Grupo Marsans was a private Spanish consortium mainly dedicated to tour operations. It had operations in Spain, France, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Venezuela, and Argentina, as well as representations in Latin America. Grupo Marsans was a subsidiary of Autobuses Urbanos del Sur, S.A. It was based in Madrid, Spain.
The consortium was the parent company of Air Comet and charter airline AirPlus, and participated, along with SAS, in the Spanair's owner holding.
History
The company was founded in 1910 by Rafael Almeida and Armando Marsans, from whom it took the name. Grupo Marsans was privatised in 1985, when it was acquired by the Trapsa holding, headed by Gonzalo Pascual and Gerardo Díaz Ferrán; it had previously been part of the Spanish consortium INI.
In late 2006, the group placed an order with Airbus for 12 Airbus A330-200s plus ten options, in a deal worth US$2 billion, concluding a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed earlier that year, during the Farnborough Airshow; the first of these aircraft that had been taken delivery of, in August 2008, was incorporated into the Air Comet's fleet. Another MoU was signed with Airbus in October 2007, this time for the purchase of 61 more aircraft, and in November that year, Marsans boosted the A330-200 commitment by placing a firm order for five more of these aircraft, plus 12 Airbus A319s, 25 Airbus A320s, five Airbus A321s, ten Airbus A350-900s and four Airbus A380s. In December the same year, Grupo Marsans bidded for a small stake in Spanair, then owned by the SAS Group, but withdrew its interest in February 2008 arguing that SAS made the bidding public.
Financial difficulties and downfall
Subsidiaries
Aerolíneas Argentinas
In October 2001, 92% of Aerolíneas Argentinas was assigned to Grupo Marsans by the SEPI, which had controlled the Argentine carrier since February 2000, with the group committing to acknowledge half the debt of the airline at that time, around US$615 million, and to inject another US$50 million. Along with its domestic subsidiary Austral Líneas Aéreas, Aerolíneas Argentinas was owned by Marsans until both carriers were renationalised in late 2008. In July that year, Marsans agreed to sell the airline back to the Argentine government; a contract was signed to look for a third-party to evaluate the price of the transaction, should the parties involved not come to an agreement, but the government took over the airline after negotiations with Grupo Marsans broke down over the difference for that price (Credit Suisse valued the company at US$450 million for Marsans, whereas an Argentine court said the airline was worth −US$600 million) and allegations of mismanagement. According to MercoPress, Grupo Marsans began a steady decline in 2008, when control of the airline was taken over by the Argentine government.
AeBal-Spanair Link
External links
References
- Directory: World Airlines Flight International, 27 March 2007^
- Chile approves Aerolineas offshoot Flightglobal, 1 January 2005^
- David Knibb. Aerolineas plans fresh start as Marsans steps in Flightglobal, 1 November 2001^