO Call sign
SH AIS FRANCE CHARTER
Founded1969 (1969)
Ceased operations
2003 (2003)
HubsToulouse–Blagnac Airport
Fleet size7
HeadquartersToulouse, France
Websitewww.aeris.fr

Aeris was an airline based in Toulouse, France. It was founded in 1969 as Air Toulouse but ceased operations in 2003[1][2] after being unable to raise additional capital. The company began operations with a small fleet of Boeing 737-300 and Boeing 767-300 jetliners, mostly operated in an all-economy configuration. Aeris offered many scheduled services but soon branched out into charter services.

Aeris mainly dealt with charter flights until 2003, after acquiring 7,612[3] slots from to the bankruptcy of Air Liberté at Orly Airport. Aeris took on passengers as a low-cost carrier, competing with EasyJet and Air France for flights between Paris and South of France. Aeris aimed to business travelers, but was only able to fill about 60% of the seat offer. In 2003 the company missed a government deadline to raise extra capital which was extended in the month of August, with the airline hoping to raise 15m €uros in the following weeks from a mixture of foreign and domestic investors.[4][5]

History

Origins as Air Toulouse (1969-1989)

Air Toulouse's Beechcraft 58 Baron

Air Toulouse was established in 1969 as a small air taxi operator based in Toulouse.[6] The company initially operated a small fleet of light aircraft, including a Beechcraft 95C, a Cessna 402B, and a Piper PA-31 T.[6] By 1975, Air Toulouse employed 21 staff, including four aircrew, and operated five aircraft totalling 1,700 flight hours per year on air taxi services.[6] The company remained a modest air taxi operator for approximately two decades, serving local demand in the Toulouse area.

The transition to jet operations began in late 1990, when the airline acquired the first Caravelle 10B (registered F-BJEN) from EAS Europe Aéro Services.[7] This aircraft was used for flights to London and Manchester from Toulouse, as well as charter services.[8][9]

Expansion as Air Toulouse International (1992-1999)

Reconstituted in 1992 after solved financial problems, the company adopted the name Air Toulouse International and the slogan "Pour voir la vie en rose" (a play on the nickname of Toulouse, "pink city").[10] In reality the corporate registered name was Societé Nouvelle Air Toulouse International S.A. and some of the new investors hold a shareholding in EAS Europe Airlines too.

Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle

Two more Caravelles entered the fleet and four more would join the fleet until they were taken out of service in 1997.[11] Scheduled services were started in April 1994. The airline also leased an Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante from 1993 to 1997 for the Toulouse-Barcelona route. Since the middle of the decade the fleet started including Boeing 737-200 aircraft, which allowed the airline to significantly increase capacity.

Boeing 737-200

By 1997, Air Toulouse International operated scheduled and charter services from Toulouse to Ajaccio, Barcelona, Bastia, Lyon, Marseille, Dakar, Lisbon, and Tenerife, as well as services from Lourdes/Tarbes to Paris-CDG, and routes from Lyon and Bordeaux to various destinations including Porto and Dakar.[12] The airline carried over 510,000 passengers in 1997 and maintained similar traffic levels through 1999.[6][10] In the middle of 1999, the fleet consisted of five Boeing 737-200 aircraft (F-GEXI, F-GHXK, F-GHXL, F-GLXF, F-GLXH) and one Dassault Falcon 50 (F-GPPF).[13]

Renaming to Aeris and bankrupt (1999-2003)

Boeing 737-300

Facing increasing financial difficulties at the end of the 1990s, Air Toulouse International was acquired in June 1999 by a group led by Jean-François Félix and Charles-Henri Rossignol, backed by the Philadelphia-based investment fund DSP Partners, which held 38% of the capital.[6] The company was renamed Aeris and adopted a new slogan, "La compagnie qui vous aime". The ageing Boeing 737-200 fleet was replaced with more modern Boeing 737-300 aircraft to comply with European noise and pollution regulations.[6] By decision of the new owners, all scheduled flights were ceased on July 1st.

Aeris initially focused on international medium and long-haul charter flights on behalf of tour operators such as FRAM and Nouvelles Frontieres. The company later expanded by cooperating with Brest-based air carrier Westair, and by 2002 reported revenues of 135 million €uros.[6] However, after launching the low-cost subsidiary Aeris Express in June 2003, the company ran into severe financial difficulties. Aeris was placed into liquidation on 7 November 2003 by the Tribunal de Commerce of Toulouse, ceasing all operations in the following day.[6][14]

Fleet

Aeris fleet
Aircraft In fleet
Boeing 737-300 5
Boeing 767-300 2
Total 7

Legacy

A Caravelle 10B3 (construction number 249) that flew with Air Toulouse is preserved by the Ailes Anciennes Toulouse association near Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. The aircraft, which first flew in April 1968, previously served with Danish charter airline Sterling Airways and was also briefly the personal aircraft of Central African Emperor Jean-Bédel Bokassa before joining Air Toulouse in 1992.[7]

See also

References

  1. "Air Toulouse Int'l Remembered". www.ruudleeuw.com. Retrieved 2021-02-17.
  2. "Air France, Easyjet, Wizzair... Comment les "slots" d'Aigle Azur à Orly ont été distribués". La Tribune (in French). 5 December 2019. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  3. "Another French Carrier Into Receivership | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  4. "French airlines struggle to go low-cost". 2003-09-18. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  5. "France Redistributes Aeris Slots At Orly | Aviation Week Network". aviationweek.com. Retrieved 2021-04-11.
  6. Thépaut, Héloïse (14 November 2023). "Il y a 20 ans disparaissait Air Toulouse, la seule compagnie aérienne de la Ville rose". Le Journal Toulousain (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  7. "Sud Aviation SE.210 Caravelle 10 B3". Ailes Anciennes Toulouse (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  8. "Air Toulouse International, Air et Cosmos weekly magazine (in french language), Paris, 14-20 January 1991
  9. Lenoir J.B., SE.210 Caravelle, “Airliner in service around the world” no. 4, NARA-Verlag, Allershausen, 2002
  10. Azouz, Inès (7 March 2025). "Il y a 20 ans, Toulouse possédait sa propre compagnie aérienne". Toulouse Secret (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  11. Lenoir J.B., SE.210 Caravelle, “Airliner in service around the world” no. 4, NARA-Verlag, Allershausen, 2002
  12. "Statistiques du trafic aérien". Ministère de la Transition écologique (in French). Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  13. Leeuw, Ruud. "Air Toulouse International Remembered". Airlines Remembered. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
  14. G. Endres (editor) & Air Transport Intelligence Team, "World Airlines 2004", Flight International Directory