FB Líneas Aéreas S.A., operating as Flybondi, is a ultra low-cost airline in Argentina. The airline, the first of its kind in the country, operates Boeing 737-800 aircraft from its bases in Buenos Aires and Córdoba. The company slogan is La libertad de volar, meaning "The freedom of flying" in Spanish.
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| Founded | September 2016 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | January 26, 2018[1] | ||||||
| Operating bases | Buenos Aires–Aeroparque | ||||||
| Focus cities | Córdoba | ||||||
| Fleet size | 19 (as of November 2024) | ||||||
| Destinations | 23 (as of November 2024) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Buenos Aires, Argentina | ||||||
| Key people | Mauricio Sana (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | http://flybondi.com | ||||||
History
editBackground
editSpeculation about the creation of a new airline began in the first half of 2016, shortly after the inauguration of President Mauricio Macri, who promised to open up Argentina's skies with the implementation of more modern laws and the reduction of bureaucracy to facilitate the creation of new airlines, since until then, the South American country was one of the most bureaucratic and restrictive in the world in terms of air transport policy. In this context, speculation indicated that the Irish ultra low-cost carrier Ryanair was working to create a subsidiary in Argentina through Declan Ryan and the Irelandia Aviation group, which was behind the creation of two other low-cost airlines in Latin America, VivaAerobus in Mexico and Viva Air in Colombia.[2][3][4]
In June 2016, the Argentine newspaper La Nación, citing sources close to Irelandia Aviation, mentioned the possibility of acquiring the airline Andes Líneas Aéreas to transform it into the ultra-low-cost airline planned by the group, just as the Brazilian group Synergy Aerospace, controlling shareholder of Avianca Holdings and owner of Avianca Brasil (Oceanair), did with Macair Jet, which became Avianca Argentina.[5][6][7]
Establishment
editThe creation of Flybondi, Argentina's first ultra-low-cost airline (ULCC), was announced in September 2016 by a group of Argentine businessmen, supported by funds from big names in the aviation industry, such as Michael Cawley, member of the board of Ryanair, Montie Brewer, former CEO of Air Canada and Robert Wright, founder of British Airways Citiflyer Express and shareholder and former non-executive director at Wizz Air, as well as Argentine Gastón Parisier and Swiss Julian Cook, founder and former CEO of Switzerland's FlyBaboo. Together, the investors would have contributed US$ 75 million with the aim of starting operations in 2017.[8][9][10][11]
Bondi is the name given to urban public transport buses in Argentina. As an ultra-low-cost airline, the company's intention was to make it as popular and accessible as a bus. Therefore, Flybondi literally means flying bus. The initial idea was to call it Air Bondi, but on the recommendation of an advertising agency, due to the risk of conflict with the name of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, it was decided to use the prefix fly instead of air.[12]
In October 2016, the airline revealed its initial plans, intending to fly to Comodoro Rivadavia, Córdoba, El Calafate, Mendoza, Neuquén, Resistencia, Puerto Iguazú, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Carlos de Bariloche, Tucumán and Ushuaia with a fleet of six aircraft. And although it was considering both Airbus and Boeing narrobody models, according to co-founder Julian Cook, Flybondi's preference would be the Boeing 737-800.[13]
On December 5, 2016, during the first public hearing held in 11 years by the Argentine Ministry of Economy for airlines to request new routes, Flybondi defined as its main base of operations El Palomar Airport, located 18 kilometers from Buenos Aires, requesting to fly to and from the aerodrome that, until then, served as an air base for the Argentine Air Force.[14][15][16]
On March 16, 2017, Flybondi co-founder and CEO Julian Cook officially announced the choice of the Boeing 737 for the new Argentine airline's fleet, announcing that they would be configured with 189 seats in a single-class layout.[17] And in May of the same year, he announced the signing of the lease agreement with SMBC Aviation Capital for his first aircraft, with plans to lease nine more later that year.[18]
Flybondi's first aircraft, the Boeing 737-800 registration LV-HKS (MSN 33821) named Nelson, was officially delivered on December 2.[19][20][21]
Early operations
editThe airline's inaugural flight from Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport in Córdoba to Cataratas del Iguazú International Airport in Puerto Iguazu took place 26 January 2018.[1]
The first routes were launched from its base at Córdoba International Airport in January 2018, to the cities of Mendoza, Bariloche and Puerto Iguazú. In February 2018, the airline was the first civilian airline to operate from El Palomar Airport near Buenos Aires, where it established a new base and began flights to Salta, Neuquén, and Tucumán.[22]
Flybondi went international on December 17, 2018, with flights between El Palomar in the Greater Buenos Aires area and the Paraguayan capital Asunción.[23]
In July 2019, the airline announced that it would start flights between Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. The flights started operating 11 October 2019, departing from the airline's main base at Buenos Aires' El Palomar Airport to Galeão Airport in Rio de Janeiro. [24]
Destinations
editAs of November 2024[update], Flybondi operates or has operated to the following destinations:
| Base | |
| Future | |
| Terminated |
Fleet
editCurrent fleet
editAs of November 2024[update], Flybondi operates the following aircraft:[26]
| Aircraft | In Service | Orders | Passengers | Note | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320 | 2 | — | 180 | All wet-leased from Avion Express | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 17 | — | 189 | Two wet-leased from AlbaStar Four std for Maintenance | |
| TOTAL | 19 | — | |||
Gallery
edit- Flybondi current fleet
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Former fleet
editThe following aircraft were formerly operated by Flybondi:[26]
| Aircraft | Number | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-800 | 5 | 189 |
| Total | 5 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Con el primer vuelo de Flybondi, arrancó la era de las low cost en Argentina". Clarín (in Spanish). 26 January 2018.
