Originally Posted by
G-ARZG
I saw Air Plus Comet plenty of times in LGW 2005/2006, but...whatever
The airline was established on 23 December 1996 as Air Plus Comet and started operations on the 01 March 1997 based at Madrid Barejas Airport. It mainly operated long haul charters from Madrid and Palma de Mallorca to destinations in the Americas and the Caribbean. The airline also operated ad-hoc charters on behalf of other airlines and in particular Air Europa.
It relaunched as a full service carrier under the name Air Comet in January 2007 and took over some of the defunct Air Madrid's Latin American routes. Air Comet was wholly owned by Groupo Marsons.
Groupo Marsons we're also the owners of Aerolineas Argentinas the national flag carrier of Argentina. In 2002 Aerolineas Argentinas offered a feeder flight three times weekly each from Madrid Barejas Airport to London Gatwick Airport and Paris CDG Airport to connect with their flights to Buenos Aires initially using aircraft from Air Plus Comet.
Aerolineas Argentinas eventually based two MD88 aircraft at Madrid Barejas Airport to cover these feeder flights. The two MD88's based at Madrid Barejas Airport were LN-VGA and LN-VGB. These feeder flights ceased in 2006 with the two MD88''s returning to Argentina.
At the airline's peak Air Comet operated 12 aircraft including Airbus A310-300 and Airbus A330-300.
On the 11 February 2009 Air Comet was suspended from IATA, the airline ran into severe financial problems after being sued by the German bank HSH Nordbank and ceased operations altogether due to bankruptcy on the 21 December 2009. At the time of the airline's collapse it's fleet consisted of four Airbus A330's.