Summary

  • Spanair faced financial difficulties exacerbated by the 2008 financial crisis.
  • Things were made worse by the fatal crash of Flight 5022 in 2008.
  • Despite efforts to restructure and compete with other airlines, Spanair could not live up to its potential and faced fierce competition.

Established in December 1986 as a charter airline, Spanair was a joint venture between Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) and package tour operator Viajes Marsans. Based at Barcelona–El Prat Airport (BCN), Spanair launched operations in 1988 with European charters and long-haul flights to the United States, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic.

A few years later, the airline transitioned into a full-service carrier and became one of Spain's leading airlines. However, Spanair would soon run into financial difficulties, and in June 2007, SAS announced that it wanted to sell its majority share in the airline. Despite the efforts of a Catalan-based consortium to restructure the airline, Spanair would go bust in 2012. Let's take a look at what exactly happened with Spanair.

2008 financial crisis impact

While it was already hampered by financial problems for most of the decade, the global financial crisis of 2008 impacted Spanair harder than most. Not only was the Spanish economy hit severely, but Spanair had trouble receiving financing from wary lenders, and shareholder SAS was already looking to divest its share in the carrier.

The economic downturn led to a sharp drop in demand for air travel, particularly among the business market that Spanair targeted. Unfortunately, things would worsen for the airline that year after one of its flights crashed in Madrid.

The crash of Flight 5022

Spanair's darkest day, for which the airline will always be remembered, was August 20th, 2008, when Spanair Flight 5022 crashed just after take-off from runway 36L at Madrid Barajas Airport. The McDonnell Douglas MD-82, aircraft registration EC-HFP, had taken off from Barcelona–El Prat Airport and had made a stopover in Madrid before continuing to Gran Canaria in the Canary Islands.

The accident, which occurred at 14:24, was the plane's second attempt at taking off following an earlier aborted attempt due to excessive temperatures in the ram air temperature (RAT) probe. The aircraft, manufactured in 1993 and acquired by Spanair in 1999, was towed to a parking area where maintenance workers de-activated the RAT probe's heater, as icing was not expected to be an issue on the journey to the Canary Islands.

While attempting to take off a second time, the aircraft managed to get airborne briefly before crashing and bursting into flames. A passenger on a flight that just landed immediately after the crash said he saw the plane lift off briefly before its left wing struck the ground. He said the wing collapsed, causing the plane to stop on its left side, making the emergency exits unusable. Another obstacle that added to the loss of life was that the plane had set fire to the hayfield where it crashed and that the flames made it difficult for rescuers to reach.

A report on the accident revealed that the aircraft had attempted to take off with the flaps at 0° and that an alarm that should have warned the pilots never sounded. A final report into the crash concluded that the failure to deploy flaps was the accident's cause.

Catalonia investment

Despite having taken the airline off the market, SAS received an offer of one Euro from a group of Catalan investors that included the autonomous government of Catalonia. At the time, Spanish national flag carrier Iberia centered all of its international flights from Madrid Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD), sidelining Barcelona as a secondary airport. The Catalans thought that by acquiring Spanair, they would develop competition for Iberia by making Barcelona a significant hub in its own right.

A Spanair A320 parked at the gate.
Photo: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock

In a move to rebrand itself and move on from the deadly accident, Spanair asked the public to develop ideas for a new logo, which Spanair began applying to its corporate identity in 2009. Financially, though, the airline was in trouble and needed emergency funding, which arrived in the form of a Catalan government-approved €10.5 million ($11.2 million) loan.

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Unfortunately, things did not improve - its reputation never truly recovered from the crash and years of decline, and all efforts to restructure Spanair would ultimately be in vain. After a Qatar Airways-led investment pulled out of last-minute takeover talks, Spanair ceased operations on January 27th, 2012. According to Planespotters.net, Spanair operated a fleet comprised of the following aircraft:

  • 19 x Airbus A320-200
  • 5 x Airbus A321-200
  • 4 x Boeing 717-200
  • 6 x Boeing 757-200
  • 3 x Boeing 767-300
  • 3 x Fokker F100
  • 1 x McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50
  • 3 x McDonnell Douglas MD-81
  • 16 x McDonnell Douglas MD-82
  • 27 x McDonnell Douglas MD-83
  • 18 x McDonnell Douglas MD-87

Spanair never lived up to expectations

Despite Spanair's attempts to be a Catalonian airline that could compete with Iberia and Vueling, it never achieved its full potential. Starting as an operator of mainly charter flights and scheduled services to obscure European destinations, Spanair thought that being a member of the Star Alliance would help it achieve its goals. Despite offering an extensive network of connections through codesharing, Spanair's market share would soon be threatened by the dominance of low-cost carriers (LCC).

A Spanair aircraft taxiing to the runway.
Photo: Rob Wilson / Shutterstock

While marketing itself closer to a full-service airline, Spanair can be described as what today would be called a low-cost carrier featuring food and drinks for purchase during flights. Unlike LCCs, it offered a business class option on many flights, providing passengers with free drinks and a hot meal. However, low-cost airlines would prove too much competition for Spanair, offering a similar level of service at a lower price.

Spanair could have done things differently during its brief lifespan and perhaps survived. However, the problems kept piling up, and efforts to save it failed. Today, unfortunately, the key event it is remembered for is the deadly 2008 Madrid crash.

What are your thoughts about the airline? Did you ever fly with Spanair? If so, we would love to read about what the carrier was like in the comments section.

Source: Planespotters.net