- Cityjet wins ERAA silver airline of the year
- Spanish Binter wins airline of the year, Flybe bronze
- Airline plans further expansion in 2017
CityJet has been named Silver Airline of the Year for 2016 by the European Regions Airline Association for transitioning from Air France ownership into a successful independent airline
The ERAA is an organisation representing over 50 airlines and 143 associate and affiliate members involved in all aspects of the sector, from carriers to airports operations and manufacturers.
The announcement was made at the ERA General Assembly in Madrid last night. The award citation focused on the achievements of CityJet throughout 2015 in successfully rebuilding as an independent airline, including the significant growth in its traffic and transformation of its business model.
The ERA adjudication panel also referenced CityJet’s industry gains, in particular winning a major wet lease contract to operate services on behalf of SAS (Scandinavian Airlines) and commencing its fleet programme renewal with orders for 25 new Bombardier and Superjet SSJ100 aircraft.
Jesper Rungholm, CEO of Danish airline Danish Air Transport won ERA’s Personal Excellence award. Spanish airline Binter won the ERA Airline of the Year for its expansion into new markets and solid profitability despite the challenging market. Flybe, which returned to profitability while going through a radical restructuring process, awarded Bronze.
Southampton Airport won the ERA Airport of the Year award.
Pat Byrne, Executive Chairman of CityJet, said: “Receiving this accolade from our peers among European regional airlines is a great honour. I have accepted this on behalf of all 850 members of the CityJet team. It is a great testimonial for the huge effort that has been made in transforming CityJet into a vibrant and growing aviation business. Our focus on customers, whether they are a commuter on one of our many routes or an airline to whom we wet lease aircraft, sets CityJet apart. We are genuinely proud to be recognised by this award.”
CityJet operates a fleet of 28 aircraft on its scheduled network – which includes a major hub at London City Airport – and on its wet lease services on behalf of Air France and SAS. It also has grown its charter services for corporate clients, sports teams and the entertainment industry. Its 850 staff are mainly located at its Dublin headquarters but CityJet also has bases in Amsterdam, Helsinki, London Paris and Stockholm.
ERA Director General Simon McNamara, commented: “It is my pleasure to present Jesper Rungholm with the ERA award for Personal Excellence. Jesper was and still is a pioneer in the regional business, having founded Danish Air Transport in 1989, and he still remains the CEO of the airline. Since DAT joined ERA in 2002, Jesper has been a staunch supporter of the association and an outspoken advocate for the business on all topics. If you are in the regional business, you have heard of Jesper and his contribution to the industry is impressive, unique and inspirational and he thoroughly deserves this award.”
Binter President Pedro Agustin del Castillo said: “All of us who form part of Binter, employees and shareholders, are extremely proud to have received the ERA Airline of the Year award, Europe’s most important accolade for a regional airline. This award recognises Binter’s management and underlines to its customers the airline’s soundness. The ERA has acknowledged our work on several occasions, which is important for us because it implies this is not a one-off achievement, but rather recognition of our continuing endeavour over time and the daily efforts of all the people working at Binter to provide the best regional transport service.”
Saad Hammad, Flybe CEO, commented on receiving the Bronze award: “It is welcome recognition of the successes Flybe has achieved over the past three years, having returned to profitability with top-line growth, a competitive cost base, a re-energised organisation and a strong balance sheet. It is also testament to Flybe’s great purpose which is to provide regional communities with time-saving access to the outside world not just within the UK and Europe but also through our long-haul codeshare partners across the whole globe.”
