Founded on 20 January 1988, as a subsidiary of the Artac Freight and Shipping Group, Titan Airways was named after its first aircraft type, a Cessna 404 Titan, however, the airline's logo draws reference to Titan, a moon of Saturn. Their Cessna 404 aircraft were mainly used to carry car parts between various Ford and General Motors facilities in the UK and Europe, but it was also available for ad hoc freight charters and ultimately passenger charters. By 1993, the fleet had grown to include an Embraer Emb 110 Bandeirante, two Short SD 330s, and three SD 360s.[8]
The airline's success attracted investment group 3i which took a stake in the company in 1995. Two ATR 42s were also added, before the first jet aircraft; a BAe 146-200QC was acquired in 1996. This was the first containerised jet aircraft used by the Royal Mail, but it also operated many passenger charter flights and airline sub-services. As the mail contract grew in size, the first of five Boeing 737-300s was introduced in 1999.[8]
The airline has been consistently profitable, turning a profit in 32 of its 35-year history, and has ranked in the Sunday Times Profit Track 100 league table on six occasions since the year 2000.[9] In the early 2000s, Titan Airways found an additional niche in the market, pioneering a rapid response Go Now sub-charter service for airlines experiencing operational problems. The innovative concept earned the company Queen's Award for Enterprise in 2001.[10]
Demand by customer airlines for more seats and greater range led to the acquisition of two 757-200s in 2003 and 2005, with one aircraft having a VIP interior for corporate use. In 2006, Titan achieved ETOPS rating for the aircraft, enabling long haul charters to the US and Middle East. The largest aircraft in the Titan family, a 265-seat B767-300, joined the fleet in 2009, and the smallest, a new Cessna Citation CJ2+ arrived in December 2011.[11]
In 2012, Titan Airways became an independent company, following a management buyout that left Gene Willson, Managing Director and one of the original founders, as the sole share holder.[12]
Titan added its first Airbus aircraft, an Airbus A320,[13] to its fleet in early Spring 2013. This addition was the first step in its long-term fleet strategy which will see Titan's current fleet of Boeing aircraft gradually being replaced by Airbus aircraft over the next five to six years.[14] Two additional A320s joined the fleet in early 2015.[15]
September 2015 saw Titan announce plans to add an Airbus A319 and Airbus A321 to the fleet before the start of summer 2016, and that they were considering adding the smallest member of the Airbus A320 family, an Airbus A318, to their fleet.[16]
In early 2023, Titan Airways retired both their last Boeing 737 and 757 aircraft.[17]
Titan Airways provides short, medium, or long term wet and damp lease operations worldwide to third party carriers. The UK carrier also operates short notice sub-charter services, with the ability to launch aircraft within sixty minutes when airline customers experience unexpected operational problems.[18]
Tour operator flight series
Titan Airways operates charter flights on a seasonal basis to a number of destinations on behalf of UK-based tour operators and cruise-ship companies. Longstanding tour operator partnerships include regular operations from UK airports to Calvi in Corsica, Lourdes and Chambéry in France, Turin in Italy,[19]Dalaman in Turkey, Preveza in Greece, and Banjul in the Gambia.[20]
Ad hoc charter
Aside from these regular seasonal routes, Titan Airways operates long and short haul flights on an ad hoc basis on behalf of individuals, blue chip companies, Premier League football teams, high-profile personalities, and pop/rock groups.[2] In September 2021, after a 19 months hiatus in filming due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the thirty-third series of the American version of The Amazing Race resumed, for the safety of the racers and the crew, instead of going back to taking commercial flights as they had done in the past, they used a Titan Airways Boeing 757 with an 'Amazing Race' livery. This was used again in the thirty-fourth series.[21]
Corporate events
Titan Airways sometimes uses their aircraft in product launches, trade shows, promotional events, and hospitality trips for other companies.[22]
Royal Mail
Titan Airways' cooperation with the Royal Mail dates back to the early 1990s, when operations began with the carrier's Short 360 and ATR 42 aircraft. In 1996, the carrier's BAe 146-200 fleet superseded the smaller aircraft, before being joined, and ultimately replaced, by Titan's Boeing 737-300QCs. The aircraft operated on behalf of the Royal Mail with nightly flights from Stansted to Edinburgh and to Belfast.[23]
On 30 July 2020, Titan Airways' Boeing 757 became the largest passenger aircraft to land and depart from Saint Helena Airport. This flight was a repatriation mission on behalf of the British Government.[24] A series of flights to Saint Helena and Ascension Island, once per month during the rest of 2020 and 2021, were performed with the same aircraft type.[25] On 11 January 2021, one of Titan's Boeing 757 aircraft delivered 100 coronavirus vaccines to Saint Helena.[26]
In 2021, following significant air-freight capacity shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Geodis Air Network leased an Airbus A330-300 converted freighter from JP Lease.[30] The aircraft was operated by Titan Airways[31] and is registered G-EODS. It is to fly between Amsterdam, London, Chicago, and Hong Kong.[32]
Note: Titan Airways also operates an Airbus A321-253neo, registration G-GBNI (as a nod to Great Britain and Northern Ireland), MSN 10238, owned by the UK Government (originally owned by Titan Airways from 2021 to 2022, subsequently purchased by the UK Government) and converted to VIP configuration with a 'Global Britain' livery (identical to Vespina, the VIP-converted RAF Voyager multi-role tanker transport aircraft), for members of the British Royal Family, Prime Minister, and senior government ministers.[38]
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