Air Piraea

Air Piraea

IATA ICAO Callsign AP APA PIRAEA
Hubs	Alikianos–Ioannis Apostolou International Airport, Alikianos
Focus cities	Hersonissos International Airport, Hersonissos
Frequent-flyer program	Petó
Alliance	UnitéCéleste
Subsidiaries	Air Piraea Cargo CateringAPA
Fleet size	1
Destinations	0
Company slogan	Πετώντας μαζί ("Flying Together")
Traded as	ALKX: APIRA
Headquarters	Alikianos–Ioannis Apostolou International Airport, Alikianos, Piraea
Key people	Markos Palamaroulis, CEO
Revenue
Profit
Website	airpiraea.pr

Air Piraea S.A. (Piraean: Aeroporía Πιραεα Ανώνυμη Εταιρεία) is the flag carrier airline of Piraea, as well as the largest airline of the country by number of passengers and destinations served. Its hub is at the Alikianos-Ioannis Apostolou International Airport, from where it covers routes in three continents, although the Hersonissos International Airport is used as a focus city during summer season, covering extra scheduled destinations.

It was founded in 1951 as "T.A.E.; Technical and Aeronautical Holdings", and counted with a large expansion during the 1960s and 1970s, becoming one of the largest airlines in the South of Euclea, covering routes in most of the continent, Rahelia, Coius and Asteria Superior. During the 1980s, the airline developed an important network of Travel Agencies and one of the first computerised booking systems. Towards the 1990s, the company was privatised, and since 2001, it is a full member of the UnitéCéleste alliance. Air Piraea is the first airline in Piraea by number of passengers and destinations, and a leading airline in Euclea by its coverage of Euclean destinations during summer season. It is also a leading company in the AKEX 25.

History

Beginning

Air Piraea was founded during the Second Piraean Republic under the name "T.A.E.; Technical and Aeronautical Holdings" (Τ.Α.Ε.; "Τεχνικαί Αεροπορικαί Εκμεταλλεύσεις") as a holding of previously nationalised small airlines services that were operating short routes between Piraea and Amathia. TAE was commissioned with the transport of cargo in Piraea, especially to northernmost and mountainous regions, until 1951, when the businessman Christodoulos Anastou presented the military government with the option of funding a portion of the airline in order to cover international commercial routes. On 1 September 1951, the airline operated the first international service as a civil airline, covering Alikianos-Adunis.

The tripulation of the inaugural flight that covered the route Alikianos-Keisi in 1979, on board of the DC-8 "Philosopher Theocritus".

TAE commenced its consolidation and expansion making use of the legal monopoly it was given of the air transport in Piraea. During the 1950s, the airline expanded through Rahelia and South Euclea with Douglas DC-4 airplanes, covering Madinat, Himera, Verlois and Precea. The normalisation of relations with Etruria also enabled the expansion of commercial flights to Tyrrenhus and Povelia. During first years of the 1960s, with the economic boom of tourism, air transport was liberalised, igniting the competence of TAE with other airlines; this pushed TAE to expand itself in Werania and Estmere, flying with DC-8-52s, the first four-engined jet aircrafts of the airline. During this age, the expansion of the airline was consolidated through famous advertising in the Euclean capitals, targeting the upper-class with the famous "TAE Klipper" (Τ.Α.Ε. Κλιππερ), a series of flights that connected Alikianos with highly demanded coastal destinations during summer with the small twin-engined turbo-propeller Short Skyvan.

B707-384B taking-off from Alikianos–Athanopoulos International Airport.

During the 1970s and 80s, the popularisation of air travel took the airline to sought larger routes. During the 1970s, TAE renewed its fleet with mostly jet aircrafts and expanded its network of partners and destinations across Euclea; with the professionalisation of its management, distanced from the junta leadership, the company started flights to Samistopol, UPSR, in 1972 and to East Arciluco and Brigançon, SEPR, in 1977, covering the route with B727-200s. Towards the end of the 1970s, the airline started commercialising routes to the Asterias, targeting the Piraese population in Cassier and Eldmark with a route through Spálgleann with the B747-200s acquired in 1978. That year, the airline showed interest in the Concorde, after the [airline] landed in Alikianos to give a demonstration in a stop-over to Keisi. During the 1980s, the airline was merged with Air Piraea, its main private competitor, changing the name to TAE-Air Piraea; the airline's network was one of the largest in the south of Euclea, and the company was a successful brand outside the country, with several offices in the main cities of Euclea and Asteria Superior. In 1981, the company commissioned the development of a computer and global distribution system to Eiol, in order to enable travel agencies the direct booking of fights and hotels from a single system; the computer occupied the highest floors of the TAE Tower in Alikianos Kentro.

