Aininian (airline)
| File:Ainin Airways logo.png | |||||||
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| Founded | 15 January 1926 (as Aininian Overseas Air Lines) 9 July 1982 (modern) | ||||||
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| Hubs | |||||||
| Secondary hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Alliance | Sapphire Alliance | ||||||
| Fleet size | 558 (mainline) 821 (incl. subsidiaries) | ||||||
| Destinations | 213 (mainline) 359 (incl. subsidiaries) | ||||||
| Company slogan | Voyageons ensemble "Let's travel together" | ||||||
| Headquarters | 2 place d'Outre-Mer Tourres, Isle-Royale | ||||||
| Key people | Sylvie Deschênes (CEO) Chantal Hémery (President) | ||||||
Aininian (French: Aininien), formally Aininian Aerial Transportation Corporation, Ltd. (French: Société aininienne de transport aérien, lté), is Ainin's national state-owned flag carrier.
Formed in 1928 as Aininian Overseas Air Lines, it operated all flights in and to Aininian Notasia. Throughout the 1930s, it began adding flights across Esquarium, to countries such as Namor, Vyvland and East Luziyca. The onset of the Second Great War in 1941 led to a suspension of most aviation activities, but after the war, the airline quickly recovered to its prewar position and, using aircraft with increasingly longer range, began extending its overseas operations. In 1980, a major recession caused the airline to default on its debts, allowed to go unchecked due to rapid growth over the past decades, and it was bought out by the the government and merged with the state-owned airline, Aininian National, to form Aininian.
Today, Aininian is Ainin's largest airline and, as a founding member of Sapphire Alliance, a key player in the industry. It also operates the Nautasia-focused airline Aininian South as a wholly-owned subsidiary and the brand Aininian Express for its associated regional airlines. Its main domestic rival is Air Ainin.
History
Fleet
With 558 aircraft in mainline service and 263 more in service with subsidiaries and regional partners, Aininian is the largest airline in Esquarium by fleet size. Its mainline fleet is entirely composed of Azimut aircraft.
| Name | In service | Orders | F | C | Y | Dates operated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-range jetliners | ||||||
| Azimut A-44/G | 57 | 8 | 140 | 2000 - present | ||
| Azimut A-44/J | 8 | 16 | 182 | 2000 - present | ||
| Azimut A-44/Q | 101 | 45 | 12 | 136 | 2007 - present | |
| Azimut A-44/R | 62 | 16 | 155 | 2008 - present | ||
| Azimut A-44/R-EXT | 8 | 31 | 16 | 148 | 2012 - present | |
| Azimut A-51/E | 15 | 16 | 32 | 162 | 1986 - present | |
| Long-range jetliners | ||||||
| Azimut A-72bis/H | 49 | 14 | 42 | 226 | 1998 - present | |
| Azimut A-73/B | 87 | 24 | 16 | 36 | 200 | 2008 - present |
| Azimut A-73/E | 51 | 16 | 42 | 240 | 2008 - present | |
| Azimut A-81/B & B-XP | 89 | 16 | 20 | 72 | 259 | 1992 - present |
| Total | 558 | 116 | ||||
Destinations
Domestic
| Hub |
| Focus city |
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International
| Focus city |
| Seasonal service |
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Accidents and incidents
Since its establishment in 1982, Aininian has been involved in eleven serious incidents of which six resulted in fatalities.
- 5 April 1984: Aininian Flight 12, an Azimut A-44/B en route from Port-Denise Saint-Jean-Baptiste International Airport to Fort-Françilien International Airport, both in Risagne, crashed while landing in a microburst, killing all 119 onboard.
- 18 June 1985: An Aininian Azimut A-44/B on a repositioning flight suffered a rudder hardover. The crew made a successful emergency landing in Port-Denise.
- 29 August 1987: An A-51/A, was damaged beyond economic repair on the ground at Finistère Airport in Finistère, Mercier in an act of criminal arson.
- 24 December 1989: Aininian Flight 870, an Azimut A-44/B en route from Le Rocher/Cherkov Airport in West Ainin to Huimont Gérard Hébert International Airport in Isle-Royale, crashed into a peak in the Cordièrre Mountains as a result of a rain-induced double-engine flameout, killing 51 of 76 passengers and crew.
- 23 June 1994: Aininian Flight 642, an Azimut A-44/H en route from Huimont Gérard Hébert International Airport to Talon International Airport, crashed into an Aininian Autoroute 71 overpass 2.2 km short of the runway after the crew accidentally disengaged autopilot, killing all 88 crew and passengers and an additional 19 on the ground.
- 31 December 1999: A bombing plot against several Aininian flights out of Talon on this date was foiled by the Intelligence and Security Directorate.
- 11 October 2002: Aininian Flight 2250, an Azimut A-72/A en route from Sénartin-Pontnouveau International Airport in Pontnouveau, Francilie to Talon, slid off the runway upon landing due to underinflated tires, injuring 19. The aircraft was written off.
- 3 May 2006: As a result of controller error, a landing Air Luziyca aircraft carrying 295 passengers narrowly missed striking an Aininian flight carrying 115 that was holding at the end of Talon's runway 15/33.
- 18 November 2006: Aininian Flight 199, an Azimut A-72bis/H en route from Talon to Mojing International Airport in Namor, suffered from a fuel starvation incident in mid-flight due to undetected damage to a fuel tank. The aircraft slammed into the runway while making an unpowered emergency landing at Namo International Airport and broke into three, killing 47 of 218.
- 20 February 2010: Aininian Flight 156, an Azimut A-73/B en route from Beaurepaire-Saint-Hyacinthe International Airport in Jaspère to Tilha'ad International Airport in West Nautarya, was directed to a closed runway due to controller error. The aircraft struck a pickup truck on the ground, damaging the landing gear and killing all 3 occupants of the truck. No occupant of the aircraft was harmed.
- X April 2017: Aininian Flight 303, an Azimut A-81/B en route from Talon to Benjamin Hollowood International Airport in Waterwitt, Daecon, was hijacked by members of the Worker's Army of Lecistan and landed in Nevanlinna, Nevanmaa.
Photo gallery
- Ainin Airways logo.png
Current logo (2005- )
- Aininien 1990.png
Arrow Blitz logo (1982-2005)
- Aininien 1970.png
Round Table logo (1966-1982)
- Aininien 1955.png
Fleur-de-Lys logo (1948-1966)