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| Founded | 2006 (as Catair) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1 October 2006 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 15 July 2009 (merged withVueling) | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | 26 | ||||||
| Destinations | 41 | ||||||
| Parent company | Iberia | ||||||
| Headquarters | El Prat de Llobregat,Catalonia,Spain | ||||||
| Key people | Álex Cruz (CEO) Carlos Losada (President) | ||||||
| Website | clickair.com | ||||||
Clickair was alow-cost airline that was based in theParc de Negocis Mas Blau inEl Prat de Llobregat, nearBarcelona, Spain.[1][2] Clickair flew to nearly 40 destinations inEurope. The airline's main base wasBarcelona–El Prat Airport with further bases atMálaga,Seville andValencia.[3] Clickair merged intoVueling on 15 July 2009. The company slogan was Catalan: Vola intel·ligent (Fly smart).
The company was first called Catair, derived from CAT (CATalonia) and AIR, but changed its name to Clickair just before starting operations. Clickair positioned itself as alow-cost airline and offered abuy on board programme for food, drinks, and other goods.[4]
The airline started operations on 1 October 2006 with threeAirbus A320 aircraft operating five routes from its Barcelona hub.[5] The company was founded from initial capital investment fromCobra,Iberia,Iberostar, Nefinsa and Quercus Equity (Group Agrolimen), each with a 20% share, with Iberia setting up the airline.[6] Although Iberia held a 20% stake in the airline, it controlled 80% of its economic rights. The company has plans for the operation of 30Airbus A320s on 70 routes, carrying 10 million passengers a year by the end of 2008.[3] Clickair's IATA code, XG was inherited fromGestair Cargo's retired passenger airline Regional Líneas Aéreas.
In June 2008, Clickair and rival Spanish low-cost airlineVueling announced their intention to merge.[7] The merger was agreed because they wanted to make a single carrier better equipped to take out high fuel costs and fees, and both airlines were losing a lot of money. The merger would cause Clickair to cease operations because Vueling was to be the name of the new airline. The airline was to be based inBarcelona where both of the low-cost airlines were based and were to keep its original hubs. Boss of Clickair Alex Cruz was also to be the chief executive of the airline.[8]
Five aircraft were planned to be introduced in 2008; however, the airline scaled back its expansion plans and would add only one aircraft to the fleet during the year.[9]
On 15 July 2009, the merger ofVueling and Clickair was completed.[10] The newly merged airline operates under the Vueling brand, with Clickair ceasing its operations. Since the merger, Vueling has become the second-largest Spanish carrier, flying 8.2 million passengers in 2009 to almost 50 destinations. After ceasing operations, 20 of the 26 aircraft went to Vueling. The rest of the fleet went toAstraeus Airlines,Vertir Airlines andUral Airlines, with two being stored.
The Clickair fleet consisted of the following aircraft on 21 March 2009, with eight aircraft having been purchased new and fourteen second-hand A320 aircraft originally built for Iberia:[11][12]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 26 | 180 |
Media related toClickair at Wikimedia Commons
