Air Europa Airlines

  About Air Europa

Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U. or better known by its brand name Air Europa, is the third-largest Spanish airline, following Iberia and Vueling Airlines. The airline has its headquarters in Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain with its main hub at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport. Air Europa's secondary focus cities are Palma de Mallorca Airport and Tenerife North Airport, both located in Spain. The airline covers about 44 destinations in Spain, North America, Europe, the Caribbean, Tunisia, South America and Morocco. Air Europa is wholly owned by Globalia, a tourism enterprise that is managed by Juan José Hidalgo with operations of domestic, medium-haul and long haul flights. The airline joined the SkyTeam alliance in 2007. Much recently, Air Europa made an announcement that its operations and management will be acquired by the International Airlines Group (IAG). The airline came into existence in 1986 as a part of ILG-Air Europe Group, a privately owned British airline that was established in 1978. Seventy-five per cent of Air Europa's stakes were owned by many Spanish banks. Initially, the airline's livery was quite similar to that of Air Europe but with a difference in the titles and aircraft that were registered in Spain.

Air Europa commenced charter flights for holiday destinations in the Mediterranean resorts as well as European cities by utilising Boeing 737-300s and Boeing 757s. Air Europa was recognised as the first Spanish private enterprise to operate scheduled flights on a national level. In 1991, the airline's parent company ILG Air Europe ceased operations and trading. However, this did not affect Air Europa, which continued to rake in huge profit margin with their fleet that consisted of Boeing 737s and 757s. A few years later, in 1998, Air Europa signed a franchise agreement with Spain's top airline, Iberia. The agreement has been dissolved since. In fact, Air Europa's business is now owned and operated by Globalia Corporación Empresarial S.A. With the 1990s ending, the airline brought in Boeing 737-800 jets which were introduced with the airline's brand new livery. In 2005, it was announced by SkyTeam that Air Europa along with four more airlines, would be associating with the airline alliance club. The airline was originally supposed to join SkyTeam alliance by 2006. However, the process was postponed to 2007.

Further, as plans of expansion and newer investment opportunities were scouted, Air Europa introduced Air Dominicana, the former flag carrier of the Dominican Republic, which declared bankruptcy by 2009. In 2019, Air Europa received permission from the National Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil to operate domestic flights in the country, making it the first-ever foreign enterprise to receive such authorisation from Brazil. The same was possible due to the changes made to the Brazilian laws. However, updates or details regarding Air Europa's domestic operations in Brazil have not been shared yet. Currently, Air Europa only serves international flights to two of Brazil's destinations, Salvador and Recife from Madrid. With over 66 aircraft operations that took place, Air Europa generated an operating profit of €100 million, as of 2018. In 2019, the parent company of Iberia, Vueling Airlines and British Airways, IAG, announced that the plan to acquire Air Europa from Globalia for a whopping €1 billion. The deal is yet to be closed and is speculated to happen in 2020. This synergy will enhance Madrid as a hub that could compete with Paris, Frankfurt and London in Europe.

Fleet size of Air Europa

Air Europa has the youngest fleet in the continent which stands at about 45 aircraft in service. Presently, the aircraft that are functioning includes eight Airbus A330-200s, two Airbus A330-300s, 20 Boeing 737-800s, eight Boeing 787-s and five Boeing 787-9s. The airline is undergoing a rapid fleet transformation where they intend to convert their mixed fleet into an all-Boeing fleet. Orders to replace the Airbus have already been made and are expected to join the fleet soon. As per speculations, Air Europa's last of Airbus flights will be replaced by 2022. Much recently, the airline also ordered for four Boeing 787 that will soon be joining the fleet to further enhance better in-flight services and to extend its international routes. All of Air Europa's Boeing and Airbus aircraft are equipped with personalised entertainment systems that are attached to the backrest of the seat in front of the passenger. The airline's aircraft engines are also of latest upgrades that have added to the efficiency of the flights and reduction in the fuel expenses.

Baggage Allowance

Air Europa is very precise when it comes to its baggage allowance policy. They have a general rule when it comes to the baggage weight and dimensions that are allowed and used by global standards. The airline expects passengers to carry not more than 23 kg for their checked baggage. The dimensions of the baggage should also not extend more than 158 cm. This is basically the sum of the length, depth and width and also includes the pockets, handles and wheels. As for excess baggage, the airline allows an additional weight that can go up to 32 kg. However, the baggage cannot exceed the 32 kg bracket. It is essential for passengers to first read through the airline's website regarding the baggage allowance. The weight of the baggage also depends on the type of ticket along with the cabin class. The airline does recommend that the passenger purchase extra baggage weight while booking the ticket to receive better tariff and not to have last-minute baggage concerns that could crop up. Depending on the route and the country of transit, the airline's baggage allowance rules also vary.

In-flight services

Air Europa's in-flight services are top-notch and in sync with its contemporaries. As one of the Spanish airlines, the in-flight services of Air Europa have also improved with time. They have better seating configuration now in their short-haul and long haul flights. The seats have a better recline degree to enable better legroom and armrest facilities. The airline also provides in-flight meals for passengers along with snacks that can be purchased on board. There are alcoholic beverages served in the flight. The seats also come with entertainment systems.

Popular routes and top cities for Air Europa

Founded in 1986, Air Europa has since expanded its wings to accommodate domestic route and international route connectivity. The airline's initial operations catered to linking the Canary Islands with London with the help of a Boeing 737-300 aircraft. Since then, the airline has consistently added more destinations to its list. By 2000, Air Europa had scheduled services to a plethora of cities such as New York City, Paris, London, Punta Cana, Puerto Plata, Havana, Santo Domingo and Porto, to name a few. Further, they added more destinations to its domestic route with places like Valencia, Madrid, La Coruna, Asturias, Ibiza, Bilbao, Zaragoza, Tenerife, Seville, Palma de Mallorca and more. Other top international destinations for Air Europa include Amsterdam, Athens, Bogota, Brussels, Buenos Aires, Casablanca, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Geneva, Lisbon, Miami, Munich, Panama City, Quito, Stockholm, Tel Aviv, and Zurich. Much recently, they also announce to expand in the Brazil domestic market by introducing new routes and dedicated flights.

Why travel by Air Europa?

Air Europa has built quite a reputation for itself as a Spanish airline. Although it predominantly caters to only European countries and destinations, the airline has been eyeing for international route expansion. As it is part of International Airlines Group, which also has Iberia, British Airways and Aer Lingus as fellow compatriots, Air Europa does have the liberty to expand its international operations further and bring in better connectivity to more destinations. Air Europa already faces tremendous competition in the domestic market with stalwarts like Vueling Airlines and Iberia as threats. But that hasn't stopped its vision to reach the top spot. With new ownership, IAG intends to upscale much of the facilities and services. In fact, with accommodation of better fleet that comprises of Boeing and Airbus aircraft, the in-flight services have been enhanced. Passengers can enjoy the flight as the seats are much better, and the quality of in-flight services have been upscaled. However, the perks of Air Europa don't end here. The airline has made some transformations in terms of its facilities and working style to enable convenience to its customers.

They have incorporated web check-ins on their website to allow passengers to skip the check-in lines at the airport. In fact, further on this, passengers can also acquire details regarding their flight on the website. By adding details of the flight such as its PNR number, Air Europa's website will share flight status as well as flight schedules with the passenger. People can book an Air Europa flight ticket on their website. Thanks to its user-friendly interface, the process to book a ticket is quite self-explanatory. Following the ticket booking, passengers can also understand the stance of baggage allowance depending on their ticket type, on the website. Air Europa has incorporated its flight and customer-related details on the website to make life easy for passengers.