Zest Airways
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Zest Airways | ||
|---|---|---|
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| IATA Z2 |
ICAO RIT |
Callsign ASIAN SPIRIT |
| Founded | 1995 (as Asian Spirit) | |
| Hubs | ||
| Focus cities | ||
| Fleet size | 7 (+10 orders) | |
| Destinations | 23 | |
| Parent company | AMY Holdings, Inc. | |
| Company slogan | Asia's most refreshing airline | |
| Headquarters | Manila, Philippines | |
| Key people |
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| Website: http://www.zestair.com.ph/ | ||
Zest Airways is an airline which started as Asian Spirit, based in Pasay City, Manila in the Philippines. It operates scheduled domestic and international tourist services, mainly feeder services linking Manila and Cebu with 24 domestic destinations in support of the trunk route operations of other airlines. Its main base is Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Manila, with hubs at Mactan-Cebu International Airport and Diosdado Macapagal International Airport in the Clark Special Economic Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga.[1]
The airline was originally founded as Asian Spirit, the first airline in the Philippines to be run as a cooperative.
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Beginnings as Asian Spirit
Zest Airways was established as Asian Spirit in September 1995 by three friends: Antonio "Toti" Turalba, Emmanuel "Noel" Oñate and Archibald Po, who contributed $1 million each to start up the Airline Employees Cooperative (AEC). They invited 36 of their friends, mostly former Philippine Airlines employees, to run Asian Spirit through a salary-to-equity swap deal.[2][3][4]
It started operations in April 1996 with two second hand Dash 7 aircraft servicing only one scheduled commercial route with two flights per day from Manila to Malay, serving the fledging resort island of Boracay. To maximize its aircraft utilization, it introduced new routes to the present-day towns of San Jose, Virac, Daet and Alcantara, and the cities of Cauayan and Masbate, regarded as secondary and tertiary routes by Air Transportation Office, and are not serviced by major airlines. In 1997, the cooperative changed to a corporate set-up with the establishment of Asian Spirit, Inc., whose registration was approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission in 2005.
At the time, Asian Spirit has the distinction of being the first scheduled airline to serve Boracay. Other operators served the airport on a charter basis then. It became the Philippines' fourth flag carrier (after Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific and Air Philippines) in 2003.
[edit] Transition to Zest Airways
Asian Spirit was sold to AMY Holdings, a holding company controlled by businessman Alfredo M. Yao, in March 2008.[5] After the success of the takeover, Yao expressed interest in merging Asian Spirit with South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR). The two airlines have been in merger talks and were expected to make a decision soon.[6] Yao was supposed to purchase a sixty percent stake in SEAIR,[7] although the deal fell through because of a stolid response from SEAIR management.[8]
On September 30, 2008, Asian Spirit officially announced that it will be re-branding itself as Zest Airways. Reports say the name switch reflects the Yao's stake in the company, as well as an allusion to the flagship business of AMY Holdings: juicemaker Zest-O. The firm’s board approved the name change in August, while the Civil Aeronautics Board approved the switch earlier this month.[9]
The airline wants to fly to three international points to Sandakan, Malaysia from Zamboanga, to Seoul from Kalibo, Laoag, and Davao, and Macau from Angeles City.[10]. It intends to commence international expansion to Bangkok and Singapore from Manila sometime in 2009.[11]
[edit] Destinations
[edit] New routes
[edit] Cebu
- Daily service to Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, begins July 22, 2009.
- Four times weekly service to Cagayan de Oro City, Misamis Oriental, begins July 23, 2009.
- Five times weekly service to Malay, Aklan, begins July 22,2009.
- Daily service to Davao City, Davao, begins July 22, 2009.
- Daily service to Iloilo City, Iloilo, begins July 22, 2009.
- Thrice weekly service to Zamboanga City, Zamboanga, begins July 22, 2009.
