Airtours International Airways

Airtours International

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IATA ICAO Callsign VZ AIH KESTREL
Founded	1990
Ceased operations	2004 (Rebranded as MyTravel Airways)
Operating bases	Manchester, Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff Glasgow, London Gatwick, Newcastle, East Midlands
Fleet size	28
Destinations	Europe, North America
Parent company	Airtours Group PLC
Headquarters	Parkway Three Parkway Business Centre Manchester, United Kingdom
Website	airtours.co.uk

Airtours International Airways was a charter airline based in the United Kingdom with its head office in Parkway Three in the Parkway Business Centre in Manchester.

History

Launched in March 1991 with just five MD83 series aircraft, Airtours International Airways was to be the in-house airline of Airtours Holidays.

In 1993, Airtours acquired Aspro Holidays (Ireland) including Aspro's Inter European Airways subsidiary. This acted to further strengthen the process of vertical integration that was becoming popular among UK holiday companies.

In 1996, Airtours took full control of Scandinavian airline PremiAir.

In 2004, as part of the final phase of its financial restructuring, Airtours International Airways was re-branded as MyTravel Airways UK. PremiAir, the Scandinavian operator, was re-branded as MyTravel Airways A/S.

In June 2007 it was announced that MyTravel Airways UK was to merge with Thomas Cook Airlines, and that MyTravel Airways' Scandinavian subsidiary was to become Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia. The merger between the two UK airlines was completed in March 2008 and the rebranding of MyTravel Airways A/S was completed in May 2008.

Fleet

File:Douglas DC-10-30 G-BYDA ATours RWY 25.02.01 edited-3.jpg

Airtours International McDonnell-Douglas DC-10-30 on arrival at Manchester Airport in 2003

File:Airtours International Boeing 747-200 Krier.jpg

Airtours Boeing 747-200 seen in 1998.

File:Airtours International Airbus A320 Jonsson.jpg

Airtours Airbus A320 seen in 2001.

Airtours International Airways operated the following fleet (summer 2000):

• Airbus A320-200 x 10
• Boeing 757-200 x 6
• Airbus A321-200 x 4
• Boeing 767-300ER x 3
• Airbus A330-200 x 3
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10 x 1
• Boeing 747-200 - operated an Air New Zealand B742 ZK-NZZ on damp lease for the summer of 1998 only.

Many of these aircraft were rebranded and transferred to Thomas Cook Airlines although the MD83's were retired in 1996.

Rebranding

The rebranding of Airtours International Airways was part of a larger rebranding of the whole MyTravel Group. Airtours Holidays still trades as part of the Thomas Cook Group PLC.

External links

• Airtours (archive)
• Airtours Holidays
• Airtours Fleet