Jes Air

JES Air
ДЖЕС Ер
IATA ICAO Call sign
- JES JES AIR
Founded1991
Ceased operations1992
HubsSofia Airport
Focus citiesTan Son Nhat Airport
Fleet size3
Destinations6
HeadquartersSofia, Bulgaria
Key peopleMilen Keremidchiev [1]

JES Air was founded in 1991 and was one of the first privately owned airlines in Bulgaria. The airline was supported with capital from Singapore-based companies. JES Air was famous for its delays, but despite this, passengers used the airline because of the cheap prices it offered.

History

The first route for JES Air was Sofia–New York City, due to an agreement between the two countries, and it then expanded its destinations towards Canada and Asia.

One of the aircraft - LZ-JXB was wet leased to REGION AIR PTE. LTD., Singapore and took place in the creation of the new face of Vietnam Airlines. "JES Air" fell into bankruptcy only one year after it started flights and at the end of 1992 was re-registered in the Middle East and renamed.

Following the bankruptcy, REGION AIR PTE. LTD. had employed ex-JES Air Bulgarian pilots and engineers to continue with the development of Vietnam Airlines.

Destinations

A JES Air Airbus A310 prior to delivery at Zurich Airport, Switzerland in 1991.
A JES Air Airbus A310 at Bangkok International Airport, Thailand in 1992.
 Australia
 Bulgaria
 Canada
 Singapore
 United Arab Emirates
 United States
 Vietnam

Fleet

The JES Air fleet included the following aircraft:[2][3]

JES Air Fleet
Aircraft Total Registrations Notes
Airbus A310-200 1 LZ-JXB Sold to Vietnam Airlines
Airbus A310-300 2 LZ-JXA
LZ-JXC 		Both returned to lessors
JXA was leased by Air Niugini
Total 3

Accidents and incidents

  • 4 September 1992: Vietnam Airlines Flight 850, an Airbus A310-200, registration LZ-JXB, leased from Jes Air, with 127 occupants on board en route from Bangkok to Ho Chi Minh City, hijacked by Ly Tong, a former pilot in the Republic of Vietnam Air Force. He then dropped anti-communist leaflets over Ho Chi Minh City before parachuting out. Vietnamese security forces later arrested him on the ground. The aircraft landed safely, and no one on board was injured. He was released from a Hanoi prison in 1998.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ "Министерство на външните работи - Милен Керемедчиев, заместник-министър на външните работи". Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  2. ^ Photos - JES Air aircraft captions on BGspotters.net Archived 2015-03-23 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Please refresh this page".
  4. ^ Accident description for VN850 at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 3 June 2018.
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