Star Air (Maersk Air)

Infobox Airline
airline = Star Air

logo_size =
fleet_size = 11
destinations =
IATA = S6
ICAO = SRR
callsign = WHITESTAR
parent = [http://www.maersk.com/en/ A.P. Moller Maersk]
company_slogan =
founded = 1987
headquarters = Dragør, Denmark
key_people = Søren Graversen (CEO)
hubs = Copenhagen Airport
secondary_hubs =
focus_cities =
frequent_flyer =
lounge =
alliance =
website = [http://www.starair.dk/ Star Air]

Star Air is a cargo airline organized as a limited company with registered headquarters in Dragør, by Copenhagen Airport, Denmark.

History

Star Air was founded on September 1 1987 by the A P Moller Line who bought a hangar and the operating organisation from Alk-Air and leased three Fokker F27-600s.

At the outset, Star Air's customer base consisted of companies who required transport for their customers and employees, as well as other airlines who required the lease of aircraft with crew.

As Star Air's business objective was airfreight, the activities gradually turned towards freight-related customers; TNT, FEDEX, UPS, XP-Aviation and so on. The F-27 aircraft were converted to freighters (Class E Cargo version) and for some years cargo flights were the company's sole activity. However, Star Air never established its own distribution network, instead it sold its capacity as charter or sub-charter.

By 1993 the market rate for charters of freighter aircraft of the Fokker F27 size had fallen to an unacceptably low level and the dismantling of the fleet was initiated. The administration, operations and navigation departments were taken over by Maersk Air and Star Air took up passenger flying again.

Meanwhile, UPS, (United Parcel Service), due to lack of traffic rights within the EU - found itself in need of a local operator to carry out the flights it could not operate itself. Star Air was in contention to become UPS's partner within the EU, but lost out to Sterling Airways who already operated Boeing 727's and had an FAA-approved maintenance organisation. However, Sterling Airways went bankrupt shortly before commencing the UPS operation and thus it became Star Air who set up UPS's new European operation, using aircraft leased from UPS.

On October 22 1993, Star Air entered into a contract with UPS for the operation of two Boeing 727s. The first flights began only 10 days after the signing of the contract.

The last remaining Star Air Fokker F27 was sold in 1996, leaving Star Air 100% engaged in the UPS operation. At the end of July 2004, the last B727 were returned to UPS and four routes were operated by Star Air with a fleet of four Boeing 757s.

During 2003 Star Air and UPS entered into a new contractual agreement for the next 10 years. From 2005 Star Air gradually placed 11 Boeing 767SF (Special Freighter) in service with UPS. The 757PFs was returned to UPS.

When A. P. Møller - Mærsk in 2005 sold Maersk Air, Star Air remained as an independent entity within the A. P. Møller - Mærsk group. About 175 are employed full-time - most mechanics and pilots are based in Cologne, Germany, where UPS has its main European hub.

Fleet

The Star Air fleet includes the following aircraft (at February 2008):

*11 Boeing 767-200

External links

* [http://www.starair.dk/ Star Air]
* [http://www.scanair.no/aod/starair.htm Star Air fleet and details by Scanair.no, in bokmål Norwegian]
* [http://www.sac-crew.dk/public/ Star Air Cockpitassociation website]
* [http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=SRR&al_op=1 Star Air Fleet]