Luxair

Luxair, legally Luxair S.A., Société Luxembourgeoise de Navigation Aérienne, is the flag carrier of Luxembourg with its headquarters and hub at Luxembourg Airport. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Europe, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East with additional charter and seasonal services. It is Luxembourg's only passenger-carrying airline offering regular, non-charter service.
== History ==
=== Early years ===
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LX-LGZ_L1649_Starliner_Luxair_PMI_11SEP65_(5938051769).jpg|left|thumb|A former Luxair Lockheed L-1649A Starliner
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luxair_Boeing_747SP_Maiwald.jpg|left|thumb|A former Luxair Boeing 747SP
Luxair descended from Luxembourg Airlines, which was founded in 1948. Luxair started to be set up in 1961 to meet the growing demand for air links between Luxembourg and other European cities. In 1962, Luxembourg Airlines became[clarification needed] Luxair and began flights by launching a Luxembourg–Paris route with a Fokker F27 Friendship.[citation needed]
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Fokker_F.27-100_LX-LGA_Luxair_RWY_25.06.66_edited-2.jpg|thumb|Luxair's first aircraft was this Fokker F27 Friendship, pictured here in 1966.
From 1964 to 1969, Luxair operated three Lockheed L-1649A Starliner aircraft in a co-operative agreement with Trek Airways, from Luxembourg to Johannesburg. The Starliners were painted in Luxair livery and were registered in Luxembourg. By 1967, Luxair's fleet consisted of three Fokker F27 Friendships and one Vickers Viscount. The latter was written off in a non-fatal accident in 1969 and replaced the following year by the airline's first jet airliner, a Sud Aviation Caravelle. By 1976, Luxair was operating a Boeing 707 with a Boeing 737-200 then joining the fleet in 1977.[citation needed]
Over the years, Luxair gradually introduced further jet aircraft: Boeing 737-400s and Boeing 737-500s; as well as Fokker 50 turboprops and Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets. In the 1980s, Boeing 747SPs owned by South African Trek Airways and operated by LUXAVIA were painted in Luxair colours, flying routes between South Africa and Europe, as well as holiday charters from Luxembourg. LUXAVIA was a joint venture between Trek Airways and Luxair, enabling Trek Airways to avoid the repercussions of widespread anti-Apartheid boycotts.
=== Development since the 2000s ===
In March 2003, Luxair ordered two new Boeing 737-700s to replace its older Boeing aircraft.[citation needed] The first of the new aircraft was delivered on 18 February 2004. A third aircraft was ordered in August 2003 and delivered in January 2005.
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luxair_Logo.svg|thumb|Luxair's old logo, used from 21 October 1961 to 20 December 2003
On 21 December 2003, Luxair launched a new logo depicting a flying boomerang.[citation needed] The previous logo had been in use for 42 years.
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Luxair_B737-5C9_(LX-LGO)_landing_at_London_Heathrow_Airport.jpg|thumb|A former Luxair Boeing 737-500
In an effort to move to an all-jet fleet, the last Fokker 50 aircraft was withdrawn from service in April 2005. The rising cost of oil made operating regional jets increasingly difficult. To lessen its exposure,[clarification needed] Luxair decided to reintroduce turboprop aircraft, and in June 2006 it signed a firm order with Bombardier Aerospace for three Dash 8-Q400s, plus three options.[clarification needed] The last of the three aircraft was delivered in September 2007. Two additional Q400s were ordered later.
In October 2008, Luxair decided to place an order for its first Boeing 737-800. This aircraft replaced the last Boeing 737-500 in Luxair's fleet and facilitated Luxair's offer on its holiday destinations. In 2009, the airline was awarded as the most punctual scheduled operator at London City Airport during 2008 by Flight on Time, based on CAA statistics. In 2011 Luxair carried 1,302,771 passengers.
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LX-LGS_1_B737-7C9W_Luxair_LPA_16NOV05_(6332233304).jpg|thumb|Boeing 737-700 in 2000s livery
In 2013 and 2014, two new Boeing 737-800s fitted with Boeing Sky Interior became part of the fleet, which enabled Luxair to retire the last Boeing 737-500 from service.
