Air Nostrum, legally incorporated as ''Air Nostrum Líneas Aéreas del Mediterráneo, S.A.'', is a Spanish

regional airline A regional airline is a general classification of airline which typically operates scheduled passenger air service, using regional aircraft, between communities lacking sufficient demand or infrastructure to attract mainline flights. In North ...

based in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

. It currently operates as a franchisee of

Iberia The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese language, Aragonese and Occitan language, Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a pe ...

as Iberia Regional and an affiliate member of the Oneworld

airline alliance An airline alliance is an aviation industry arrangement between two or more airlines agreeing to cooperate on a substantial level. Alliances may provide marketing branding to facilitate travelers making inter-airline codeshare connections within c ...

. Air Nostrum operates 91 domestic and international routes to 51 destinations, and charter flights. Its main base is Valencia Airport, with hubs at Barcelona Airport and Madrid-Barajas Airport. Limited operations are also carried out on behalf of Brussels Airlines, replacing related wet-lease specialist airline CityJet, having begun in late 2018. Air Nostrum is also a part owner of Iryo, a Spanish high-speed rail service which began operating in November 2022.

History

The airline was established on 23 May 1994 and started operations on 15 December. Air Nostrum used to offer a comprehensive meal service on all scheduled flights. In early 2008, the airline eliminated its 'regional business class' cabin. The cabin is now split into separate business and economy sections along the lines of other major airlines. Economy passengers can purchase drinks and snacks from an onboard menu. On February 7, 2012, Air Nostrum presented an ERE that will affect its 1,800 workers for two years, due to the increase in fuel prices and the drop in income. It is estimated that during the two years, 15 Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft will be grounded and most of its routes will be abandoned at a loss. On March 31, 2014, Air Nostrum announced the entry into the company's capital of a group of Valencian businessmen with the participation of the then CEO of the company, Carlos Bertomeu, as well as Antonio Pellicer and José Remohí, owners of the IVI, with an estimated capital of 25 million euros, divided between capital and debt. In September 2017, Air Nostrum lodged an application to operate high speed rail services from

Madrid Atocha Madrid Atocha ( es, Estación de Madrid Atocha), also named Madrid Puerta de Atocha–Almudena Grandes, is the first major railway station in Madrid. It is the largest station serving commuter trains ( ''Cercanías''), regional trains from the ...

Gare de Montpellier-Saint-Roch Saint-Roch is the main railway station in Montpellier, France. The station was formerly known as Gare de Montpellier, but since March 2005 it has been named after Saint Roch, a native of the city who was born in the 14th century. Saint-Roch is on ...

in Southern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

from 5 October 2018 with

AVE Class 100 The Renfe Class 100 is a high-speed train used for AVE services by the Renfe Operadora, in Spain. It was the first high-speed train put into service in Spain, in 1992. History This class lived through all the changes involved in the creatio ...

trains leased from Renfe Operadora. On 17 July 2018, Air Nostrum and

CityJet CityJet is an Irish regional airline with headquarters in Swords, Dublin. It was founded in 1992 and has gone through a series of corporate structures. Air France sold CityJet to ''Intro Aviation'' in May 2014; in March 2016 the airline was b ...

of Ireland announced they would merge to form the largest regional airline in Europe, however will remain as separate brands. In June 2022, it was announced that Air Nostrum had placed a reservation on ten Hybrid Air Vehicles Airlander 10

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

s. Introduction to service is scheduled for 2026.

Destinations

Fleet

As of September 2022, the Air Nostrum fleet consists of the following aircraft:planespotters.net - Air Nostrum
retrieved 11 September 2022

Incidents and accidents

*On 17 January 2003, an Air Nostrum

Fokker 50 The Fokker 50 is a turboprop-powered airliner, designed as an improved version of the successful Fokker F27 Friendship. The Fokker 60 is a stretched freighter version of the Fokker 50. Both aircraft were manufactured and supported by Dutch airc ...

overran the runway at Melilla Airport and crashed into the perimeter fence resulting in the aircraft splitting into two major parts. Nine passengers were injured. *On 24 January 2006, Air Nostrum flight IB 8665 from

Valladolid Valladolid () is a municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. It has a population around 300,000 peop ...

made a

belly landing A belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device. Normally the term ''gear-up landing'' refers to incidents in which the pilot ...

at Barcelona El Prat Airport. Two of the forty passengers sustained minor injuries while disembarking from the aircraft, a

Bombardier CRJ200 The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 (previously Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200) is a regional jet designed and manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace between 1991 and 2006, the first of the Bombardier CRJ family. The ''Canadair Regional Jet'' (CRJ) ...

with registration EC-IBM. The cause was determined by the Comisión de Investigación de Accidentes e Incidentes de Aviación Civil to be pilot error.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Airlines established in 1994 Airlines of Spain Companies based in the Valencian Community European Regions Airline Association Iberia (airline) Oneworld affiliate members Railway companies of Spain Spanish brands Transport in Valencia Spanish companies established in 1994 Railway companies established in 1994