CityJet is a European regional airline based in Dublin, Ireland and operating a fleet of Avro, Bombardier and Superjet aircraft on scheduled and wet lease services across Europe.
The airline was established in 1993 by Pat Byrne, and pioneered services between Dublin and London City Airport in January 1994 under a franchise agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways.
CityJet formed a partnership with Air France in 1996, which eventually transferred into Air France ownership in 2000 and the majority of CityJet services being operated under the Air France brand. CityJet continued to develop its role as a key airline in the London City market in addition to growing its network connecting European cities to the Air France hub in Paris. During this time, CityJet also acquired VLM, a Belgian airline which also specialized in London City services.
Air France sold CityJet to a German company, Intro Aviation, in 2014. The airline was subsequently purchased by a business consortium led by its original founder, Pat Byrne, and has embarked on a major programme of expansion and strategic development.
In the first of a number of major steps, the airline rebranded in 2015 to a new livery, which reflected the newly-independent company’s spirit.
CityJet secured a new wet lease contract, under which it provides aircraft and crew to SAS (Scandinavian Airlnies) in October 2015, and today has eight new Bombardier CRJ900 jets operating in the Nordic region on behalf of SAS, with four more to follow in 2017. As part of this project, CityJet purchased Finnish airline Blue1, whose staff now form the nucleus of its Nordic operation.
CityJet has also commenced the replacement of its Avro RJ85 fleet with the order of 15 Superjet SSJ100 98-seat jets in October 2015, the first two of which were delivered in summer 2016 with further following from October 2016 onwards.
In March 2016 we opened our new Customer Contact Centre at our headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin, replacing a previously outsourced facility in Mauritius. Having the contact centre in house ensures our customers are dealt with by our dedicated Cityjet staff and enjoy our unrivalled service and attention to detail.
Today, CityJet operates a fleet of 25 aircraft on our own-brand scheduled services and on wet lease services on behalf of Air France and SAS. In addition, we operate many ad hoc charter flights for private customers, including many from the sports and entertainment industries, as well as charter series on behalf of tour operators to tourism destinations.
CityJet is the Official Airline Partner of the Football Association of Ireland, Leinster Rugby and the ExCeL London.
Across everything we do, our focus on excellence is paramount. We aim to be the best, with the best people to deliver this. We are truly a pan-European airline, and currently have staff based in Ireland, the UK, France and the Nordic Region and will soon open a new base in Amsterdam. This year our Head Office in Dublin was transformed to an open plan layout, with our Customer Contact Centre at the heart, reflecting the open culture of the company, with the customer at the centre.