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Aegean Airbus A321neo SX-NAO JC Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

Aegean Airlines is the largest airline in Greece and is headquartered in Athens. Its origins date back to 1987, when the company was founded under the name Aegean Aviation, initially offering charter and VIP flights. In 1999, the airline launched scheduled passenger flights under the name Aegean Airlines, starting with domestic Greek routes. It subsequently expanded rapidly with connections to European and international destinations. In 2010, Aegean joined Star Alliance, a global airline network. A major milestone followed in 2013, when Aegean Airlines acquired Olympic Air. This acquisition strengthened the group's position in the Greek domestic market and allowed it to serve more islands and regional airports. Today, Aegean Airlines operates from major Greek airports, including Athens, Thessaloniki, and Heraklion, flying to dozens of destinations in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. The airline is well-known for its focus on Greek hospitality, a modern fleet, and connections that serve both tourists and business travelers.

Air France Boeing 707-300 F-BLCD JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Air France Embraer F-HBXK JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Air France was founded on October 7, 1933 through the merger of five French airlines: Air Orient, Air Union, Société Générale de Transport Aérien, CIDNA, and Aéropostale. The company rapidly grew to become the national airline of France, expanding its network across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Following World War II, Air France was nationalized and played a key role in the reconstruction of French civil aviation. In the 1970s, the airline became famous as one of the first operators of the Concorde, the supersonic passenger airliner that flew between destinations such as Paris, London, and New York. In 2004, Air France merged with the Dutch airline KLM, creating the holding company Air France-KLM. Today, Air France remains one of the largest European airlines, with Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport serving as its primary hub.

Aer Lingus Boeing 737-500 EI-CDE JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Aer Lingus was officially founded on 22 May 1936 by the Irish government. The name 'Aer Lingus' is an anglicisation of the Irish Aer Loingeas, which literally means air fleet.

The Boeing 737-500 formed an important and recognisable link in the fleet of the Irish national airline during the 1990s. Dressed in the iconic shamrock design, this shorter variant of the 737 Classic was the perfect machine for high-frequency shuttle routes between Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Aer Lingus operated a total of ten Boeing 737-500s. The first aircraft were ordered directly from the factory and delivered in 1990, shortly after the official introduction of the type. Towards the end of the 1990s and early 2000s, Aer Lingus began a large-scale modernisation of its fleet. The airline chose to transition completely to the Airbus A320 family. In 2005, the very last 737-500 permanently left the Irish fleet, bringing an end to the short-haul Boeing era for Aer Lingus after several decades.

Boeing house color Boeing 737-500 House Color N73700 JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Boeing house color Boeing 737-MAX8 House Color N8704Q JC Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

Boeing is an American aircraft manufacturer founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle. The company was initially named Pacific Aero Products and was renamed the Boeing Airplane Company in 1917. In its early years, Boeing primarily built seaplanes and military aircraft. During World War II, the company grew significantly through the production of bombers, including the B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-29 Superfortress. After the war, Boeing increasingly focused on civil aviation. With the introduction of the Boeing 707 in 1958, the company played a major role in the passenger jet age. This was followed by famous models such as the Boeing 727, 737, and 747. The 747, which first flew in 1969, became worldwide known as the ‘Jumbo Jet’ and made intercontinental air travel accessible to large groups of passengers. The Boeing 737, on the other hand, became one of the most widely used passenger aircraft in the world. In 1997, Boeing acquired its competitor McDonnell Douglas, further expanding the company in both commercial and military aviation. Today, Boeing builds models including the 737, 767, 777, and 787 Dreamliner, and alongside Airbus, it is one of the most important aircraft manufacturers in the world. Boeing's history has also seen difficult periods, including safety issues, production delays, and fierce competition, but the company remains a major name in international aviation.

Brussels Airlines Airbus A320Neo OO-SBA Phoenix 1/400 diecast plane

Edelweiss Airbus A350-900 HB-IHC Gemini Jets 1/400 diecast model plane

ITA Airbus A350-900 EI-IFC JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

KLM Boeing 737-800 KLM "The world is just a click away!" PH-BXA JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

KLM Airbus A350-900 Gemini Jets 1/200 diecast model plane

LOT Embraer E195-E2 SP-LEA JC Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

Lufthansa McDonnell Douglas MD-11F Cargo "Farewell MD-11" D-ALCC Gemini Jets 1/400 diecast model plane

Malév Hungarian Airlines Ilyushin IL-62M HA-LIA 1/200 Herpa Wings diecast plane

Malév Hungarian Airlines was the national airline of Hungary. Its origins date back to 1946, when the Hungarian-Soviet joint venture Maszovlet was founded. After the Soviet Union withdrew in 1954, the company became entirely Hungarian-owned and was renamed Malév, an acronym for Magyar Légiközlekedési Vállalat (Hungarian Aviation Company). From Budapest, Malév gradually expanded its network to European cities and destinations in the Middle East. During the Cold War, the airline primarily operated Soviet-built aircraft, such as the Tupolev, but starting in the 1980s, Western aircraft like the Boeing 737 were also introduced. Following the fall of communism, Malév was privatized and restructured several times, but the airline remained financially vulnerable. In 2007, Malév joined the Oneworld airline alliance. Despite various rescue plans, the company struggled with heavy losses and high debts. Furthermore, the European Commission ruled that certain state aid had to be repaid. As a result, Malév could no longer finance its operations and unexpectedly ceased all flights on February 3, 2012. The demise of Malév marked a significant loss for Hungarian aviation and for Budapest Airport, which was known at the time as Budapest Ferihegy Airport and was later renamed Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport.

Olympic Airways Yakovlev YAK 40 I-JAKE Herpa Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

Olympic AIrways Airbus A300-600R Olympic Airways SX-BEM JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Olympic Airways Douglas DC-6B SX-DAM Herpa Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

SAS Airbus A330-300 SAS "Celebrating 80 Years" LN-RKR JC Wings 1/400 diecast model plane

Swiss Airbus A350-900 HB-IFB JC Wings 1/200 diecast model plane

SWISS, officieel Swiss International Air Lines, werd opgericht in 2002 als opvolger van de failliete nationale luchtvaartmaatschappij Swissair. Swissair had jarenlang een sterke reputatie, maar kwam begin jaren 2000 in financiële problemen door onder meer een dure uitbreidingsstrategie en de gevolgen van de aanslagen van 11 september 2001. De regionale maatschappij Crossair vormde de basis voor de nieuwe luchtvaartmaatschappij, die op 31 maart 2002 haar eerste vluchten uitvoerde onder de naam SWISS. De maatschappij bouwde geleidelijk opnieuw een internationaal netwerk uit vanuit Zürich, met ook belangrijke verbindingen via Genève. Sinds 2005 maakt SWISS deel uit van de Lufthansa Group. Vandaag staat de luchtvaartmaatschappij bekend om haar Zwitserse service, haar verbindingen met Europese en intercontinentale bestemmingen en haar rol als belangrijke speler op de luchthaven van Zürich.

TNT Express Boeing 747-400F TNT Express "White Nose" Interactive OO-THA JC WIngs 1:200 diecast model plane

TNT Express vindt zijn oorsprong in Australië, waar Ken Thomas in 1946 het transportbedrijf Thomas Nationwide Transport oprichtte. Het bedrijf groeide snel uit van een lokale vervoerder tot een internationale speler in expressleveringen, logistiek en vrachtvervoer. In de jaren 90 werd TNT onderdeel van het Nederlandse KPN. Daarna werden de post- en expresactiviteiten samengebracht binnen TNT Post Group. In 2011 werd TNT opgesplitst: de postactiviteiten gingen verder als PostNL, terwijl TNT Express als zelfstandig internationaal expresbedrijf verderging. TNT Express was actief in tal van landen, waaronder België, en vervoerde documenten, pakketten en goederen voor bedrijven over de hele wereld. Een geplande overname door UPS werd in 2013 door de Europese Commissie tegengehouden vanwege mededingingsbezwaren. Uiteindelijk werd TNT Express in 2016 overgenomen door het Amerikaanse FedEx. Sindsdien zijn de activiteiten van TNT Express geleidelijk geïntegreerd in FedEx, waardoor de merknaam TNT in veel landen stap voor stap verdween.

Wizz air Airbus A321neo G-WUNB Gemini Jets 1/400 diecast model plane

Wizz Air is een Hongaarse lagekostenluchtvaartmaatschappij die in 2003 werd opgericht door onder meer József Váradi, die lange tijd de leiding van het bedrijf voerde. De eerste vlucht vertrok op 19 mei 2004 vanuit Katowice in Polen, kort nadat verschillende Centraal- en Oost-Europese landen tot de Europese Unie waren toegetreden. De maatschappij richtte zich vanaf het begin op betaalbare rechtstreekse vluchten tussen steden in Centraal- en Oost-Europa en bestemmingen in West-Europa. Dankzij lage tarieven, online boekingen en een vloot die hoofdzakelijk uit Airbus-toestellen bestaat, groeide Wizz Air snel uit tot een belangrijke speler in de Europese luchtvaart. In de jaren daarna opende het bedrijf bases in onder meer Hongarije, Polen, Roemenië, Bulgarije en het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Wizz Air breidde ook uit met dochtermaatschappijen, zoals Wizz Air UK in 2017, Wizz Air Abu Dhabi in 2020 en Wizz Air Malta in 2022. Vandaag bedient de maatschappij een uitgebreid netwerk van Europese en enkele Midden-Oosterse bestemmingen. Wizz Air staat bekend om zijn focus op lage kosten en extra betalende diensten, zoals bagage, stoelkeuze en voorrang bij het instappen