TUI Airlines Netherlands

TUI Airlines Netherlands
IATA ICAO Callsign
OR TFL ORANGE
Founded 2005 (as Arkefly)
Hubs Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Alliance TUI Airlines
Fleet size 9
Destinations 53
Parent company TUI Airlines (TUI Group)
Headquarters Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
Key people Steven van der Heijden, CEO
Website www.tuifly.nl

TUI Airlines Netherlands (formerly Arkefly and shortened to Arke in the corporate design to match the travel agency)[1] is a Dutch charter airline headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands.[2] It is the charter carrier of the Dutch arm of the German travel conglomerate TUI Group and its main base is Schiphol Airport.[3]

History

TUI Airlines Netherlands head office

TUI Airlines Netherlands, before Arkelfy traced its roots to Air Holland, which was founded in 1981. After financial problems Air Holland was taken over by the Exel Aviation Group and took a new start as HollandExel in March 2004. In May 2005 the Exel Aviation Group was declared bankrupt. The German TUI Group took over the airline's activities and renamed it ArkeFly. It is now wholly owned by the TUI Group. Its name was based on the biggest Dutch tour operator, Arke, which is also a subsidiary of the TUI Group. The newly reorganised airline operated its first flight in September 2005.

Operations in Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles, began on 15 July 2004 as DutchCaribbeanExel, which was originally part of the Exel Aviation Group, but was later taken over, together with parent airline, HollandExel, by the TUI Group, and renamed ArkeFly Curaçao.[4] ArkeFly started weekly flights to St. Maarten from Amsterdam on 2 December 2007, but discontinued this service in November 2008. TUI holds that flights may resume if the volume of tourists travelling to St. Maarten increases.[5] Operations to Orlando, Miami and Israel began in 2011.

In October 2013, Arkefly changed its marketing name to Arke to reflect the partnership with the travel agency of the same name.

On 13 May 2015, it was announced by the TUI Group that all five of TUI's airline subsidiaries will be named TUI, whilst keeping their separate Air Operator's Certificate, taking over three years to complete. Arke was the first to undergo the change, and was renamed TUI on 1 October 2015.[6]

Destinations

TUI Airlines Netherlands carries out regular and chartered flights, although most of the chartered flights are operated for the Dutch tour operator Arke. It operates to destinations in the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Red Sea, Mexico, Caribbean, United States, Canada, Africa, Asia, Brazil and the Dutch Caribbean.

Fleet

TUI Airlines Netherlands Boeing 737-800
TUI Airlines Netherlands Boeing 787-8

As of October 2015, the TUI Airlines Netherlands fleet consists of the following aircraft:[7]

TUI Airlines Netherlands fleet
Aircraft In service Orders Passengers Notes
W Y Total
Boeing 737-800 5 0 183 183
Boeing 767-300ER 1 31 264 295
Boeing 787-8 3 18
47
291
244
309
291
Total 9

References

  1. Arklefly shortens its name to just Arke Drum, Bruce, World Airlines News. 22 October 2013, retrieved 3 November 2013
  2. "Arkefly." TUI Nederland. Retrieved on 28 September 2009. "ArkeFly Beech Avenue 43 1119 RA Schiphol-Rijk Postbus 75607 1118 ZR Schiphol-Triport "
  3. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 27 March 2007. p. 77.
  4. Flight International 27 March 2007
  5. ArkeFly Discontinues St. Maarten Service
  6. Arke en Holland International worden TUI
  7. "Arke [sic] Fleet Details and History". planespotters.net. 27 April 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.

External links

Media related to TUI Airlines Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons

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