First Choice Airways

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First Choice Airways
IATA DP	ICAO FCA	Callsign JETSET
Founded		1987
Hubs		Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Dublin, Exeter, Glasgow, London Gatwick, London Luton, London Stansted, Manchester, East Midlands
Focus cities		Cork, Edinburgh, Humberside, Leeds-Bradford, Norwich, Shannon
Fleet size		32
Destinations		45-70 (dependent on season)
Parent company		First Choice Holidays PLC
Headquarters		Manchester, United Kingdom
Key people		Chris(tine) Browne - Managing Director
Website: http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/

First Choice Airways is the charter airline of British tour operator First Choice plc, based in Manchester, England. It flies to more than 60 destinations worldwide from 14 UK and Irish airports. 70% of the airline's services are operated for its parent company, rising to 85% in the summer season, with the remainder on behalf of some 120 other tour operators. It also operates scheduled year-round leisure routes to Cyprus and the popular resorts of Spain and Portugal. Its main bases are Manchester Airport and London Gatwick Airport. Its long haul services are sold only by internal companies such as First Choice Holidays, Eclipse Direct, Hayes and Jarvis and Unijet. The company also operates several luxury 'round the world' flights each winter on behalf of TCS.

The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Future 3 Destinations 4 Fleet 4.1 Aircraft orders 5 External links 6 References

[edit] History

The airline started operations on 11 April 1987 under the name air2000 with 2 Boeing 757 aircraft and a flight from Manchester to Málaga. The fleet doubled a year later, with one aircraft being based at Glasgow International Airport. In the same year, the airline set up a subsidiary in Canada, to be called Air 2000 Airline Ltd. This subsidiary lasted only a few days before the Canadian government suspended its licence. The second attempt was more successful and became Canada 3000.

Long haul services to Mombasa in Kenya were introduced during the 1988/89 season. The 757s were re-equipped for extended range and flights to the United States began in 1989.

The airline was granted a licence for scheduled operations by the CAA in 1992, which commenced in 1993, initially between London Gatwick and Paphos, in Cyprus.

Expansion saw new bases in the UK established, with Dublin becoming the airline's first overseas hub in 1996. Leisure International Airways was fully integrated after the acquisition by First Choice of Unijet in June 1998. This included the entire fleet of aircraft, and an order for 4 A330-200 aircraft, which First Choice immediately cancelled in favour of the company's B767-300 aircraft. air 2000 received a new colour scheme which is still in use, however in March 2004 the air 2000 branding was removed and First Choice Airways branding added.

The airline carried 6.5 million passengers during 2002. The 2005 total was 6.0 million - fifth highest carryings of any UK airline. (per official CAA statistics - see below).

In 2004 it announced plans to refurbish another 6 Boeing 767-300 aircraft to expand its long haul operations. The airline was the first in the UK to use the Boeing 777-style interior on their 767 fleet. The company now has a total of 6 aircraft flying long haul in 2007.

[edit] Future

The airline will be a launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline placed a firm order for 6 aircraft in February 2005, with an option for a further 6. The airline will be the first UK company to receive the B787. In December 2006, the airline announced the purchase of a further 2 787 Dreamliners, takings its total order to 8 aircraft. In March 2007 First Choice Airways announced it was converting all 4 remaining options to orders and as such the total will come to 12.

In 2009 First Choice will receive its first B787-8 aircraft. Each B787-8 will replace a B767-300 on long haul routes as they are delivered. The deliveries are expected to take around 2 years.

The parent group of the airline First Choice Holidays PLC is to merge with the TUI AG , which will see Thomson Holidays and First choice Holidays combined. This will could see the merger of First choice Airways and Thomsonfly.

[edit] Destinations

Short Haul

• Austria - Innsbruck, Salzburg
• Bulgaria - Burgas, Plovdiv, Sofia, Varna
• Croatia - Dubrovnik, Split
• Cyprus - Larnaca, Paphos
• Egypt - Sharm-El-Sheikh, Taba
• Finland - Kittilä, Rovaniemi
• France - Grenoble, Toulouse
• Gambia - Banjul
• Greece - Chania, Corfu, Heraklion, Kalamata, Kefallonia, Kos, Mytilini, Preveza, Rhodes, Santorini, Skiathos, Thessalonika, Zakynthos
• Italy - Bergamo, Naples, Turin, Verona
• Malta - Malta
• Morocco - Agadir
• Portugal - Faro, Funchal
• Slovenia - Ljubljana
• Spain - Alicante, Almería, Arrecife, Barcelona, Fuerteventura, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Mahón, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Tenerife South
• Switzerland - Geneva
• Tunisia - Monastir
• Turkey - Antalya, Bodrum, Dalaman, Izmir

Worldwide

• Antigua & Barbuda - Antigua
• Aruba - Aruba
• Bahamas - Nassau
• Barbados - Bridgetown
• Brazil - São Salvador
• Cuba - Cayo Coco, Holguin, Varadero
• Costa Rica - Liberia^
• Dominican Republic - Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Samana^
• India - Goa, Trivandrum
• Jamaica - Montego Bay
• Kenya - Mombasa
• Maldives - Male
• Mexico - Cancun, Cozumel, Huatulco, Puerto Vallarta
• Sri Lanka - Colombo
• USA - Orlando Sanford
• Venezuela - Porlamar

^2007 Onwards

[edit] Fleet

As of November 2006 the First Choice Airways fleet includes^[1]:-

• 6 Airbus A320-200
• 4 Airbus A321-200
• 17 Boeing 757-200
• 6 Boeing 767-300ER

As of August 2006 the fleet age is 8.3 years

[edit] Aircraft orders

• 12 Boeing 787-8 (deliveries from 2009 to 2011)

[edit] External links

• First Choice Airways
  
• First Choice Airways Fleet Detail
  
• Photos of First Choice Airways aircraft
  
• British Photo Database - First Choice Airways

[edit] References

• United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Statistics of passengers carried by U.K. Airlines 2002 and 2005 (Tables 1.6.0)

1. ^ UK CAA Aircraft Register