In July 2015, Luxair's minority shareholder Lufthansa announced it would sell its 13 percent stake in the airline that it had held since 1993. The government of Luxembourg was named as the preferred buyer. In November 2015, the sale was finalized when Lufthansa sold its entire stake to the state of Luxembourg. Luxair also announced it would stop flying its route to Frankfurt Airport previously operated on a codeshare with Lufthansa as the latter started the same route itself. Luxair is still part of the Lufthansa frequent flyer program Miles & More.
After the bankruptcy of Air Berlin, Luxair announced they would begin flying from Saarbrücken Airport to Berlin Tegel Airport utilising a Bombardier CRJ700 which Luxair leased from Adria Airways based in Saarbrücken.[citation needed]
== Corporate affairs ==
=== Ownership ===
As of November 2015, after Lufthansa sold its shares, the airline is owned by the State of Luxembourg (52.04%), Banque et Caisse d'Épargne de l'État (21.81%), Banque Internationale à Luxembourg (13.14%), the Luxair Group and others (13.11%). In total, the State of Luxembourg owns 74.98% of the company through various state-owned corporations and through its holding of 10% of Banque Internationale à Luxembourg.
=== Key figures ===
The key figures for the Luxair Group since 2008 are shown below:
 	2008 	2009 	2010 	2011 	2012 	2013 	2014 	2015 	2016 	2017 	2018 	2019 	2020 	2021 	2022
Turnover (€m) 	417 	383 	409 	429 	447 	472 	495 	505 	498 	535 	593 	615 	263 	457 	683
Operating Profit (€m) 	1.5 	7.1 	1.8 	2.3 	 	-0.5 	1.3 	1.8 	-1.1 	2.0 	0.8 	-8.8 	-159.8	-33.7	-0.7
Net result (€m) 	8.5 	1.3 	8.9 	3.6 	−21.2	8.2 	-0.4 	9.7 	4.4 	9.5 	12.5 	8.1 	-154.9	-2.3 	67.1
Number of employees (average) 	2,461	2,334	2,317	2,344	2,309	2,288	2,394	2,438	2,527	2,658	2,828	2,877	2,820 	2,705	3,118
Number of passengers (m) 	1.22 	1.18 	1.25 	1.30 	1.37 	1.51 	1.68 	1.81 	1.84 	1.93 	2.13 	2.14 	0.66 	1.08 	1.2
Passenger load factor (%) 	73.4 	72.9 	73.8 	72.4 	73.4 	75.3 	74.5 	72.8 	71.6 	71.6 	72.6 	73.0 	58.4 	68.6 	
Cargo carried (thousands of tons) 	810 	672 	735 	678 	638 	693 	725 	759 	822 	940 	957 	893 	947 	1.124	995
Number of aircraft (at the year end)	15 	16 	16 	16 	16 	16 	17 	17 	16 	17 	17 	19 	19 	19 	19
Notes/sources 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	 	
== Destinations ==
Country 	City 	Airport 	Notes	Refs
Ireland 	Dublin 	Dublin Airport 	 	
Luxembourg 	Luxembourg City	Luxembourg Airport	Hub 	
United Kingdom	Manchester 	Manchester Airport	 	
=== Codeshare agreements ===
Luxair has codeshare agreements with the following airlines:
* Air France
* Austrian Airlines
* ITA Airways
* Lufthansa
* Scandinavian Airlines
* TAP Air Portugal
* Turkish Airlines
== Fleet ==
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bombardier_Dash_8-Q402,_Luxair_-_Luxembourg_Airlines_JP6027607.jpg|thumb|Luxair De Havilland Dash 8-400
link=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:LX-LGV_(16312172242).jpg|thumb|Luxair Boeing 737-800
=== Current fleet ===
As of September 2023, the Luxair fleet consists of the following aircraft:
Luxair fleet
Aircraft 	In service	Orders	Passengers	Notes
Boeing 737-700 	4 	— 	141 	
Boeing 737-800 	4 	— 	186 	
Boeing 737 MAX 7 	— 	4 	TBA 	
Boeing 737 MAX 8 	2 	4 	186 	2 to be leased.
