Named after the southern Carpathian Mountains in Romania, Carpatair was founded in 1999. Romanian investors hold a 51% stake in the airline, with the other 49% being held by Swedish and Swiss investors.
Based at what is now Avram Iancu Cluj International Airport (CLJ), serving the Transylvanian city of Cluj-Napoca, Carpatair operated regularly scheduled flights between Romania and Italy. In 2000 the airline moved its base of operations to Timisoara Traian Vuia International Airport (TSR) and began hub and spoke flights from western Romania.
Carpatair filed for bankruptcy protection
In 2006 Carpatair joined the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and has remained a member ever since. After getting into financial difficulties in 2014, the carrier filed for bankruptcy protection under Romanian Law 85/2006. The law is the Romanian equivalent of filling Chapter 11 in the United States.
While reorganizing and resolving its financial problems, Carpatair abandoned its scheduled flights and no longer operates in Romania or Moldova. In 2015 when the airline returned from bankruptcy protection, it decided it would use its aircraft and crews for wet least and Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) charters.
Carpatair operated wet-lease flights for several airlines
Starting in December 2015, Carpatair operated flights for former Slovenian national flag carrier Adria Airways, flying between Örebro in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark. It also flew between Stockholm Arlanda Airport (ARN) in Sweden’s capital and Arvidsjaur Airport (AJR) in Swedish Lapland.
Between March and June 2016, Carpatair operated flights for Adria Airways from Tallinn Airport (TLL) in Estonia. Then, in July 2016, it was given a contract to fly for Norwegian Air Shuttle between Stavanger Airport (SVG) in southwest Norway and Oslo Gardermoen Airport (OSL) in the Norwegian capital.
