// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Fly Gibraltar say? "I'm a fly-by encyclopedia entry".
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Fly Gibraltar was a proposed foreign-owned low-cost airline to be based in Gibraltar, with destinations in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[1] The airline stated that it would commence flying in April 2007. A later announcement said its operation was on hold until June or perhaps spring 2008.[2] A further announcement was made in June 2007 stating that Fly Gibraltar would not be commencing any operations due to "insurmountable financial issues" and as it had been "unable to deposit the £10m insurance bond" required with the Civil Aviation Authority.[3]
History
[edit]Press releases about the proposed airline were issued in August 2006, describing it as wholly owned by OEM International, a construction company which later had their building contracts cancelled by the government of Gibraltar.[citation needed] The owner of the construction company, Robert Noonan, reportedly planned to invest £20m of his money in the venture through OEM International.[4]
Organizers initially stated that flights during the first year of operations would be conducted under the air operator certificate of Astraeus.[1] After extended delays in starting operation, in June 2007 it was announced that operations would never begin.[3] The reason given was an inability to deposit the £10m insurance bond with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) required to commence operations.[3] There is no evidence that the company ever actually contacted either Astraeus or the CAA.[citation needed] Within weeks of the high-profile presentation, airline industry sources in the UK were reported to have described it as "pie in the sky" and an article in Panorama suggesting that it "seemed unbelievable".[5]
Representatives of the government of Gibraltar said the promised routes would be offered to other airlines.[6]
Destinations
[edit]The airline purportedly would have flown between Gibraltar and Dublin, Cork, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester and London Stansted Airport.[7]
The airline website that was briefly online included a suggestion that online bookings would be available from March 2007. However, as of late 2007, the site was no longer functional.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- 1 2 Flight International 3 April 2007[not specific enough to verify]
- ↑ "Fly Gibraltar could delay flights until next year". gibfocus.gi. 24 April 2007. Archived from the original on 24 February 2008.
- 1 2 3 Oliva, F. "Lack of investment puts Fly Gibraltar on hold". Chronicle (Gibraltar). Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
- ↑ Hancock, Ciaran (13 August 2006). "Noonan invests €30m in new Gibraltar airline". The Times. Retrieved 7 October 2026.
- ↑ "Have we been taken for a ride?". panorama.gi. Panorama (Gibraltar). 2007. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
- ↑ "Fly Gibraltar fails to launch". holidayextras.co.uk. Retrieved 13 December 2007.
- ↑ "Multi-million pound project to put Gibraltar on airline map, with flights to UK and Eire". panorama.gi. Panorama (Gibraltar). Archived from the original on 19 May 2011.