V5 VPA Operating bases Founded 2008 | VPA VIP TAXI Headquarters Bratislava, Slovakia Ceased operations 2013 | |
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Company slogan "We fly your direction" | ||
Danube wings
Danube Wings, a trading name of VIP Wings, a.s., was a Slovakia-based airline that ceased operations in 2013. Danube Wings had operated regional scheduled services on domestic and international routes using ATR 72 aircraft. Its home base was M. R. Štefánik Airport in Bratislava. VIP Wings, a privately owned Slovak company, was the holder of the licences and the AOC.
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History
VIP Wings was established on 23 May 2000, and was created from VIP Air, the first private aviation company in Slovakia.
In August 2008 operations started with ATR 72 aircraft, offering regular transport to the general public. On November 13, 2008, the company was assigned the V5 IATA code. On July 15, 2009, Danube Wings became a member of the European Regional Airlines Association.
The company faced serious economical problems and on 20 November 2013 ceased all operations on scheduled flights. According to news reports it ceased operations in December 2013 and laid off all employees.
Business trends
The key trends for Danube Wings were as shown below (although, because it was a private company, few figures were publicly available). Figures as at year ending 31 December:
Destinations
Seasonal services to and from destinations in France were cancelled as of January 2013. On October 19, 2013 Danube Wings announced the immediate cancellation of its last remaining schedule route.
Fleet
The Danube Wings fleet included the following aircraft (at January 2013) in an all-economy class: