Air Europa Líneas Aéreas, S.A.U., branded asAir Europa, is the third-largestSpanishairline afterIberia andVueling. The airline is headquartered inLlucmajor,Mallorca, Spain;^[3][4][5][6] it has its main hub atAdolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport with focus city operations atPalma de Mallorca Airport andTenerife North Airport.^[2][7][8] Air Europa flies to over 44 destinations in Spain, the rest of Europe, South America, North America, the Caribbean, Morocco and Tunisia.^[9][2] Since September 2007, Air Europa has been member of theSkyTeam alliance.

Air Europa

An Air EuropaBoeing 787-9
IATA ICAO Call sign UX AEA EUROPA
Founded	1986; 39 years ago (1986)
AOC #	ES.AOC.004[1]
Hubs	Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport
Focus cities	Palma de Mallorca Airport Tenerife North Airport
Frequent-flyer program	Suma
Alliance	SkyTeam
Subsidiaries	Air Europa Express
Fleet size	43
Destinations	44[2]
Parent company	Globalia
Headquarters	Llucmajor, Mallorca, Spain
Key people	Juan José Hidalgo,Chairman andCEO
Employees	2,949 (5 March 2014)
Website	aireuropa.com

Air Europa started in 1986 (registered in Spain asAir España SA and previously known as such) as part of the BritishILG-Air Europe Group and 75% owned by Spanish banks.^[10] It originally had a similar livery toAir Europe but with Air Europa titles and its aircraft were registered in Spain. It flew holiday charters from Mediterranean resorts and European cities usingBoeing 737-300s andBoeing 757s. It was the first Spanish private company to operate national scheduled flights (besides charter flights which used to be its main business).^[11]

When parent company ILG ceased trading in 1991 Air Europa continued profitably with a larger fleet of Boeing 737s and 757s. It signed a franchise agreement withIberia in January 1998, but this has since been dissolved. It is now owned by Globalia Corporación Empresarial S.A.^[12]

At the end of the 1990s,Boeing 737-800 jets were introduced along with a new livery. In June 2005, it was announced Air Europa was among four future associate members of theSkyTeam alliance, due to join by 2006. However, the joining date was postponed, and it did not become a member until 1 September 2007. Air Europa was the parent company forAir Dominicana, the newflag carrier of theDominican Republic, until bankruptcy was declared for the Dominican Republic carrier on September 21, 2009.^[13]

Air Europa retired its lastBoeing 767 on April 13, 2012.^[14]

On May 22, 2019, theNational Civil Aviation Agency of Brazil (ANAC) granted Air Europa permission to operate domestic flights in the country. This was the first time a foreign company was granted such authorisation, after Brazilian laws were changed to allow full foreign ownership of domestic airlines. As of June 2019, no details were available about Air Europa's future domestic operations in Brazil, a market which the airline already serves with international flights from Madrid toSalvador andRecife.^[15]

On November 4, 2019,International Airlines Group (IAG) announced plans to acquire Air Europa from Globalia for €1 billion ($1.1 billion) with the deal expected to close in the first half of 2020. At the time, Air Europa operated a fleet of 66 aircraft and had generated anoperating profit of €100 million in 2018. IAG stated its intention to integrate Air Europa into Iberia while indefinitely retaining the brand. IAG expected to see anROI by the fourth year with fullsynergy by 2025 including inter-groupcodeshares, bank timing adjustments at Madrid Airport, and sales andloyalty program alignment. In January 2021 amid theCOVID-19 pandemic, the parties agreed to cut the transaction price in half to €500 million.^[16][2] Plans for a merger were scrapped in November 2021, with both parties seeking ways to revive it, with a deadline set for the end of January 2022.^[17][18][19] However, in August 2022, IAG converted a loan to Air Europa into a 20% shareholding.^[20]

In February 2023, IAG agreed to buy Air Europa for €400 million, with the brand to remain intact despite IAG's plans to make it part of Iberia.^[21][22][23] The decision followed interventions by the Spanish government, a key proponent of the merger.^[24][25][26] According to IAG, the merger would allow for the launch of Asia flights from the Madrid hub, which the Spanish government had advocated for.^[27] If the deal were to be approved by regulators, then once the merger would be complete, Air Europa was expected to exit SkyTeam and join other IAG members as part of Oneworld.^[28][29] In January 2024, theEuropean Commission said the deal could reduce competition on domestic routes in Spain and short-haul routes from Madrid to other major cities in Europe and the Mediterranean. The EU competition enforcer also cited concerns over long-haul routes between Madrid and the Americas. In February 2024,Reuters reported that IAG was likely to be hit with an EU antitrust warning, suggesting that regulators found IAG's proposed remedies to be insufficient to alleviate competition concerns.^[30]

In August 2024, IAG announced that it would abandon the deal after deeming additional remedies to address EU antitrust conditions too onerous to make the deal viable.^[31] IAG said it would instead seek to grow its position in Madrid to develop it into a rival to Europe's major aviation hubs.^[32]

On 18 December 2024, it was announced that Air Europa will be launching a new service toTurkey. Flights between the routeIstanbul andMadrid will commence beginning 12 May 2025, with initial four weekly flights and subsequently five weekly, operated on itsBoeing 787-9 aircraft.^[33]

Air Europa operates tour services between northern and western Europe and holiday resorts in theCanary Islands andBalearic Islands. It also operates domestic scheduled services and long-haul scheduled services to North America and South America from Madrid. Its hub isMadrid–Barajas Airport.^[34]

As of January 2025^[update], Air Europa hascodeshare agreements with the following airlines:^[35]

Air Europa also has a Interline agreement withIberojet.^[41]

As of August 2024^[update], Air Europa operates an all-Boeing mainline fleet composed of the following aircraft:^[42][43][44]

Air Europa previously operated the following aircraft:^[49]

As of January 2025^[update], Air Europa has suffered one non-fatal incident:

• On July 1, 2024, Air Europa Flight 045, operated by aBoeing 787-9 Dreamliner that was registered EC-MTI,^[50] was a scheduled flight operating fromMadrid–Barajas Airport, inMadrid, Spain, toCarrasco International Airport, inMontevideo, Uruguay. While over theAtlantic Ocean, the flight encounteredsevere turbulence at FL360, and at 04:50 UTC. The aircraft diverted toGreater Natal International Airport, inNatal, Brazil, where itlanded safely at 05:32 UTC. Of the 336 people on board, 40 occupants received non-fatal injuries, which resulted in hospitalizations. Additionally, the aircraft interior sustained serious damage that required repairs. Four of the injuries, which were sustained by three passengers and one crew member, were serious.^[50][51][52]

• Air Europe (1979–1991)
• Air Europe (Italy) (1989–2008)
• List of airlines of Spain
• Transport in Spain

  Media related toAir Europa at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website 

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