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-   -   Spanair is about to close (https://www.pprune.org/airlines-airports-routes/451514-spanair-about-close.html)

Mac the Mechanic 27th Jan 2012 21:09

Spanair
 
Watched a tv program about them a couple years back it was filmed while they were moving from Madrid to Barcelona. The part that stuck in my memory was the part where they explain that the move would cause problems as it was the high season and utility was at its highest, the nw CEO that had come from easyjet asked what was the utilisation...8 to 10 hours a day!!!! the CEO laughed at this which the rest of the managers took badly and stated they should be doing at least 10-12 hrs.......At that point they were losing 10's of thousands of Euro's per day. am surprised they lasted this long! Good news for IB express.

OxfordSpires 27th Jan 2012 21:23

No surprises here. Spanair has been in trouble for years, old aircraft, poor onboard service and finished off by the crash. Even the Spanish pilots union called for Spanair to have their subsides cut at a time when hospitals and schools are being closed.

Sad for those who have lost their jobs, but as they saying goes... the writing was on the wall.

23% of Spain is now jobless.....:mad:

Good Luck Guys..

Iver 27th Jan 2012 21:41

OxfordSpires,

Love the name by the way - Oxford is a wonderful place. I agree that service levels at Spanair had declined (I flew it several times on holiday). When service levels decline, then price becomes the primary factor and it is tough to compete with Ryan, Easy, Air Berlin and Vueling.

Again, I hope some of the crews get picked up by Qatar and Emirates with their good flying experience on the Airbus. Beyond Iberia Express, probably not many Euro jobs in the near term. Perhaps Norwegian will need pilots out of Malaga (rumour).

ECHIE 27th Jan 2012 23:38

I wish all the best for the Spanair staff in these very difficult times.

davidjohnson6 27th Jan 2012 23:45

Confirmed on the Barcelona airport section of the website of AENA, the main airport operator in Spain, and also the Star Alliance website

jcjeant 28th Jan 2012 08:23

Hi,


No surprises here. Spanair has been in trouble for years, old aircraft, poor onboard service and finished off by the crash. Even the Spanish pilots union called for Spanair to have their subsides cut at a time when hospitals and schools are being closed.
Spanair finally disappears from the sky
And it was time .. because such companies with financial problems are a threat to aviation safety (refer to the last accident of Spanair)

ECHIE 28th Jan 2012 08:45

Jcjeant.....the Spanair accident was a very unfortunate event what has nothing to do with the economic situation of the Company.

Spanair was a great company with a very professional and kind staff of who I had the pleasure to know some of them.

Some of the comments in this topic are incorrect and hurtful to our colleagues in Spanair. So please keep these comments professional as this forum is intended to be for.

racedo 28th Jan 2012 09:03


And it was time .. because such companies with financial problems are a threat to aviation safety (refer to the last accident of Spanair)
A very dangerous statement to make as Spanair had one major accident but AvHerald easily flags up many airlines again and again.

Is Air France similar as more people died crossing the Atlantic etc etc or BA many years ago because the airline had the wrong bolts fitted in Cabin windows (nobody died then).

EI-BUD 28th Jan 2012 09:12

With reference to the comments re the accident having a bearing on the ultimate demise of the company, does anyone know what the general load factors have been over the last few year? has the company been getting smaller or bigger etc? Ie if passenger numbers were in freefall since the accident, then that must be a factor. But I think it has little to do with that.

I would guess that the influx of airlines especially Ryanair at major cities like Barcelona and Madrid have challenged margins hugely. Spanair were often very extremely competitively price on domestic sectors inside Spain.

EI-BUD

racedo 28th Jan 2012 10:30


I would guess that the influx of airlines especially Ryanair at major cities like Barcelona and Madrid have challenged margins hugely. Spanair were often very extremely competitively price on domestic sectors inside Spain.
I think that has more to do with than a single accident as lets face it who remembers airline accidents when booking unless there are a huge number with same airline in short period of time !!!!

Anna.aero has an interview with MO'L where he stating its focus is now on Central and Eastern Europe because FR have successfully gained huge market share in Spain and Italy, no doubt they will be looking at more opportunities with the demise of Spanair.

Spanair seems to got caught between its original owners SAS and new owners, with SAS desperate to offload years ago. Sadly its another airline where its place in the market was not defined and management / owners unsure what strategy to follow.

Sadly Spanair's demise is not a shock or surprise.

eu01 28th Jan 2012 10:43


Originally Posted by EI-BUD (Post 6985350)
Spanair were often very extremely competitively price on domestic sectors inside Spain.