De Havilland Dash 8-400	11 	— 	76 	
Embraer E195-E2 	— 	4 	TBA 	Order with 2 options and 3 purchase rights. Deliveries begin Q4 2025.
Total 	21 	12 	 	
=== Historical fleet ===
Luxair previously also operated the following aircraft types:
* Airbus A300B4-203
* Boeing 707
* Boeing 737-200
* Boeing 737-400
* Boeing 737-500
* Boeing 747SP
* Boeing 767-300ER
* Bombardier CRJ700
* Sud Aviation Caravelle 6R
* Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia
* Embraer ERJ-135
* Embraer ERJ-145
* Fokker F27 Friendship
* Fokker 50
* Vickers Viscount
=== Special liveries ===
Starting from 2020, Luxair released special liveries for some of its aircraft. On July 25, 2021, the company introduced the SUMO Artwork Luxair's Boeing 737/800.[citation needed] The livery was designed by the local street artist Christian "SUMO" Pearson. The special livery was meant to spread a positive message at the moment of the restart of operations after the first COVID-19 lockdown[citation needed][tone] and was the main action of the company's broader "FlyingIsAnArt" project: On the 25th of November 2020, the company released a de Havilland Q400 with an orange logo to raise awareness for violence against women.
In July 2022, Luxair was the world's first airline to paint a livery of one of its aircraft in rainbow, to support the Luxembourg Pride Month. This project inspired the German carrier Lufthansa, which one year later decided to do the same on one of its aircraft.
In October 2022, Luxair painted one of its aircraft with a pink artwork by the local artist Lisa Junius and in partnership with Think Pink Lux, with the goal to contribute to the Pink October worldwide campaign.
== Accidents and incidents ==
* On 22 December 1969, a Vickers Viscount (registration LX-LGC) arriving from Frankfurt Airport, Germany, landed 60% on the right hand side of R24, hit a snowbank piled up by snowplows at the intersection with runway 20 during landing and rollout at Luxembourg Findel Airport in freezing fog weather. No passengers were killed, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. It was scrapped in May 1970.
* On 6 November 2002, Luxair Flight 9642, a Fokker 50 (registration LX-LGB) incoming from Berlin, Germany, crashed in a field near the village of Niederanven during its final approach to Luxembourg Findel Airport. Twenty passengers and two crew-members died, including artist Michel Majerus. Only the pilot in command and one passenger survived. This is the only fatal accident in Luxair's history.
* On 30 September 2015, Luxair Flight 9562, operated by a Bombardier Q400, was taking off from Saarbrücken Airport when the first officer retracted the landing gear prior to the aircraft lifting off. The aircraft collapsed onto its belly and came to a stop on the runway. The aircraft was damaged beyond repair and Luxair ordered a replacement Q400 to be delivered in August 2016.
* On 4 February 2024, Luxair flight LG5682 flying between Ljubljana and Luxembourg was forced to land in Munich, after pilots reported a crack in their cockpit windshield. The Dash-8 plane was grounded for approximately 31 hours in Munich, repaired, and returned to Luxembourg.
== References ==
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# ^ "Legal Archived 2015-04-03 at the Wayback Machine." Luxair. Retrieved on 7 February 2011. "Luxair S.A. LuxairGroup Luxembourg Airport L-2987 Luxembourg."
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# ^ Zoggavia.com – Luxair Archived 2010-10-21 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved 6 November 2010
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# ^ airliners.de - "Lufthansa wants to get rid of Luxair shares" (German) 11 November 2015
# ^ aero.de - Lufthansa macht Luxair-Anteile zu Geld ("Lufthansa cashes in Luxair shares") Archived 2015-11-18 at the Wayback Machine (German) 17 November 2015
# ^ airlineroute.net - Luxair Ends Frankfurt Service from Dec 2015 Archived 2015-10-02 at the Wayback Machine 11 August 2015
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# ^ The State of Luxembourg directly owns 26.85%; a further 21.81% is controlled by fully state-owned Banque et Caisse d’Epargne de l’Etat.
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# ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j airfleets.net - Luxair fleet details Archived 2017-06-14 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 28 October 2017
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== External links ==
* Luxair on Official Website