Astra Airlines

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Astra Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
A2[1] AZI[2] GREEK STAR[2]
Founded2008 (2008)
Commenced operationsJuly 5, 2008 (2008-07-05)
AOC #GR-028[3]
HubsThessaloniki International Airport
Focus citiesAthens International Airport
Fleet size4
Destinations37
HeadquartersThessaloniki, Greece
Key peopleIoannis Zlatanis (Chairman)
Websiteastra-airlines.gr

Astra Airlines was a Greek regional airline headquartered in Thessaloniki and based at Thessaloniki International Airport.

History[edit]

The carrier was founded by Ioannis Zlatanis, founder of Interaviator Ltd, and Anastasios Zirinis, former CEO of Olympic Aviation. It launched operations on 5 July 2008, flying from Thessaloniki to Rhodes.[4]

On 9 November 2019, it was reported that Astra Airlines faced severe financial difficulties and was searching for an investor to maintain its current operations.[5] The airline grounded all flights on the same day until further notice.[6] On 14 November 2019, IATA announced that it had suspended the airline and warned Greek travel agents to stop selling tickets on the airline with immediate effect.[7][8]

On 18 November 2019, it was reported that the airline would not resume operations for good.[9]

Destinations[edit]

A former Astra Airlines Airbus A320-200. The type meanwhile has been phased out.

As of May 2016, Astra Airlines served the following destinations:[10]

Greece
Germany
Israel

Fleet[edit]

Astra Airlines BAe 146-300

As of August 2019, the Astra Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[11]

Astra Airlines fleet
Aircraft In fleet On order Passengers Notes
C Y
Total
ATR 42-300 2 0 48 48
ATR 72-200 1 0 70 70
BAe 146-300 1 0 112 112
Total 4

References[edit]

  1. ^ "IATA - Airline and Airport Code Search". iata.org. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  2. ^ a b "CONTRACTIONS FAA JO 7340.2". faa.gov. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014.
  3. ^ "Action Plan on Emissions Reduction of Greece" (PDF). ICAO. Civil Aviation Authority. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Astra Airlines Takes Off". capital.gr. 11 July 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  5. ^ politischios.gr - ΒΙΝΤΕΟ- Τελευταία πτήση της Astra Airlines ή υπάρχει ακόμη σωτηρία (Greek) 9 November 2019.
  6. ^ "Greece's Astra Airways' Financial Difficulties Prompt HCAA Review". 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Greece's Astra Airlines Suspended From The IATA". 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  8. ^ "IATA Grounds Greece's Astra Airlines". 15 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  9. ^ aerotelegraph.com - "Grounding: Astra Airlines ends operations" (German) 18 November 2019
  10. ^ astra-airlines.gr - BUY TICKET retrieved 21 May 2016
  11. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 15.

External links[edit]

Media related to Astra Airlines at Wikimedia Commons