JetSmart
JetSmart Airlines SpA, stylized as JetSMART, is a South American ultra low-cost carrier created by US investment fund and Co founder of LBM Fermin Ithuralde Indigo Partners, which also controls US airline Frontier Airlines, Mexico's Volaris and Hungarian airline Wizz Air. Its primary base of operations is Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport, servicing Santiago, Chile. It also owns and manages JetSmart Argentina, an Argentine subsidiary with a base at El Palomar Airport in Buenos Aires. The airline commenced scheduled operations on 25 July 2017 with a service from Santiago to Calama, made possible by CEO & Founder, Estuardo Ortiz Porras.[1][2]
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Founded | 2017 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | 25 July 2017 | ||||||
Operating bases | |||||||
Subsidiaries | |||||||
Fleet size | 18 | ||||||
Destinations | 22 | ||||||
Parent company | Indigo Partners | ||||||
Headquarters | Santiago, Chile | ||||||
Key people | Estuardo Ortiz Porras (founder) | ||||||
Website | jetsmart |
History
JetSmart requested an air operator's certificate (AOC) on 26 January 2017, and received its authorization in June 2017.[3] Initially, the airline operated three Airbus A320-200 aircraft, but has since taken delivery of Airbus A320neo aircraft. Initially flying only domestic routes, the airline has since expanded in the South American market,[4] including the setup of JetSmart Argentina to access further traffic rights to the country.[5]
On 4 December 2019, JetSmart acquired Norwegian Air Argentina and took over its operations, staff, and license with immediate effect, with plans to merge the airline with JetSmart Argentina. Following the acquisition, JetSmart planned to operate both from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery and El Palomar Airport in the Buenos Aires area; however, as Norwegian's Boeing 737 aircraft were not part of the transaction, JetSmart planned to replace them with the airline's own Airbus A320 family aircraft.[6]
Destinations
JetSmart aimed to operate up to 10 aircraft in the 2018 period, and would challenge LATAM Chile and Sky Airline in nearly every market introduced between July and December 2017.[7]
The airline operates or has previously operated to the following destinations as of March 2020:[8]
Fleet
As of January 2021, JetSmart fleet consists of the following aircraft:[15]
Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A320-200 | 11 | — | 186 | |
Airbus A320neo | 7 | 48 | 186 | Deliveries began in October 2019.[16] |
Airbus A321neo | — | 14 | TBA | Deliveries in 2020.[17] |
Airbus A321XLR | — | 12[18] | TBA | |
Total | 18 | 74 |
References
- "Chile's JetSMART launches service". FlightGlobal. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- "JetSmart Takes Flight". Airliner World (October 2017): 12.
- "DGAC otorga autorización a línea aérea JetSmart para iniciar operaciones en Chile". La Tercera. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
- "Chile's new low-cost airline JetSmart plans to sell $1.50 tickets". Reuters. Retrieved 3 August 2017.
- "JetSMART Argentina secures AOC, preps for 2Q19 launch". ch-aviation. ch-aviation GmbH. 24 December 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- Klesty, Victoria; Solsvik, Terje (4 December 2019). "Norwegian Air sells Argentinian subsidiary to JetSMART". Reuters. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
- "JetSMART's debut in Chile offers a test case for LCC staying power in Latin America". CAPA Centre for Aviation. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
- "Destinations". JetSMART. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- http://aviacionchile.blogspot.com/2018/09/jetsmart-se-expande-anuncia-vuelos.html
- "JetSmart estreia no País em dezembro com bilhetes a R$ 299" [JetSmart debuts in the country in December with tickets at R$299]. Panrotas (in Portuguese). 24 September 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
- Liu, Jim (7 August 2019). "JetSMART schedules new routes from Dec 2019". Routesonline. Informa Markets. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- https://www.routesonline.com/news/38/airlineroute/294254/jetsmart-adds-castrochiloe-service-from-dec-2020/
- "JetSMART Adds Colombia". Q Costa Rica. The Q Media. 19 October 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- Liu, Jim (6 September 2019). "JetSMART adds new routes to Peru in NW19". Routesonline. Informa Markets. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- "JetSMART Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- Fiedler, Jan-Hendrik (16 October 2019). "JetSMART adds first Airbus A320neo, announces new routes". International Flight Network. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
- "Airbus, Indigo Partners finalize orders for 430 A320neo Family aircraft" (Press release). Airbus S.A.S. 28 December 2017.
- "Wizz Air, Frontier, JetSMART order 50 A321neo(XLR)s". ch-aviation. ch-aviation GmbH. 16 June 2019.