Air Imagua

Air Imagua
Aerea Imagua

File:AirImagualogo.png
IATA ICAO Callsign AI AIM IMAGUA
Founded	10 August, 1953 (as Imaguan Civilian Air Service) 23 April, 1982 (as Air Imagua)
Commenced operations	5 June, 1956
Hubs	Peter Hansson International Airport
Secondary hubs	San Pietro International Airport
Fleet size	66
Destinations	39
Headquarters	Cuanstad, Imagua and the Assimas
Key people	Sid Bradley (CEO) Luana Castrogiovanni (Chairman)

Air Imagua (Vespasian: Aerea Imagua) is the flag carrier and only airline of Imagua and the Assimas. Established in 1953 as the Imaguan Civilian Air Service (Vespasian: Servizio aereo civile imaguano) due to the increasing demand of flights between Asteria Superior and Asteria Inferior, it commenced operations in June 1956.

History

Establishment and early years

After the end of the Solarian War in 1946, interest in aviation on Imagua and the Assimas took off, as during the war, airbases were established by both Etruria on the Assimas Islands, and Estmere on Imagua. Combined with the increasing demand for flights between Asteria Superior and Asteria Inferior, it was decided in 1953 by Marguerite Ernman and her cabinet to establish a national airline.

Thus, it was incorporated as the Imaguan Civilian Air Service was incorporated on 10 August, 1953, with Peter Hansson appointed managing director of the new company. Over the next few years, airplanes were purchased, mostly from (TBC), and a route network was planned, with a focus on having Cuanstad Airport serve as a hub, while the airport at San Pietro to serve as a secondary hub, and all routes would be organized on a hub and spoke system.

On 5 June, 1956, the first flight took place, between Cuanstad and San Pietro. In December 1956, the first flight took place to Hammarvik, Eldmark.

In its early years, the Imaguan Civilian Air Service was operated as a government agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Transport. During this time, the main focus of the ICAS was serving connecting flights in the Asterias region, with the ICAS primarily focused on using Cuanstad and San Pietro as the main hubs.

In the mid-1960s, with increasing demand of travel to and from Euclea, it was decided to engage in trans-Vehemenic flights to connect Cuanstad and San Pietro with Montecara, with the intention of using Montecara as a "stopover" for flights to and from both Estmere and Etruria. This, combined with increasing tourism to Imagua and the Assimas meant that by the early 1970s, the Imaguan Civil Air Service became one of the more important airlines in the Asterias.

In 1971, Peter Hansson retired, and was succeeded by James Anworth. Under Anworth's tenure as managing director of the ICAS, he continued the airline's expansion outside of the Asterias and into Euclea. However, by the late 1970s, as a financial crisis started to affect the world, the ICAS started to see declining profits.

Privatization

In 1980, newly-elected Prime Minister Anthony Brockett tabled a budget for the 1981 fiscal year, which included transforming the Imaguan Civil Air Service from a government agency into a state-owned enterprise, with the intention of privatising the corporation "within five years." Thus, on 1 April, 1981, managing director James Anworth became the first Chief executive officer of the company, with Peter Hansson brought out of retirement to serve as the first Chairman of the ICAS.

On 23 April, 1982, the ICAS was renamed to Air Imagua, as the government believed that the ICAS was "too old-fashioned." The following year, the government sold a third of its shares in Air Imagua to the private sector, with that share being purchased by (TBD).

While under the premiership of Edmondo Privitera, the privatization plans were halted, with Air Imagua remaining a majority-state-owned enterprise. In the 1980s, Air Imagua started expanding flights to Coius, with primary focus towards members of the Council of Estmerish Language States, as they were felt to share a common market, combined with common levels of trade between the two members.

In 1992, after Isaac Egnell became Prime Minister, the airline was completely privatized by November 1992, when the government sold its two-thirds share to (TBD). In January 1993, Peter Hansson retired as Chairman of Air Imagua, and Anworth became Chairman, while Luana Castrogiovanni became the second CEO of Air Imagua.

Under her tenure, she continued to oversee the airline's expansion outside of the traditional Asterian market. At the same time, she sought to compete with Aeracara, saying in 1996 that "Air Imagua ought to be to the east what Aeracara is in the west."

However, despite her efforts to improve the luxury of Air Imagua, by 2001, there was substantial backlash as many were feeling that she was making flights to Imagua "unaffordable to the average person". As such, she was kicked upstairs by the company's board of directors, who made her Chairman of the company, while bringing in Sid Bradley as CEO.

Contemporary era

Under Sid Bradley's tenure as chief executive officer of Air Imagua, he decided to focus his efforts on "scaling back the opulence." Thus, first class services were terminated in 2004, with business class becoming the highest ranked service on Air Imagua for all flights.

With a recession in 2005, Bradley took the opportunity to "downsize" its operations, with flights to smaller communities in Euclea and Coius, as well as Asteria Inferior either reduced to just once a week, or cancelled altogether.

Bradley also began to reduce Air Imagua's reliance on a hub and spoke system, with plans in particular to stop using Montecara–Enrico Dulio International Airport as its Euclean hub, and instead have all flights from Euclea fly straight to Imagua and the Assimas from their places of origin. While the shifts did occur, Montecara was confirmed to remain the Euclean hub of Air Imagua in 2006.

In the early 2010s, as the economy started to recover, Air Imagua began expanding operations for the first time in nearly a decade, with flights to (TBC) commencing in 2013. However, in 2014, flights to Marirana were "indefinitely suspended" due to the start of a civil war, which greatly diminished demand for both business and tourist traffic to Marirana.

(TBC)

Services

Cabin

Business class

Business class suite

Business class (Vespasian: classe affare) is the highest class offered by Air Imagua since the discontinuation of first class in 2004, and is offered on all flights, whether short-haul, medium-haul, or long-haul flights.

On long-haul and medium-haul routes, all business class seats on Air Imagua are fully flat seats, while on short-haul routes, they are angled lie flat seats. In-flight entertainment is provided to all business class passengers.

Business passengers on Air Imagua receive high-quality meals, which are predominantly foods of Etrurian origin, with one service on medium-haul routes, and at least two services on long-haul routes, as well as complementary snacks. Those travelling business class on a short-haul flight will only receive complementary snacks.

Business passengers are allowed to check in two bags, and to carry on two bags for free.

Tourist class

Row of tourist class seats

The second and lowest class offered by Air Imagua is called tourist class (Vespasian: classe turistica) and is equivalent to economy class on other airliners.

All seats in tourist class have the ability to recline, although they do not lie-flat. On medium and long-haul routes, in-flight entertainment is provided, but on short-haul routes, in-flight entertainment is not provided.

Tourist class passengers receive high quality meals, which are predominantly foods of Estmerish cuisine, with one service on medium-haul routes, and two services on long-haul routes. However, there are no complementary snacks, and those wishing for snacks will have to pay for them.

Tourist class passengers may only check in one bag, and can only carry on one bag for free.

Destinations

Domestic

Hub

Focus city

Seasonal service