Southwind Airlines
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| Founded | April 2022 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Antalya Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 20 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Antalya, Turkey | ||||||
| Key people | Şükrü Can (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | southwindairlines.com | ||||||
Southwind Airlines is a Turkish leisure airline founded in April 2022 by Cortex Havacılık ve Turizm Ticaret A.Ş. Flights to Russia commenced in August of that year, while Germany was added to its network a month later. The airline's main base and headquarters are in Antalya. The airline was banned from EU airspace in March 2024.
History
Foundation
Southwind Airlines was formally announced in April 2022, based out of Antalya, Turkey. The airline aims to prevent the loss of Russian tourists coming to Turkey following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[1] The airline received preclearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in June of that year.[2] The first commercial flight was flown to Perm on 12 August.[3]
Charter flights to Germany commenced in September 2022.[4] In February 2023, the airline announced plans to carry tourists to Antalya from 16 Russian cities during the summer season.[5] The number of aircraft in the fleet is expected to be 14 by the end of 2023.[6]
EU airspace ban
On 25 March 2024, Southwind Airlines was banned by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency from operating flights to Finland. According to the agency, Southwind Airlines is a de facto Russian airline attempting to circumvent European Union sanctions against Russia, imposed in response to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine.[7]
Following the Finnish assessment, the airline was banned on 28 March 2024 from the entire EU airspace, subject to regulation No 833/2014.[8] The airline was to begin flights under its own brand to several airports in the United Kingdom in summer 2024 as well, which however were all subsequently also cancelled.[9] Shortly after, Switzerland formally banned the airline as well.[10]
Destinations
Southwind Airlines operates flights to the following destinations:[citation needed]
Fleet
As of April 2024, Southwind Airlines operates the following aircraft:[21]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A321-200 | 2 | — | 220 | |
| Airbus A321neo | 1 | — | 240 | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 2 | — | 345 | |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | 3 | — | 189 | |
| Boeing 777-300 | 3 | — | 550 | |
| Boeing 777-300ER | 1 | — | 531 | |
| Total | 12 | — | ||
See also
References
- ^ "Antalya merkezli yeni havayolu faaliyetlerine başlıyor". AirportHaber (in Turkish). 15 April 2022. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Southwind'e SHGM'den ön izin çıktı". AirportHaber (in Turkish). 7 June 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Türkiye's Southwind launches flight ops". CH Aviation. 22 August 2022. Archived from the original on 30 January 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Southwind Airlines Avrupa uçuşlarına başlıyor". AirportHaber (in Turkish). 23 September 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Southwind 16 şehirden Antalya'ya turist taşıyacak". AirportHaber (in Turkish). 27 February 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Turkish Newcomer Southwind Airlines To Triple Fleet In 2023". Aviation Week Network. 6 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
- ^ "Traficom will not allow Southwind Airlines flights to Finland". Finnish Transport and Communications Agency. 25 March 2024. Retrieved 25 March 2024.
- ^ Eiselin, Stefan (28 March 2024). "EU verbannt Southwind Airlines aus Luftraum". aeroTELEGRAPH (in Swiss High German). Retrieved 29 March 2024.
- ^ aeroroutes.com - SOUTHWIND AIRLINES NS24 UK SERVICE REVISION – 26MAR24 26 March 2024
- ^ aerotelegraph.com (German) 9 April 2024
- ^ "Турэцкая авіякампанія адмяніла палёты па маршруце Мінск - Стамбул". BelTA – News from Belarus, © Belarusian Telegraph Agency. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2024.
- ^ "Southwind Airlines Adds Astana Service in NS24". AeroRoutes. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
- ^ "Trei companii aeriene de peste hotare lansează curse directe spre și dinspre Chișinău. Care sunt DESTINAȚIILE". www.ziarulnational.md. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- ^ Данилов, Антон (11 July 2024). "Прямые перелеты из Архангельска в Турцию неожиданно отменили". 29.ру - новости Архангельска (in Russian). Retrieved 12 July 2024.
- ^ "Лоукостер Southwind открыл продажу авиабилетов на прямые рейсы из Калининграда в Турцию". www.newkaliningrad.ru (in Russian). Новый Калининград.Ru. 9 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Liu, Jim (2 August 2024). "Southwind Airlines Aug – Oct 2024 Widebody Aircraft Network Overview". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
- ^ Воробьева, Елена (7 October 2024). "Авиакомпания SouthWind продлила полетную программу из Перми в Турцию". ura.news (in Russian). Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ "Из Волгограда в Турцию и Грецию с туроператором PEGAS Touristik!". Volgograd International Airport. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ "Southwind Airlines Schedules Belarus mid-Dec 2023 Launch". AeroRoutes. 6 December 2023. Retrieved 7 December 2023.
- ^ Liu, Jim (25 September 2024). "Southwind Airlines Adds Istanbul – Moscow From Nov 2024". AeroRoutes. Retrieved 25 September 2024.
- ^ "planespotters.net - Southwind Airlines Fleet Details and History". 1 April 2024.
External links
Media related to Southwind Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website (in English, German, Russian, and Turkish)
