A favourable wet-lease market sees Avion Express enjoy improved results

Avion Express’s fleet grew to 22 Airbus A320 family aircraft (Avion Express)

Avion Express, Lithuania’s aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance (ACMI) operator, achieved record yearly production results last year.

In the course of 2019, Avion Express expanded its fleet to an all-time high number of 22 Airbus A320 family aircraft, allowing the Avia Solutions Group carrier to produce more than 60,200 block hours (BHs) in comparison with the 52,500 in 2018, registering a 15 per cent year-on-year production increase.

Seasonality, late aircraft deliveries and crew shortages all helped to increase demand for the operator’s mainly short-term narrow-body ACMI services. “2019 was a challenging year in the airline industry and we placed extra effort to be fast and flexible in order to be best positioned to help solve our clients’ business challenges. During 2019 we expanded our fleet, increased our production results and established a new ACMI airline in Malta,” outlines Darius Kajokas, chief executive of Avion Express.

Last year, the company also managed to expand its client base. Norwegian Air, TUI, LOT Polish Airlines and VietJet Air are among the new customers added to the clients’ pool. Furthermore, during 2019, Avion Express also came to the assistance of airlines which were affected by the on-going infamous grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

Then, the company reacted to the insolvency of Thomas Cook by taking part in the unprecedented repatriation programme of stranded UK tourists. Avion Express alone brought 30,000 passengers back to the UK between 23rd of September and 6th of October.

Meanwhile, setting a platform to enter the USA and Canadian markets, in May 2019 the company successfully established a subsidiary airline in Malta, named Avion Express Malta.