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Sky Express, legal name Cretan Aeronautical Operations (Greek: Κρητικές Αεροπορικές Εκμεταλλεύσεις Kritikés Aeroporikés Ekmetallefsis),[2] is a Greek airline headquartered in Athens International Airport. It was established in 2005[3] and operates a number of flights, serving 35 domestic and eight international destinations.[4]

Sky Express

IATA ICAO Callsign GQ[1] SEH AIR CRETE
Founded	2005 (2005)
Hubs	Athens International Airport Heraklion International Airport Makedonia International Airport
Fleet size	25
Destinations	44
Headquarters	Athens, Greece
Website	www.skyexpress.gr

History

The airline was established in early 2005 by Cpt. Miltiadis Tsagkarakis, former Olympic Airlines director general and pilot, and George Mavrantonakis, former Olympic Airlines chief operating officer and accountable manager as well as advisor to the company president.[5] Operations commenced in July 2005,[6] including scheduled, charter, cargo, air taxi, emergency medical services, excursion and sightseeing flights. Sky Express Aircargo was later established as a joint venture with the Finaval Group and dedicated to cargo transport between Europe and the Far East.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2020, the airline placed a firm order for four Airbus A320neo aircraft (the fleet now includes six of them). In addition, the company introduced a new design for their new Airbus aircraft.[7]

Logo controversy

The airline's initial logo was inspired by the flag of the Cretan State, a semi-independent state under the Ottoman Empire. The flag of the Cretan State was composed of a white cross extending to the edges of the flag, with the upper-hoist canton in red, featuring a white star symbolizing Ottoman sovereignty on the island, and the other squares in blue, symbolizing the Greeks of Crete. The flag has also been adopted as a symbol of the Cretan independence pseudo-movement. The logo was not well-received, and following complaints by the public in Greece, especially Cretans, the logo was changed. The company said it did not consider the flag offensive, since it represented a milestone in the unification of Crete with the Kingdom of Greece,[8] but changed the logo nonetheless to avoid any further confusion.^{[citation needed]}

Corporate affairs

In 2018, Sky Express carried 1 million passengers for the first time.[9]

	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022
Turnover (€m)	16,299	16,616	34,068	61,475	81,340	54,940	TBA	TBA
Net profit after tax (€m)	0,169	−1,391	−0,156	0,304	−0,250	−7,655	TBA	TBA
Number of employees	77	86	129	193	229	263	TBA	TBA
Number of passengers	85,174	168,116	496,562	1,000,000	1,200,000	TBA	TBA	TBA
Number of aircraft (at year end)	6	11	11	11	11	20	20	TBA
Notes/sources	[10]	[11]	[12]	[13]	[14]	[15]	[16]

Destinations

As of 2021, Sky Express operates scheduled flights to 35 destinations in Greece and to another eight abroad.

Codeshare agreements

Sky Express codeshares with the following airlines:

Fleet

As of July 2021, Sky Express's fleet consists of the following aircraft:[30][31][32]

Sky Express Fleet

Aircraft	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Airbus A320-200	1	—	180
Airbus A320neo	8	—	186 180 174 162	[33]
Airbus A321neo	—	2	TBD
ATR 42-500	4	—	48
ATR 72-500	5	—	70	3 currently stored
ATR 72-600	6	—	72
Total	24[34]	2

Historical fleet

In the past, Sky Express also operated the following types:

• ATR 42-300
• BAe Jetstream 41
• Boeing 747-200[35]
• McDonnell Douglas MD-83

Incidents and accidents

• On 12 February 2009, a BAe Jetstream 31 registered SX-SKY experienced a right main gear collapse after landing inbound from Rhodes International Airport.[36] None of the 15 passengers or three crew members were injured, but the aircraft suffered considerable damage to its right landing gear, wing and propeller. The aircraft was deemed beyond economical repair and was written off.^{[citation needed]} The accident was caused by two previous hard landings (out of the previous 27) which had gone unreported. One of the hard landings had caused a fracture in a landing gear cylinder, which spread until the cylinder failed, causing the landing gear to collapse. The aircraft was scrapped at Heraklion Airport in late February 2011.
• On 2 February 2015, a BAe Jetstream 41 aircraft registered SX-DIA, operating flight GQ-100 from Heraklion, experienced a left main gear collapse and runway excursion after a hard landing at Rhodes Diagoras Airport caused by strong winds. None of the 16 passengers or three crew members were injured. The aircraft suffered substantial damage.[37]
• On 21 June 2019, the 3 PM flight from Heraklion to Rhodes Diagoras Airport performed an emergency landing at Karpathos Airport after one of the engines exploded. None of the 47 passengers suffered any injuries.[38][39]

References

External links

• Official website
• Sky Express fleet from airfleets.net
• Sky Express (Greece) on ch-aviation.com
• Report no 08 / 2009 on SX-SKY by the Air Accident Investigation & Aviation Safety Board
• Report no 03 / 2018 on SX-DIA by the Air Accident Investigation & Aviation Safety Board

На других языках

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[de] Sky Express SA

Sky Express, in der Eigenschreibweise SKY express, ist eine griechische Fluggesellschaft mit Sitz in Iraklio und Basis auf dem Flughafen Iraklio.

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- [en] Sky Express (Greece)

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[fr] Sky Express

Sky Express, sous son nom légal Cretan Aeronautical Exploitations (grec moderne : Κρητικές Αεροπορικές Εκμεταλλεύσεις / Kritikés Aeroporikés Ekmetalléfsis[1]), est une compagnie aérienne grecque basée à l'aéroport international d'Athènes. Elle a été créée en 2005 et exploite des vols intérieurs et internationaux, desservant jusqu’à 34 destinations.

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[ru] Sky Express (Греция)

Sky Express — греческая авиакомпания. Основана в 2005 году. Базируется в Ираклионе.

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