History

After the break-up of the former Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic found itself in a specific situation in the area of air transport, in that no transport company remained and even in the past there had never been an effective network of airlines directly connecting Slovakia with the rest of the world. Not a single aircraft or foreign embassy remained in Slovakia.



To resolve this unsatisfactory situation the need had long been felt to build a transport company ensuring the connection of Slovakia with foreign countries and to resolve the entire conception of air transport, in particular in connection with tourism and the creation of an infrastructure (technical furnishings, catering, handling etc.)

In 1995 the mission of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) on a visit to Slovakia proposed the creation of a national air transport company as one possibility of the development of civil aviation. Even before a number of aviation companies had contended for this status, but their efforts had been unsuccessful. After almost one year of intensive discussions experts agreed on the idea that it would be possible to create a strong, high quality airline company in Slovak conditions only in the form of a national airline company. The result of this endeavour was the designation of the company Slovenské aerolínie a.s. [Slovak Airlines, joint stock company] as the national air transport company.

The business plan of Slovak Airlines began with the construction of a basic network of lines over a period of 5 years.
Within the framework of the Phare programme “Air Operation Safety Improvement”, Slovak Airlines was selected as one of three operators within the states of Eastern Europe as a sample transport company and consultant in the creation of a programme of improving safety of air transport in the Phare countries.

The general secretary of the United Aviation Authorities of Europe, Mr Kouplin highly evaluated the achieved technical standard and capability of the TU-154M aircrafts and invited Slovak Airlines to participate in the creation of the prescription basis for the states of the European Commission for civil aviation (ECAC). He evaluated the standard of the company according to Western European aviation prescriptions.

Slovak Airlines operated on the market as an air transport company, operating regular and irregular passenger, cargo and postal transit.

History:
1998
1. May – beginning of flights – regular flight line Bratislava – Moscow
26. May – official opening of representation in Moscow
June –
September
– opening of charter line to Greece, Turkey, Spain and France
11. August
– scheduled flights Bratislava – Košice opened
18. October – opening of representation in Cyprus – Larnaca
26.
December
– opening of regular flight line Poprad – Moscow, support of active transport to bring tourists to the Tatra mountains
December – contract signed on transport of Slovakia’s national ice hockey team
1999
11. August
– reopening of regular flight line Bratislava – Košice
9. November
– reopening of scheduled flights Bratislava – Moscow
22. November – first opening of regular flight line Bratislava – Munich with possibility of immediate connections to over 200 destinations worldwide
26. December – reopening of line Poprad – Moscow
2000
14. April – first flight for UN requirements: Karachi – Priština, Slovak Airlines successfully competed for the opportunity to secure air transport for the requirements of the United Nations (UN) and shared in the transit of peace corps of the UN and organisations within the framework of UNICEF programmes.
16. August – conclusion of contract – Slovak Airlines becomes the official carrier of the Slovak national football team
1. October
– temporary closure of regular flights Bratislava – Munich
1. December
– first flight of President of Slovak Republic Rudolf Schuster with Slovak Airlines on the route Bratislava – Košice
2001
5th anniversary of foundation of company
Slovak Airlines transported a total of over four thousand passengers on seasonal flight line Moscow – Poprad/Tatry – Moscow in the period from December 2000 to March 2001
2002
1. January – Miloslav Mészáros becomes the managing director of Slovak Airlines
The logo of Slovak Airlines ranks amongst the three best logos and wins the Logotyptop Slovakia 2002 award in the category of Trade and services.
12. May
Slovak Airlines participated in the success of the Slovak national team at the World Ice Hockey Championship in Gothenburg and transported the hockey players and their families back to Slovakia to the M. R. Štefánik airport in Bratislava
23. July – the Slovak Airlines fleet is extended by the aircraft type Boeing 737-300
November – increase of the registered equity of Slovak Airlines by non-monetary deposit of the state.
9. December
– Slovak Airlines transports its five hundred thousandth passenger since the beginning of its operation on the regular flights 6Q700 on the route Bratislava – Moscow
December – change of company Board of Directors
2003
12. March – Tomáš Slivka, Chairman of the Board of Directors, becomes the new managing director of Slovak Airlines
6. June – Slovak Airlines signs a business contract with the Latvian airline company RAF – Avia Airlines on co-operation in air transport
July – Slovak Airlines renews regular flight connection on the route Bratislava – Košice
Slovak Airlines signs a contract with the Latvian airline company RAF – Avia Airlines on the establishment of an air line between Bratislava and Riga
3. May
opening of regular flight connection Bratislava – Kiev – Charkov in co-operation with the Ukrainian company Aeromost – Kharkov
27. October – Slovak Airlines opens a new scheduled flights Bratislava – Brussels
19. November – aircraft TU 154 M flies from Bratislava’s Milan Rastislav Štefánik airport for the last time; thus ends an important era in civil aviation transport in Slovakia
2004
25. March – Slovak Airlines opens new regular flights on the route Bratislava – Tel Aviv; flights were operated twice a week
May – beginning of intensive co-operation with air carrier Austrian Airlines
June – Slovak Airlines starts to co-operate with air carrier LOT Polish Airlines on the codeshare flights Bratislava – Warsaw; flights were in September suspended by the Operational Carrier (LOT)
1. July – Slovak Airlines opens in co-operation with Austrian Airlines new regular codeshare flights from Bratislava to Brussels, Paris and London; Slovak Airlines was on these flights only Marketing Carrier
October – Austrian Airlines Group shows the interest to gain Slovak Airlines as a National Carrier of Slovak Republic
31. October – Slovak Airlines suspends the operation of flight connection on the route Bratislava – Tel Aviv
4. November – changes in the company´s Board of Directors; Mrs. Christiane Bõhm – Mayer becomes a new Chairman of the Board of Directors and CFO
29. November – air carrier Austrian Ailrlines, Operational Carrier of codeshare flights on the route Bratislava – London cancelled all the flights to this destination
During the year 2004 Slovak Airlines operates its regular flights, as well as charter flights with 2 aircraft Boeing 737- 300 with capacity of 148 seats
2005
17. January – Operational Carrier of codeshare flights Austrian Airlines cancelled the flights on the route Bratislava – Paris
January – change of shareholders´structure of the Slovak Airlines; Austrian Airlines Group acquires 62 % stake in the company, therethrough Slovak Airlines becomes a member of important group of air carriers. This decision does not come to force yet
January – Mrs. Christiane Bõhm – Mayer becomes a new managing director of Slovak Airlines
31. March – more freguencies on the route to
Brussels; end of codeshare co-operation with Austrian Airlines, the
scheduled flights Bratislava – Brussels operated once again by Slovak
Airlines
May – the fleet of Slovak Airlines was enlarged by
another aircraft Boeing 737 – 300 with capacity of 148 seats, that is used
especially for charter flights of our company to the most popular summer
resorts
June – new aircraft Fokker 100 with capacity of
100 seats joined the fleet of Slovak Airlines, operating on the
routes Bratislava – Brussels and Bratislava – Moscow
25. June – on the landing field of M. R.
Štefánik Airport a ceremonial benediction and baptism of new Fokker
100 – OM AAC was held. The aircraft was named NITRA after the oldest
Slovak town; the Mayor of town Nitra Mr. Ferdinand Vitek rose to the
occasion of the godfather of the plane
2007
30. January– Slovak Airlines ceased operations after Austrian Airlines repossessed two aircraft having withdrawn financial support.
2. March– Slovak Airlines filed for bankruptcy.