Air Madrid Líneas Aéreas S.A. was a private airline based in Madrid in Spain operating services to Spain, Tenerife, Mexico, South America, Central America, Europe and Israel. It suspended its operations on 15 December 2006, leaving more than 330,000 passengers stranded in Latin America and Spain. Air Comet has now taken over the Latin American routes. IATA airline designators, sometimes called IATA reservation codes, are two-character codes assigned by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to the worlds airlines in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 762. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with ICAO airline code. ... Most airlines employ a distinctive and internationally recognised call sign that is normally spoken during airband radio transmissions as a prefix to the flight number. ... An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. ... New Terminal 4 Interior Madrid Barajas International Airport (IATA: MAD, ICAO: LEMD), located northeast of Madrids city center, is the most important international and domestic gateway in Spain, the Iberian Peninsula and the southern Europe. ... The private sector of a nations economy consists of all that is outside the state. ... An Airbus A380 of Emirates Airline An airline provides air transport services for passengers or freight. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Flag of Tenerife Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ... World map showing the location of Europe. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... Air Comet (formerly Air Plus Comet) is an airline based in Madrid, Spain. ...

History

The airline was established in 2003 and in May 2004 started operations with the delivery of two Airbus A330-200 aircraft. It is owned by Celuisma (20%), Hotusa (20%), Herpil (12.5%), Catalonia Hoteles (10%), Quo Viajes (10%), Viajes Eroski (10%) and others. Air Madrid planned to start a new short-haul scheduled arm to provide feeder traffic to its long-haul flights from Madrid. It also had talks to lease five Airbus A320 aircraft for services to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Milan and Paris ^[1]. The Airbus A330 is a large-capacity, wide-body, medium-to-long-range commercial passenger airliner manufactured by EADS (Airbus S.A.S.). It was developed at the same time as the four-engined A340. ... The Airbus A320 is a short-to-medium range commercial passenger aircraft manufactured by Airbus. ... Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: , Country Netherlands Province North Holland Government  - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA)  - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos  - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2]  - City 219 km²  (84. ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ...

Air Madrid suspended from IATA Operations - 15 December 2006

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Air Madrid was suspended from IATA operations worldwide on December 15, 2006 following confirmation that the airline had ceased operations. It has been a disaster for the people that bought tickets. The International Air Transport Association is an international trade organisation of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

In September 2006 the company had started experiencing longer than usual delays and several cancellations, particularly on their routes from Madrid, eg flights between Buenos Aires and Madrid usually departed with an average 14 hours delay.^{[citation needed]} As reported in El País, most of these delays were triggered by Spanish aviation authorities for safety reasons, refusing to allow certain aircraft to operate due to poor maintenance. After an investigation, the Dirección General de Aviación Civil recommended limiting Air Madrid's flights or altogether suspending their licence ^[2]. Additionally, sources at Toluca, Mexico have stated that Air Madrid’s twice weekly flights regularly arrive and depart several hours late. Due to those delays, Air Madrid had to decide between keeping its certificate or cancelling their flights to Mexico City - Toluca Airport and Milan, and decided cancelling their flights to Toluca and Milan.^{[citation needed]} El País (Spanish for The Country) is the NOT most widely-circulated newspaper in Spain (Marca is). ... This article is about a city in Mexico. ...

On 16 December 2006 Air Madrid suspended all flights (leaving thousands of people stranded) as a consequence of the Spanish government investigation of its operations and due to constant customer's claims of poor service, that resulted in the cancellation of its permit to operate. It is unknown if operations will resume.^{[citation needed]} December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Air Madrid, blaming the Spanish government, said in a statement that it was giving a list of ticket-holders to the civil aviation authority, which falls under the Development Ministry, for it to “adopt whatever measures it might deem appropriate to compensate them for the damage its conduct has caused.” Air Madrid didn't show any intention of refunding tickets and as expected, the carrier’s press office said it had no information on this. On December 19, 2006 the Spanish Government sent an Air Pullmantur Boeing 747-200 through Panama City, Panama (Tocumen International Airport) to pick up several of the passengers that were stranded in Latin America. According to some pilots, the majority of Air Madrid planes had serious maintenance problems.^{[citation needed]} is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., (IBEX-35:IBLA) (Iberia Airlines of Spain in English), usually shortened to Iberia, is the largest airline of Spain, based in Madrid. ... The Boeing 747, commonly nicknamed the Jumbo Jet, is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner manufactured by Boeing. ... Panama City (Spanish: Ciudad de Panamá), population 708,738, with a total metro population of 1,063,000 is the capital of Panama, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, at . ... Tocumen International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Tocumen) is an international airport located 15 miles (24 km) from Panama City, Panama. ...

Air Plus Comet has signed a deal with the Spanish government to take over the Latin American routes formerly operated by Air Madrid. The airline will take on 53% of the Air Madrid workforce and will fly back all stranded passengers^[3].