- ^ "Declan Ryan: 'Vamos a triplicar el total de argentinos que viajan en avión'". La Nación (in Spanish). 20 June 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Hasse, Javier (10 June 2016). "RyanAir To Land In Argentina, Seeking To Capture Underserved, Low-Cost Market". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Otra Vez RyanAir Sobrevuela la Argentina. Esta Vez con Declan Ryan en Persona". Aviación News (in Spanish). 6 September 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Nadalet, Ivan (22 June 2016). "Irelandia Aviation targets Argentina". ch-aviation. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Ryanair starts operating in Argentina in 2017". Aeroflap. 21 June 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Cofundador de Ryanair dice que considera expansión en Argentina". La Tercera (in Spanish). 20 June 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Gimenez Mazó, Edgardo (2 October 2016). "Flybondi, ¿la primera ultra low cost argentina?". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Popovic, Luka (7 October 2016). "Argentina's Flybondi outlines operational plans". ch-aviation. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Gimenez Mazó, Edgardo (2 October 2016). "El sitio web de FlyBondi, proyecto de low cost argentina". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Moores, Victoria (30 June 2016). "Argentine ultra-LCC Flybondi plans 2017 launch". Aviation Week. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Del Rio, José (22 August 2024). "Cuáles son los secretos de Gastón Parisier, el mago que creó Big Box y cofundó Flybondi". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Popovic, Luka (7 October 2016). "Argentina's Flybondi outlines operational plans". ch-aviation. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ Gimenez Mazó, Edgardo (5 December 2016). "#AeroAudiencia2016: Flybondi opta por El Palomar y va por 99 rutas (!)". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Flybondi pidió Palomar como base de operaciones". Sir Chandler (in Spanish). 5 December 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ do Rosario, Jorgelina (6 December 2016). "Los vuelos low cost, cada vez más cerca: la empresa Flybondi pidió operar 99 rutas aéreas". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 November 2024.
- ^ "Flybondi confirmó que volará con Boeing 737-800". Sir Chandler (in Spanish). 15 March 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Flybondi firmó el contrato de leasing por su primer avión y tendrá una flota de 10 aeronaves en 2018". El Diario de Turismo (in Spanish). 17 May 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Gimenez Mazó, Edgardo (2 December 2017). "Llegó a la Argentina el primer avión de Flybondi". Aviacionline (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Flybondi.com and SMBC Aviation Capital mark delivery of the airline's first aircraft". SMBC Aviation Capital. 5 December 2017. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ Yeo, Ghim-Lay (5 December 2017). "PICTURE: Flybondi marks delivery of first 737". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 27 November 2024.
- ^ "Flybondi presentó su primer avión y vuela desde el 3 de enero". LaVoz (in Spanish). 6 December 2017.
- ^ "Flybondi to cross the border in December with Asunción, Punta del Este services". MercoPress. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 30 November 2018.
- ^ Machado, João (5 July 2019). "Flybondi to Start Flights to Brazil, Keeps Low-Cost Growth in South America". AirlineGeeks.com. Retrieved 12 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w "Destinos". flybondi.com (in Spanish).
- ^ a b "Flybondi Fleet Details and History". planespotters.net. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
External links
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