Privatisation

Towards the 1980s, the world's economy started showing signs of downturns in several countries. In Piraea, the increase of oil prices forced TAE-Air Piraea to cease some of its destinations, marking the first cut of its network ever, and a further expansion of the airline through its privatisation became a frequent opsition in the political debate. In 1993, the government of Konstantinos Kondoulis presented the option of its privatisation, which was finally carried during 1996, when the airline debuted in the Alikianos Stock Exchange under its current name, Air Piraea. With its internal re-organisation, the company sold most of its Travel Agencies network to Sarkiades Group, which formed Sarkiades Voyager in which Air Piraea counts with a participation.

In 1995, the company launched its website, and in 1996, Air Piraea expanded its network again to Rahelia and South Coius, inaugurating flights to Sanafir and Jindao, and resuming flights to Keisi. That same year, the Air Piraea also launched Petó, its frequent-flyer program. In 1998, the airline increased its portion in the Alikianos–Ioannis Apostolou International Airport, representing nearly 75% of the entire airport activity. In 2001, Air Piraea joined Gazi Lumina, Aeracara and Aeronovo to form the UnitéCéleste alliance, however, it joined after the three, due to a change in the legal framework in Piraea. Since October 2001, the airline is a full UnitéCéleste member.

Subsidiaries

Air Piraea's subsidiaries are:

Air Piraea Cargo (100%) CateringAPA (49.9%) Duty Free Piraea (34.2%) Sarkiades Voyager (31%)

Ownership

During 1996, Air Piraea underwent a process of privatisation and internal re-organisation. The process culminated the 6th June 1996, when the airline debuted in the Alikianos Stock Exchange and included in the AKEX 25. The airline's shares were divided among some of the most influential companies in the Alikianos parqué, such as Ena-Credit Alikianos–25.7%, KEBS–12.8%, Sarkiades Group–3%. The remaining shares were divided between Piraean pensioners, cooperative funds and others.

Destinations

Map of destinations of Air Piraea as of September 2022.
Blue: year-round destinations
Yellow: seasonal destinations

Codeshare agreements

Air Piraea codeshares with the following airlines and railway operators:

• Trena Piraea
• Aeracara
• Aerolaivynas
• Aeronovo
• Gazi Lumina

Fleet

Air Piraea counts with a fleet of mostly A-planes of Euclean origin, which are used in its short, medium and long haul destinations. The airline counts, as of 2023, with a majority of A330-200 (19) that generally cover destinations in North Euclea, Rahelia and Senria. In 2022, the CEO of the company, Markos Palamaroulis, recognised that the airline is in search of leasing some of its largest planes and initiating a restructuring of the fleet, due to a decrease in flights in competition with railways.

Current fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers				Notes
			B	E+	E	Total
A320-200	13	2	—	—	186	186
A321-200	11	3	50	—	124	174
A330-200	19	—	19	—	268	288	1 planned to be converted into A330 MRTT for the Piraese Air Force
A330-300	8	—	29	21	242	292

Accidents and incidents

• 15 July 1967: TAE Flight 155 was hijacked while covering the route Alikianos-Morwall by a far-left Tsabaran group forcing its landing in Adunis.
• 1 September 1971: TAE Flight 512 crashed in the Acheloian Sea while attempting a landing in Alikianos. The airline and aircraft designers' found out technical damages that were increased by heavy smog. All passengers and crew members were rescued, although 2 died later in a hospital of Alikianos.
• 15 July 1977: TAE Flight 241 covering the route Alikianos-Westbrücken crashed in the Neeves. The accident became widely popular in media, as the search lasted several months until 22 passengers and crew members were found alive.
• 8 November 1981: Air Piraea Flight 188 covering the route Alikianos-Hammarvik in a B747-200 suffered a damage in one of its engines shortly after taking off, and after flying over Alikianos Kentro and the Acheloian, its pilot returned to the airport.