AIR BOURBON Cease activity

[Baron rouge]

Yet another casualty in the airline world:
Air BOURBON, a French airline operating a single A 340 between Paris and La Réunion Island, stopped activity today.
lack of money was the reason.

[hobie]

that sounds like an operation that needed to sub-contract the flying side to someone with a reasonable number of aircraft ..... economies of scale etc ....

[MarkD]

Hmm.. I wonder is Robert Milton circling the carcass looking for the A340? Although it is only a -200 so maybe not.

[Rollingthunder]

Anyone know of any other airlines flying one long haul route, 4 times a week?

Sounds like a screwed up business plan.

[sammypilot]

Thats the way Sir Richard started. However he may have had a bit more financial clout behind him.

[MarkD]

On second thoughts... an A342 could probably do the YVR-SYD without a fuel stop at HNL as the new direct 343 service will have to do one way... maybe AC should be looking!

[hobie]

"Thats the way Sir Richard started. However he may have had a bit more financial clout behind him"

Didn't he always say .......

... the way to become a "millionare Airline Owner" is to start off with a billion! ;)

[4HolerPoler]

It get's worse:
Passengers try to storm airport

Saint Denis De La Reunion - More than 200 passengers stranded on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion by the collapse of a small local airline tried to storm the terminal buildings at the airport in protest on Saturday. A police cordon kept the passengers out of the building, as the local chamber of commerce and the army prepared to put them up on camp beds and in a military barracks pending their return to France on other airlines.

A total of 252 people were to have flown to France on Saturday with Air Bourbon, which announced late on Friday it was cancelling all flights because of financial difficulties. Other airlines agreed to take the stranded passengers but said they would have to pay an extra Euro 300 and wait for seats. Only seven were able to leave later on Saturday. Air Bourbon boss Erick Lazarus, who went to the airport to explain the situation, blamed the refusal of local authorities to grant Air Bourbon a loan.

At the same time, deputy prefect (senior government official) Jean-Michel Quiard said a larger aircraft would be chartered from Air France to take several thousand people booked on Air Bourbon in both directions through Tuesday, while regional council chairperson Paul Verges asked Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin to act to ensure that passengers did not have to pay twice.