Monarch Airlines
Airline Code: ZB
About Monarch Airlines:
Monarch Airlines was formed on 5th June 1967 by former British Eagle International
Airlines directors Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock with financial backing from the
Swiss Albek and Mantegazza families, as a subsidiary of Globus Gateway Holdings.
(At the time of Monarch's inception, the Albek and Mantegazza families were the
owners of UK-based tour operator Cosmos Tours (now Cosmos Holidays). They still
own both the airline as well as the tour operator as of late 2007)
Monarch commenced commercial airline operations on 5th April 1968 with a charter
flight from Luton to Madrid using a former Caledonian Airways Bristol Britannia
175 turboprop. The airline's initial fleet comprised two Bristol Britannias (both
ex-Caledonian).
In 1969, Monarch's second year of operation, the company's six Britannias carried
250,000 passengers within a 12-month period for the first time.
Monarch entered the jet age in 1971 when three Boeing 720Bs, which it had acquired
second-hand from Northwest Airlines for US$ 1 m each, joined its fleet.The airline's
first commercial jet service took to the air on December 13, 1971. The introduction
of the company's first jet aircraft type also coincided with the adoption of a revised
livery.
Monarch Airlines Major Hubs:
Manchester Airport
London Luton Airport
London Gatwick Airport
Birmingham International Airport
Aircraft Type:
Airbus A300-600, A320, A321, A330
Boeing 757-200, 767-300ER, 787-8
Fleet Size: 29
No. of Destinations: over 100 worldwide (17 scheduled)
Airline was founded in: 1967