Destinations

Air Madrid Destinations (all flights canceled until further notice):

• Madrid to Bogotá, Bucharest, Buenos Aires, Cartagena, Fortaleza, Frankfurt, Guayaquil, Lima, Lisbon, London Gatwick, Milan, Nice, Panama City, Paris, Rome, Quito, San José, Costa Rica, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Santiago, Tel Aviv and Toluca.

• Barcelona to Bogotá, Bucharest, Buenos Aires, Cartagena, Fortaleza, Guayaquil, Milan, Nice, Quito, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, and Santiago

Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Nickname: Motto: Bogotá, 2600 metros más cerca de las estrellas Bogotá, 2600 meters closer to the stars Localities (localidades) of Bogotá Country Colombia Department Bogotá, D.C.* Foundation August 6, 1538 Government  - Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón, PDA Area  - City 1,587 km²  (612. ... Status Capital of Romania Mayor Adriean Videanu, since 2005 Area 238 km² Population (2005) 1,924,959[1] Density 8,088 inh/km² Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Cartagena is the name of two cities: Cartagena, Spain Cartagena, Colombia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Frankfurt (disambiguation). ... This article is about the city of Guayaquil. ... Nickname: Location within Lima Region Lima shown within Peru Coordinates: , Country  Peru Region Lima Region Province Lima Province Settled 1535 Government  - Mayor Luis Castañeda Lossio Area  - City 804. ... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisboa  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... Gatwick Airport (IATA Airport Code: LGW, ICAO Airport Code: EGKK) is Londons second airport and the second largest airport in the UK after Heathrow. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Panama City (Spanish: Ciudad de Panamá), population 708,738, with a total metro population of 1,063,000 is the capital of Panama, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, at . ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... Nickname: Location of San José Canton between provinces Coordinates: , Country Costa Rica Province San José Province Canton San José Canton Founded c. ... Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2005 population 221,627) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands as stated in the 2005 census. ... Location of Santiago commune in Greater Santiago Coordinates: Region Santiago Metropolitan Region Province Santiago Province Foundation February 12, 1541 Government  - Mayor Raúl Alcaíno Lihn Area 1  - City 641. ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... This article is about a city in Mexico. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (Catalan) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Nickname: Motto: Bogotá, 2600 metros más cerca de las estrellas Bogotá, 2600 meters closer to the stars Localities (localidades) of Bogotá Country Colombia Department Bogotá, D.C.* Foundation August 6, 1538 Government  - Mayor Luis Eduardo Garzón, PDA Area  - City 1,587 km²  (612. ... Status Capital of Romania Mayor Adriean Videanu, since 2005 Area 238 km² Population (2005) 1,924,959[1] Density 8,088 inh/km² Geographical coordinates Web site http://www. ... For other uses, see Buenos Aires (disambiguation). ... Cartagena is the name of two cities: Cartagena, Spain Cartagena, Colombia This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the city of Guayaquil. ... This article is about the city in Italy. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Nickname: Luz de América Map of Ecuador showing location of Quito Coordinates: Country Ecuador Province Pichincha Canton Quito  - Mayor Paco Moncayo Area approx    - City 290 km²  - Land 290 km²  - Water 0 km² Elevation 2,800 m Population (2005, estimation)  - City 1,865,541 (canton)  - Density ~4,800/km² Time... Santa Cruz de Tenerife (2005 population 221,627) is a Spanish city on the island of Tenerife, the largest and most populated of the Canary Islands as stated in the 2005 census. ... Santiago, one of the names and/or surnames by which Saint James is known in the Hispanic and Lusitanic world, may also refer to: // Santiago, Chile, capital of Chile Santiago de Cali, second largest city in Colombia Santiago de Compostela, administrative capital of Galicia, Spain Santiago de Cuba, second largest...

Fleet

The Air Madrid fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of November 2006)^{[citation needed]}: For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

• 1 Airbus A310-300 (to Air Transat as C-GTSX)
• 2 Airbus A319-132 (both going to Sichuan Airlines)
• 3 Airbus A330-200 (SE-RBG back to Novair)(EC-IYN and EC-IYB going to Air Comet "Viajes Pascual")
• 2 Airbus A330-300 (both to Brussels Airlines)
• 1 Airbus A340-300 Going to Air Comet

The Airbus A310 is a short to medium range widebody airliner developed from the Airbus A300 and manufactured by Airbus Industrie. ... Air Canada Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large_capacity medium_to_long_range commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... Air Canada Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a large_capacity medium_to_long_range commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Airbus. ... The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engined widebody commercial passenger airliner manufactured by Airbus S.A.S. a subsidiary of EADS. It is similar in design to the twin-engined A330. ...

External links

• Air Madrid
• Air Madrid Fleet
• Air Madrid web page at Flightattitude.com

References

1. ^ Airliner World, September 2005
2. ^ El País
3. ^ Flight International, 23-29 January 2007