Albania's Belle Air ceases operations

Belle Air has ceased operations effective November 25. The future of Belle Air Europe remains unclear at the moment. Belle Air's three A319-100s and one of its two A320-200s have already been ferried to Lourdes/Tarbes and Ostrava on return to the lessors.

Belle Air operated a fleet of two ATR72-500s, three A319-100s and two A320-200s on a network predominantly focused on routes between Albania's capital Tirana and Italian destinations but also including Athens Int'l, Brussels National, Heraklion and London Stansted. In a statement published on its website, the only scheduled Albanian carrier says it "is obliged to temporarily suspend its operations due to the general economic situation, the decline of the purchasing power, recession in the markets it operates as well as from the freezing for over 18 days of its bank accounts

Belle Air retires last MD-82, transfers ATR 72-500 from Belle Air Europe

Belle Air  has definitely retired its last MD-82 ZA-ARD (MSN 49104) which had already previously been stored at Tirana Rinas Mother Teresa. It currently operates two A320-200s, two A319-100 and one ATR 72-500. It will however also soon add the only ATR 72-500 I-LZAN (c/n 908) operated by its Italian sister carrier Belle Air Europe, Ancona Falconara