Régional

Régional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, known as Régional from 2001, was an airline wholly owned by Air France which linked Paris and Lyon hubs to 49 airports in Europe. The airline operated in Air France livery, retaining its name in small titles and logo on the front fuselage and engines. It was headquartered at Nantes Atlantique Airport in Bouguenais administrative department.[1]

History

The airline had been formed as Regional Airlines on 1 January 1992 by the merger of Air Exel, Air Vendée and Avions Taxis Pyrénéens regional airlines, and scheduled operations operated by Air Aquitaine Transport aviation company.

On 30 March 2001 Regional Airlines, Flandre Air, and Proteus Airlines merged their operations.[2] In September of that same year Regional Airlines changed the corporate name to Régional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne and just Régional marketing and trading name was adopted.

As of 2006 the airline was upgrading and consolidating its fleet, considering to ally with a partner with turboprop aircraft only as it increasingly turned its attention to operations with jetliners. The two remaining Saab 2000s were phased out in 2006 and the last of its nine Embraer EMB-120s followed in 2008.[3] It became the first European operator of the Embraer E190 aircraft in November 2006.[4]

On 31 March 2013 all operations were branded HOP!, an Air France-linked trademark. In March 2017, after a year og negociations with Brit Air and Airlinair, HOP! became a fully registered air carrier, always working in close connection with Air France.[5][6]

Fleet

Régional became the first European operator of the Embraer E190 on 23 November 2006, when the first of six was delivered. The 100-seats jetliner would operate domestic and intra-European services in full Air France colours.[4] The E190s were part of an order from the Air France-KLM Group together with another 18 in option. The air carrier was delivered the first Embraer E170 of 6 ordered on September 2, 2008; this jetliner showed the new airline logo. The last propeller aircraft Embraer EMB-120 left the fleet on October 10, 2008, replaced by the ERJ-135.

In March 2013 the fleet included the following aircraft, the average age was 12.3 years.

Head office

The head office of the airline was located on the grounds of Nantes Atlantique Airport in Bouguenais, near Nantes.[1] The head office was adjacent to the airport hotels.[7] Nantes Atlantique Airport had the head office of Regional Airlines, the largest of the three companies that were merged into the new Régional.[8][9]

Incidents and accidents

• On 25 January 2007, Air France Flight 7775 from Pau to Paris, operated by Régional, crashed shortly after take-off. All 54 passengers and crew escaped from the Fokker 100 although one person was killed on the ground.[10] An investigation by the BEA revealed that the cause of the accident was ice on the wings of the aircraft involved.[11]

External links

• Régional
• Régional (archive)
• Flight 7775 Reports
• Final (Archive )
• Preliminary (Archive )