[edit] Zamboanga
[edit] Fleet
The Zest Airways fleet includes the following aircraft (at 16 June 2009) [1]:
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Options | Passengers (Economy) |
Routes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-232 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 162 | Domestic |
| Xian MA60 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 56 | Domestic Sandakan |
[edit] Retired
| Aircraft | Year Retired |
|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9 | 2008 |
| BAe 146-200 | 2008 |
| BAe 146-100 | 2008 |
| BAe ATP | 2008 |
| CN-235 | 2008 |
| de Havilland Dash 7 | 2009 |
| Let-410 | 2008 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 2008 |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2008 |
| NAMC YS-11 | 2008 |
As of June 2008, the average age of the Zest Airways fleet is 18.9 years[13][not in citation given]. In a major move, the airline hopes to retire most of its fleet in favor of acquiring fuel-efficient aircraft. Although no timetable has been set, only the Dash 7 fleet of Asian Spirit will be retained, while Zest Airways has acquired both the Airbus A320 and the Xian MA60, the only Philippine airliner to do so, as part of its refleeting strategy.[8]
The Airbus A320 aircraft were originally delivered to JetBlue Airways in 2003. They were purchased in September 2008 and delivered in December 2008 and January 2009. The aircraft were than repainted in Pinal Airpark in Arizona into Zest Airways livery and the seat configuration has been changed from Y 150 to Y 162.[citation needed]
On June 3, 2009, the airliner orders 6 more Xian MA60's to be delivered starting October. [14]
[edit] Incidents and Accidents
[edit] As Asian Spirit
- On December 7, 1999, Asian Spirit Flight 100, a Let L-410, crashed between Kasibu in Nueva Vizcaya and Cabarroguis in Quirino, killing all 15 passengers on board and 2 crew. The plane was headed for Cauayan Airport in Cauayan City. The accident forced the closure of the Manila-Cauayan route, which remained closed until Philippine Airlines restarted the route on August 15, 2008.[15][16]
- On September 4, 2002, Asian Spirit Flight 897 was the last flight of the day to Malay, departing Manila at 3:36 pm for a one-hour flight. During the approach to Malay, the right main gear failed to deploy. The approach was abandoned and the crew decided to return to Manila for an emergency landing. The plane circled for about 35 minutes over Las Piñas City to burn off fuel. The crew then carried out an emergency landing with the right gear retracted on Manila's international airport runway 24. After touchdown the aircraft swerved off the runway onto a grassy area.[17]
- On November 14, 2005, Asian Spirit Flight 587, a BAe-146-200, reportedly aquaplaned and overran runway 04/22, a 4,429-foot (1350 m) long concrete runway at Catarman National Airport. The aircraft came to rest in a muddy rice field.[18]
- On January 2, 2008, Asian Spirit Flight 321, an NAMC YS-11 departing from Manila, piloted by Captain Alexandro Tiglao with First Officer Dominick Mendoza as co-pilot, overshot the runway at Masbate Airport at 7:30 a.m., due to heavy tailwinds with gusts reaching 14 knots while landing on runway 21. Although none of the 47 passengers were seriously injured, the accident destroyed the aircraft’s nozzle, the plane’s right propeller and its right and nose wheel, and caused the plane’s fuel tank to leak.[19]
[edit] As Zest Airways
- On January 11, 2009, Zest Airways Flight 865, a Xian MA60 with 22 passengers three crew aboard, undershot runway 06 when it landed at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport, swerved sharply to the left when it touched the runway after the initial impact and hit a concrete barrier seriously damaging its nose. The plane's landing gears and propellers also suffered major damage. Three persons were injured. There were no fatalities.[20]
- On June 25, 2009, Zest Airways Flight 863, a Xian MA60 with 54 passengers and five crew aboard, overshot the runway when it landed at Godofredo P. Ramos Airport. There were no injuries. [21]
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International: p. 78. 2007-03-27.
- ^ "Asian Spirit History". Asian Spirit Website. http://www.asianspirit.com/about.html. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- ^ "Asian Spirit". Tony Lopez, ABS-CBN Interactive. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=27529. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ "Asian Spirit: The Niche Player". Makati Business Club. http://www.philippinebusiness.com.ph/archives/magazine/vol13-2006/13-8/cover_2.htm. Retrieved on 2007-10-03.
- ^ Asian Spirit sold for 'around P1B', ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs, retrieved April 15, 2008
- ^ SEAIR, Asian Spirit merger looms, BusinessWorld, April 14, 2008
- ^ Yao Group to acquire Asian Spirit, Manila Bulletin, January 21, 2008
- ^ a b Carreon, Don Gil K. (2008-10-23). "Zest Airways getting more aircraft". BusinessWorld (BusinessWorld Publishing Corporation). http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?p=26972114&postcount=486. Retrieved on 2008-10-23.
- ^ Asian Spirit now called Zest Airways, BusinessWorld, retrieved October 2, 2008
- ^ Amojelar, Darwin G. (2007-09-13). "Asian Spirit to acquire more aircraft for regional expansion". The Manila Times (Manila Times Publishing Corporation). http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/sept/13/yehey/business/20070913bus12.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ Amojelar, Darwin G. (2007-11-06). "Asian Spirit joins refleeting bandwagon". The Manila Times (Manila Times Publishing Corporation). http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2007/nov/06/yehey/business/20071106bus10.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-20.
- ^ Zest Airways Fleet
- ^ Air Fleet Age: Asian Spirit, airfleets.net, http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Asian%20Spirit.htm, retrieved on 2008-10-02[dead link]
- ^ Zest orders six more MA60s, ATW Daily News, June 3, 2009.
- ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database". aviation-safety.net. December 7, 1999. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19991207-0&lang=en. Retrieved on 2007-04-07.
- ^ "Philippines crash claims 17 lives". BBC News. 1999-12-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/553722.stm. Retrieved on 2007-04-07.
- ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database". aviation-safety.net. 2002-09-04. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20020904-0. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ "ASN Aviation Safety Database". aviation-safety.net. 2005-11-14. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20051114-0. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ "Plane overshoots runway in Masbate City". abs-cbnnews.com. 2008-01-02. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=104163. Retrieved on 2008-05-07.
- ^ Accident, Aviation Safety Network, http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20090111-0&lang=en
- ^ Garcia, Jennifer (2009-06-25). "Zest Air runway incident cancels 32 Caticlan flights". ABS-CBN News. http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/06/25/09/zest-air-plane-overshoots-runway-caticlan. Retrieved on 2009-06-25.
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