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| Founded | 1999 (1999) (asAeBal) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 5 July 2000 (2000-07-05) | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 26 January 2010 (2010-01-26) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Madrid,Spain | ||||||
| Employees | 155 (2007) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Quantum Air (formerly known asAeBal orAerolíneas de Baleares) was anairline based inMadrid,Spain. It operated domestic scheduled services within Spain, as well ascharter andACMI operations all over Europe. Its fleet was originallywet-leased toSpanair for use on domestic and international routes, but since 14 September 2008, they have operated on their own.
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The company was established in 1999 with headquarters inSon Sant Joan Airport,Palma de Mallorca. Originally it was intended to be namedAB Bluestar but the name was changed toAeBal - Aerolíneas de Baleares. The company started operations on 5 July 2000 fromMadrid with domestic services and an initial fleet of threeBoeing 717 aircraft. It was owned byGrupo Marsans (51%),SAS Group (25%),Spanair (18%) and VITRAC (6%). The company operated under the nameAeBal - Spanair Link, retaining much of its Spanair pedigree in the livery. It had 155 employees in March 2007. A number of changes in the company's shareholding structure ended up with SAS Group owning 100% of the company.[1]
AeBal ceased operations on 16 September 2008, as part of the Spanair economic restructuring plan, canceling their wet-lease agreement.[2]
AeBal ceased to exist after it was sold by SAS in January 2009 to Proturin, a Spanish investment company controlled by formerAerolíneas Argentinas CEO, Antonio Mata. In March 2009, AeBal was replaced byQuantum Air, and its main base was moved from Mallorca toMadrid–Barajas Airport. Mata tried unsuccessfully to replace the ageingMD-87 with newerBoeing 717. After several defaults in the payments of the plane leases, SAS made a move to impound the fleet and the planes were grounded during the legal squabbles that followed between SAS and Antonio Mata.[3] On 26 January 2010, Quantum Air temporarily ceased operations and ticketing.[4] Finally in October 2012, a court in Palma de Mallorca issued a verdict in favour of the company, ordering SAS to pay 6.3 million €.[5]
Quantum Air operated to the following domestic scheduled destinations (as of July 2009):
The Quantum Air fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of November 12, 2009). The entire fleet was delivered starting September 2010 toBlue1.[6]
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 717-200 | 5 | 115 | All later delivered toBlue1. |
| Total | 5 | ||
Media related toQuantum Air at Wikimedia Commons