Well, these low prices had an explanation (not related to low costs). Here is the citation from 2010 (barcelonareporter.com):

Airline Spanair signed a syndicated loan of 50 million euros with several financial institutions led by La Caixa

The Government, through the Institut Català de Finances (ICF), will inject up to 50 million euros for Spanair to secure the capital for the airline.

This operation shall remain "transitory and temporary", so that the ICF participation in the company lasts until other investors are incorporated into the capital of the latter, as the Government reported.
And the next citation is dated 15.11.2011 (ELFAA):

The European Low Fares Airline Association (ELFAA) is forced to condemn once again the latest round of cash handouts to ailing airline Spanair, by the regional government and City Council of Barcelona - this time to the tune of € 25 million.

“This latest injection to keep Spanair afloat is not only a waste of valuable public funds, it is also a flagrant breach of European legislation with respect to competition and state aid,” said ELFAA Secretary General John Hanlon.

The future of Spanair appears to depend on a partial take-over by Qatar Airways, although this has so far failed to materialise. In the interim the airline continues to rely on public money, with an estimate that – to date - €120 million has been poured in with no obvious benefit to the taxpayer and to the detriment of free and fair competition.

jcjeant 28th Jan 2012 13:44

Hi,


Is Air France similar as more people died crossing the Atlantic etc etc or BA many years ago because the airline had the wrong bolts fitted in Cabin windows (nobody died then).
BTW
Air France (if nothing change) is on the edge of collapsing financially
The debt amount is growing exponentially :sad:

cyflyer 28th Jan 2012 13:54


because such companies with financial problems are a threat to aviation safety
Urmm, how many companies out there are not in financial trouble ? Not many I think.

MKY661 28th Jan 2012 14:52

Good luck to all.

Lol you canmt even get onto the Spanair website: never mind them saying they have ceased operations. It says on my computer that the connection has timed out when I try to get onto the Spanair website

captplaystation 28th Jan 2012 20:29

Nothing much on here, because pprune is, finally, an English language website.

In spite of the fact that I think their business model sucked , I nonetheless wish anyone dumped into the job market all the luck available in becoming re-employed ASAP.
An Airbus rating is probably gonna save you. . . for the MD guys, contemplate paying for a rating NOW, rather than wasting money on one in 1 years time ? ? think about it :hmm:

MKY661 28th Jan 2012 21:51

Spanair likely to be fined €9 million:
Spain takes legal action against Spanair for alleged breach of aviation regulations - The Washington Post

They may have no money left, but they still have to pay up after breaking serious legalisation security rules.

mts1 28th Jan 2012 23:45

Well, pretty predictable: Spanair has gone bust. Mainly due to mismangment. More than one senior being a crook there....

Auto Backup 29th Jan 2012 11:22

Spanair finally shut down late Friday
 
After several months of speculation, Spanair was finally shut down late Friday 27th January (the last flight landed at 10.00 on Saturday) after the take over talks with Quatar Airlines fell through and The Catalan Regional Government pulled the plug on any more subsidies.

This was not entirely unexpected however, while sadly some 2000 employees are now out of a job, it will provide extra incomew for the remaining Spanish based airlines not leat the IAG Group of BA and Iberia.

Requiat in pacem!

PAXboy 29th Jan 2012 11:44

The time for consolidation is past, because there is no commercial benefit in buying out a failing company. Much better to let them die and then pick up any of the routes, people and equipment that you can.

There are more closures stil to come before this recession/depression has run it's course. The decades of artifical support will take some time to balance out and, of course, it's still not a level playing field.

LH2 29th Jan 2012 15:15


Originally Posted by captplaystation (Post 6984569)
Very forward thinking of the Catalan Govt to renage on their deal in Girona with Ryanair (although they have subsequently been forced to change their mind on that stand-off :rolleyes:) & give it instead to these losers. . . what a shrewd investment that was :D

That wasn't an investment. If you look at the list of so-called "Catalan" so-called "investors" in Spanair you will see a number of ex-politicians and other establishment types. It was downright theft in the best southern European style. What is sad is that it was done in the middle of an economic downturn and they used the money that used to go to RYR for that. Say what you want about RYR (you will be vastly more qualified than me to answer anyway), but as far as Girona in particular and Catalonia in general was concerned, at least they delivered. I have been to LEGE and LEDA in the last few days. The former is a ghost town and the latter is not even open.


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