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Hemus Air

IATA DU ICAO HMS Callsign HEMUS AIR
Founded	1999
Hubs	Sofia Airport Varna Airport
Fleet size	13
Destinations
Headquarters	Sofia, Bulgaria
Key people
Website	Hemus Air

Hemus Air (Bulgarian title: Хемус Ер) is an airline based in Sofia, Bulgaria. It operates scheduled domestic and international services from Sofia and Varna, as well as charter, cargo and air ambulance services. Its main base is Sofia Airport, with a hub at Varna Airport.^[1] After the acquisition of Bulgaria Air, all of Hemus Air's destinations are now under the plate of Bulgaria Air.

History

Hemus Air is owned by Varna-based industrial/financial enterprise TIM.^[2] The airline was established and started operations in 1986, when it branched off from Balkan Bulgarian Airlines. It initially operated as a separate department providing ambulance services, flight calibration and aerial photography. In 1996 it became a separate legal entity from Balkan and was named Hemus Air.^[1] The company was privatized by Bulgarian corporate investors in 2002 and has since faced stiff competition from foreign carriers, as well as the newly-established successor of Balkan, Bulgaria Air. Hemus Air's management pledged to unite the major Bulgarian airlines and was selected as the preferred bidder for the sale of Bulgaria Air by the Bulgarian government. Hemus acquired a 99.9% stake in the flag carrier, reportedly for Euro 6.6m and a promise to invest a further €86m over the next five years. Hemus and Bulgaria Air have already started codesharing on the Sofia-Berlin Tegel route, coordinating their schedules and operations early in 2007. Hemus Air received some aircraft from Bulgaria Air.

Bulgaria Air and Hemus Air merger

In November 2006, Balkan Hemus Group sealed a deal to purchase Bulgaria Air with a 99.99% share of the airline for €6.6 million. The new airline will operate under the Bulgaria Air brand. ^[3]

As of February 2009, all Hemus Air aircraft are operating for the parent company, Bulgaria Air.

Destinations

All Hemus Air destinations are now operated under the commercial brand of Bulgaria Air.

Fleet

Hemus Air Boeing 737-300 boarding at London Gatwick Airport, England. (2007)

Hemus Air BAe146-200 taxiing at Sofia Airport, Bulgaria. (2005)

The Hemus Air fleet includes the following aircraft (at 31 March 2009): ^[4]

Most of these aircraft are operating for Bulgaria Air until the two airline's merge, then they will all be transferred to Bulgaria Air's fleet.

References

External links

• Bulgaria Air
• Hemus Air - Varna

Airlines of Bulgaria Air Sofia · Air Via · Balkan Bulgarian Airlines · BH Air · Bulgaria Air · Bulgarian Air Charter · Bunavad · Cargoair · Heli Air · Hemus Air · Inter Trans Air · Viaggio Air · Wizz Air Bulgaria