Article from BTNews 5 AUGUST 2019
Air Antwerp shows its colours
Set up in May this year and scheduled to begin operations this autumn, Belgian start-up carrier Air Antwerp has received its first aircraft, a Fokker 50 turboprop, painted in its new colour scheme.
Shareholders in Air Antwerp are Dublin-based CityJet, which owns 75%, and KLM with 25%. The first aircraft was formerly part of the VLM Airlines Brussels fleet and some former staff have joined the new carrier to help with launch preparations.
The Fokker, whose livery features red and maroon stripes on a white fuselage, with a similarly-coloured logo on the vertical fin, was flown from Malmo to Antwerp last week for the start of training exercises.
The new carrier will be hoping to plug a market gap left by the demise of the VLM “family” of airlines with similar branding. The last of these, VLM Airlines (Brussels), filed for bankruptcy last December after going into liquidation at the end of August (BTN 7 January).
The airline was based at Brussels National Airport and bore a brand that was once a familiar sight at London City Airport. Other former SHS Aviation BV members VLM Airlines (Antwerp) and VLM Airlines (Slovenia) went into liquidation last September and November respectively.
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