Air Madrid
 

Good morning,

I was just talking to my wife who said that Air Madrid was on the news in Spain. According to the Spanish TV they have had a series of technical related incidents which have let the Spanish authorities to allow a 48 hrs limit on their AOC and then close the shop. There is quite a mob as well at the check-in desk in Barajas.

Does anybody have any more information on this. Is this the closing act of Air Madrid or another attempt from Iberia to generate bad publicity for them (in favor of their own low cost)?

I'd be very interested to hear any more on this

last i heard Air Madrid was offering to cut fares by up to 20% and stop overbooking etc in a desperate bid to hang on to its AOC

If anyone has any further info please do share it

Hello,

I know of a Portuguese charter carrier doing some work for Air Madrid lately.

I wish all the best for Air Madrid.

With these safety standards, they shouldn't have been flying in the first place...:rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jiIBUvZck

Air Madrid has closed
 

Air Madrid has just closed down. All operations are cancelled from today.

Fly-Gib's bosses were here a couple of days ago. Following the failure of the Astraeus deal, they are apparently doing 'due diligence' with another airline, involving a couple of hush-kitted 737-200's. Could this be Air Madrid?

Pity, but was on the cards. Near anarchy from the PAX at MAD and EZE during the last few weeks.
Iberia were offering very competitive fares on the EZE route so it must have been hard for them to compete especially with all the delays.

There was a story about this airline, to the effect that they nearly had a very serious accident at Quito - in itself a pretty difficult airport to fly into, because of high altitude (9,000'+) . From what I can recall, an aircraft took off, suffered an engine failure, but turned around (360 degrees), to land in the same runway, from the opposite direction. My details, as you can see, are pretty sketchy, but has anyone heard more about this incident?

A very sad day for all the employees and the pax that are stuck abroad wondering how they are going to get back. On the other hand is good to see that the DGAC has decided to act when needed. A regulator with teeth? maybe the Irish should take note.

Two engine failures in short succession, very limited maintenance, regular delays of 24hrs+ something had to give. A flavour of the problems can be seen in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8jiIBUvZck

Air Madrid's press release: http://www.airmadrid.com/ (Only in Spanish)

the video on youtube is just amasing :eek:

MyG

Which one?

LM

Air Madrid has always been a complete mess since it started. Being a frequent flyer, I learnt that almost 100% of their flights were delayed, some 12-20 or more hours. The plane`s condition (as per passengers view) was terrible and customer care inexistent.

In Argentina several knew that the airline had to close down, it could not operate like that. They were robbing people`s money.

I am glad that it closed down for the passengers and feel sorry for their employees, several of them had nervous breakdowns while having arguments with stranded passengers.

Just have taken the time to translate what it says on Air Madrids website:


Air Madrid LINEAS AIR INC., before the very serious situation by the one that crosses, as a result of the measures in fact adopted by the Public Administration, concretely the General Direction of Civil Aviation, clerk of the Department of Promotion, puts in knowledge of the public opinion the following facts:

FIRST.- In the month of August of 2006 an inspection of our company on the part of the competent Services of the General Direction of Civil Aviation was initiated (DGAC)

To our judgment, was a matter of an ordinary inspection of the ones that are carried out to the Air Companies. To this conclusion should be arrived, necessarily, if we keep in mind that the month of May was renewed the Certificate of Air User (AOC)

Besides, in a position dated May 18, 2006 the own General Direction of Civil Aviation, had declared in writing directed to our company that itself not any discrepancy during the Audiences carried out according to the Program of Caution Continued had been found absolutely to Air Madrid.

SECOND.- nevertheless the previous thing, the General Direction of Civil Aviation, decided to start expedient of suspension of the License of Air Madrid and communicated to the same one the discrepancies indicated by the Service of Inspection.

The procedure has continued its processing and is found in phase of final resolution by the competent Agency for it.

Air Madrid has collaborated efficient and loyally with the DGAC. It has completed scrupulously with as many corrective measures taxes were him and al day of today complies in a complete way all the requirements so that its licenses continue in vigor and fully efficient to operate in the routes that at present exploits.

THIRD.- nevertheless, the Department of Promotion, through the DGAC has carried out a series of actions, doing an arbitrary and unjust use of its attributions that have situated in fact, although not yet of right, to Air Madrid, in an absolute impossibility of developing with the normality required its activity.

From among these actions in fact, with absolute oversight of the duty of confidentiality of the administrative actions, they are able reseñarse as more important the following:

1.- there has been a constant filtration to the mass media of all the essential aspects of the process and inspection, that have gone generating progressively, an absolutely unwarranted social alarm. All it, despite that, as the same one Mr. Hernández Crowned (responsible for Security in flight of the DGAC) affirmed only yesterday: "No airplane flies, never never, without security".

2.- The own Department of Promotion edited, December 11 a press release in which transferred to the mass media the possible decision to suspend the license of Air Madrid, prejudging of evident form the result of the procedure and extending to the public opinion this prejudice.

As it was foreseeable all the mass media (press written, radio and television) were echoed of the same one.

3.- The same authority aeronatics organized a distribution of pamphlets among the passengers of Air Madrid, in the Airport of Madrid-Packs, in which is affirmed officially that the Department of Promotion has open expedient to Air Madrid and that "if in said expedient was verified that Air Madrid has broken the Plan of corrective actions……..el Department of Promotion will agree the suspension of the operations of Air Madrid"

It adds the note that "The passenger should value the convenience or not to initiate trips of departure whose flight of return with Air Madrid was predicted in December of 2006…."

Likewise placards were installed with the same content in the counters of shipment of Air Madrid.

These actions are distant a lot to be adjusted to the conduct that the Public Administration should maintain in a democracy, in which is supposed that the action of all, included the Department of Promotion this submitted to the Law and has favored a social alarm of the one that have done themselves echo the mass media.

Be worth to holder of regular examples and expressions as the ones that continue, repeated in press, radio and television:

"The inspectors of Civil Aviation support the suspension of the license of Air Madrid"

"Air Madrid hurries its finalizes opportunity of salvation"

Promotion will withdraw the license to Air Madrid on Saturday"

"The Government advises the passengers that do not fly with Air Madrid to Latin America and to Rumania"

FOURTH.- All these facts do already absolutely unimportant that the Department of Promotion adopt a resolution, supported in right, on the maintenance or not from the TO. OR. C. of Air Madrid, since in fact, has obtained, through absolutely arbitrary actions, that have destroyed, completely, the commercial image of Air Madrid, to situate to our company in a very serious crisis of every order, that impedes him to develop its.

To these effects can be told that, without having there been a resolution defininitiva of the administrative procedure under way, the following consequences have been produced:

1 .- the telephones of Air Madrid have been blocked with calls of our suppliers alarmed to be able to know cuial is the situation in which their credits with the company are found. Likewise, the great majority of them they have suspended the supplies of goods and services that came lending to Air Madrid before the situation of alarm created.

2.- The bills sale level of our company has descended of alarming form. It can be told, so that serve as an example, that in Buenos Aires they came being invoiced of the order from among 750 to 1.000 daily bills, having reduced in the last days to between forty and fifty sales of bills.

On the other hand has raised itself proportionally the numbers of cancellations performed.

2.- The Agencies of Trips are adopting the decision of perform not the payments already hired in firm with Air Madrid

In final, before the procedure be resolved adminsitraivo of inspection, the Department and Promotion has obtained with its action to prevent of absolute form that Air Madrid can continue operand.

FIFTH.- Before these very serious facts Air Madrid has determined:

A) to Suspend its activity from today, as a result of the measures in fact adopted by the Department of Promotion, to whom is done exclusive and only head of this inescapable decision.

B) to Communicate to all its passengers and clients that the decision adopted obeys, of exclusive form, to the before aforesaid causes and that regrets deeply to have seen obliged to adopt it.

This very day, for the sake of avoiding damages to the passengers, relation of the same to the D.G.A.C has been facilitated., that should adopt the measures that consider convenient to repair to the same of the damages that with its conduct has caused them.

C) to Give instructions to their legal department to the effects that initiate all as many actions of administrative, civil, and penal nature be coming.

I cannot see how a European airline loosing their AOC forcing the airline to go bust with the loss of a couple of thousand jobs does not qualify as "News". I am amazed that this thread has been moved from Rumours and News.:confused:

Air Madrid?
 

I think it must be true. A neighbour of mine has spent all night searching for an alternative carrier to/from Bogota for Christmas to join with his family. He finally learned from Air Madrid on the phone that they were shutting up shop and he immediately set-to trying to get another carrier & ticket. He was lucky. He found a trip with Air France (but had to go at it via KLM system) with nearly the same dates. What will happen to his original money to AM only God knows. Being effectively late-booked, his new ticket has cost a lot of money he didn't expect to spend. At this time of the year, getting any spare seat will be a miracle. The top brass of AM should be arrested for criminal incompetence (-if there is such a charge). How else can you fail with an airline running with high occupancy on routes in an improving market segment?

Air Madrid's AOC was revoked yesterday night by the DGAC.

The Ministerio de Fomento will spend 5 to 6.5M € in order to carry Air Madrid's passengers with leased aircrafts.

.........because it doesn't concern a British or Irish airline, that's why.:rolleyes:

BBC: Thousands stranded by Air Madrid

Efforts are being made to find a solution for up to 100,000 air passengers stranded by the collapse of Spanish budget airline Air Madrid.

The carrier suspended flights on Friday after months of operational problems, throwing many people's travel plans into chaos. Thousands trapped at airports in Spain and Latin America face the prospect of not making it home for Christmas.

Air Madrid employees have submitted a buyout plan to try to keep flying. Workers felt bad that the company's failure meant many Romanians or Latin American migrants in Spain might not be able to spend Christmas at home, said Air Madrid manager Pablo Morera.

"The quickest and most immediate solution would be to make an offer to the company's ownership to cede shares to the workers, name a management group on behalf of the workers, and draw up a safety plan so we can start flying as soon as possible", said Mr Morera. The viability plan has been drawn up in the hope of persuading the government to restore the airline's operating licence, which was suspended on Saturday.

Meanwhile the Spanish government has chartered flights to help some travellers get home.

The repercussions of the company's collapse are being felt across the Atlantic. Peruvian America TV news reported that more than 5,000 Peruvians had been stranded, while Ecuadorean Ecuavisa TV news said Air Madrid's manager in Ecuador had been forbidden from leaving the country. Ecuador's government said it would try to ensure that Ecuadoreans unable to return to work after being stranded in Spain would not lose their jobs, the channel reported.