Valkea Airlines

Valkea Airlines Oyj

IATA ICAO Callsign VK VKA VALKEA
Founded	1935
Commenced operations	1936
Hubs	Källälivi Vuotola Airport (KLV)
Frequent-flyer program	Verdant Skies
Alliance	Blueworld
Subsidiaries	Aurora Skyways Diamond Airways
Parent company	Valkea Airlines Group
Traded as	VLSE: VKAIR
Headquarters	Källälivi, Valkea
Key people	Emilia Tarvainen President and CEO Simo Haavisto Chief Financial Officer Väinämö Gallen Director of Corporate Strategy
Revenue	$40.06 billion (2019)
Operating income	$2.07 billion (2019)
Net income	$1.15 billion (2019)
Employees	134,290 (2019)
Website	valkeaairlines.com

Valkea Airlines Oyj, commonly known as Valkea Airlines, is the flag carrier of Valkea and its largest airline. Its global headquarters is located in Källälivi, Valkea, with its global hub located at Källälivi Vuotola Airport. Valkea Airlines serves multiple international and domestic flights and operates a mix of Airbus and Boeing aircraft. It is one of the founding members of Blueworld, a major Astyrian airline alliance.

Valkea Airlines also owns subsidiary passenger airlines such as Aurora Skyways and Diamond Airways, as well as regional carrier Valkea AirExpress and freight company Valkea AirCargo.

History

Founding and early years (1930s-1940s)

Valkea Air Lines was formed in 1935 with the merger of the Valkean Air Transport Company, National Air Line Company, and Itämaa Air Line Company. This merger was done at the behest of the Valkean government to consolidate the country's fledgling airline industry into a single company and provide subsidies more efficiently. Its first passenger air services were carried over from their former component companies, forming a domestic network that connected the cities of Källälivi, Novika, and Mustakivi. The newly formed airline eventually grew its domestic network to reach other major cities such as Dagsmark, Osterlund, and Rintalinna.

Its first international route was created in 1939, flying passengers from Källälivi to Rõlva in Ostrothia with stopovers in Osterlund and Brantevik. This quickly followed with routes to cities in Caledonia and Nynorsk Ostlijord. However, due to the outbreak of the 2nd Great Astyrian War, Valkea Air Lines was unable to start flights outside of Vinstria.

Expansion (1950s-1970s)

Valkea Airlines opened the 1950s with the introduction of the Lockheed Constellation, the first widely successful airliner with a pressurized cabin. It was later joined by the Douglas DC-6 in 1951. In 1953, Valkea Airlines became the first airline in Astyria to operate the de Havilland Comet, the world's first commercial jet airliner. However, they were withdrawn from service in April 1954 after several fatal accidents, including a Valkea Airlines Comet 1A.

The Vickers Viscount was introduced in 1955 and was used heavily on its Lorecian routes. In 1960, Valkea Airlines returned to operating jets with the introduction of the Boeing 707 and Sud Aviation Caravelle, followed by the Douglas DC-8 in 1961. It became the first Astyrian airliner to operate a commercial jet service using polar routes with its Källälivi - Jakarta service. In 1971, Valkea Airlines became an early adopter of the Boeing 747, which flew on long-haul services.

Valkea Airlines Group (1990s-)

Beginning in 1991, Valkea Airlines underwent a period of restructuring that saw the creation of two new subsidiary companies: Valkea AirCargo and Valkea AirExpress. In 1993, the company was formally reorganized as the Valkea Airlines Group. On 26 March 1999, Valkea Airlines became a founding member of the Blueworld airline alliance.

Valkea Airlines Group acquired a 24.5% stake in low-cost carrier Aurora Skyways in 1996. This was increased to 33.3% in 1999 and 42.5% in 2003. In October 2005, Valkea Airlines acquired the remainder of Aurora Skyways.

In 2018, Valkea Airlines Group acquired 80% of Diamond Airways for $4.23 billion.

Codeshare agreements

Valkea Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

• Air Nederlands Indië
• Arthropol Airlines
• Avbu
• Belmont Airways
• Diamond Airways ^VA
• Huawan Intercontinental
• KNLM ^BW
• Nate Air
• Royal Airways ^BW
• Royal Commonwealth Airways ^BW
• Royal Nikolian ^BW
• Skylis ^BW
• Willitya Air

^BW Blueworld member.

^VA Part of Valkea Airlines Group.

Services

Frequent-flyer program

Valkea Airlines' frequent-flyer program is called Verdant Skies. Members may earn points on Valkea Airlines flights as well as on Blueworld partner flights.

Accidents and incidents

This is a list of accidents and incidents involving Valkea Airlines commercial aircraft since 1940.

• On 3 March 1954, Valkea Airlines Flight 207, a De Havilland Comet 1 flying from Källälivi to Rõlva, broke up in mid-air and crashed several kilometers southwest of Helgeboda. All 28 passengers on board died in the accident. Investigators speculated that the loss of Flight 207 was attributed to clear-air turbulence, which could have caused structural failure due to metal fatigue, but it was later attributed to metal fatigue due to repeated cycles of pressurization and depressurization. This cause was also attributed to similar fatal accidents involving Comet aircraft that took place in 1954.
• On 16 August 1983, Valkea Airlines Flight 542, a Boeing 747-200 from Källälivi to Beograd, collided with Royal Nikolian Flight 116, a Boeing 747-100 from Beograd to Telora. The collision occured over < place >, located 114 km east of Beograd. All 289 passengers on Flight 542 died in the collision, alongside 327 on Flight 116, for a total of 616 fatalities. It remains the worst accident in Valkea Airlines' history, as well as the deadliest mid-air collision and the deadliest accident in Astyrian aviation history.
• On 8 May 1995, Valkea Airlines Flight 804, a Boeing 747-200 from Kirkland to Källälivi, lost one of its engines shortly after takeoff when the #2 engine pylon detached from the wing and damaged a fuel tank. The aircraft returned to Kirkland Airport safely; all 328 passengers and crew survived with no reported injuries. Subsequent investigations concluded that the separation was due to extreme turbulence, causing excessive load on the pylon.
• On 27 October 2006, Valkea Airlines Flight 87, an Airbus A330-200 from Källälivi to Baltyre, overshot the runway at Baltyre Airport, crashing into an earth embankment. No fatalities were recorded, although one passenger had a serious injury while seven more had minor injuries.
• On 7 February 2018, Valkea Airlines Flight 1155, a Boeing 787-9 bound for Jakarta, aborted takeoff at Källälivi Vuotola Airport due to an uncontained engine failure leading to a fire. All 156 passengers and 13 crew were evacuated from the aircraft; no injuries were reported.