Air Inter

Air Inter
Company type	Semi-public company
Industry	Airline
Founded	November 12, 1954; 71 years ago
Defunct	April 1, 1997
Fate	Merged into Air France
Headquarters	Paray-Vieille-Poste, France
Area served	Domestic France
Products	Passenger air transport
Owner	Air France (25%), SNCF (25%), UTA (up to 36%)
Parent	Groupe Air France (from 1990)

Air Inter (), officially known as Lignes Aériennes Intérieures, was a French domestic airline with semi-public status that operated from 1954 until its integration into Air France in 1997. Its last headquarters were situated in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne, having previously been based in the 1st arrondissement of Paris.

Established on 12 November 1954, Air Inter commenced its inaugural commercial flight on 16 March 1958, flying between Paris and Strasbourg. Regular scheduled operations began in 1960. The airline’s main operational and maintenance hub was located at Paris-Orly Airport, primarily utilizing the Orly Ouest terminal for its flights.

Created as a semi-public company to provide affordable and efficient domestic air travel, Air Inter's financial support came from both public and private sectors within French transportation and banking industries. Its two principal public shareholders were Air France and SNCF, each owning a 25% stake. Among private investors, the airline Union de Transports Aériens (UTA) initially held 15%, later increasing to 36%, making it the largest single shareholder.

On 12 January 1990, Air Inter, UTA, and Air France were consolidated into an expanded Groupe Air France. Following this merger, Air Inter was rebranded as Air Inter Europe. The airline ceased independent operations on 1 April 1997 when it was fully merged into Air France.

History

On 23 February 1960, the French Ministry of Public Works and Transport transferred Air France’s domestic monopoly to Air Inter, enabling it to initiate scheduled flights across metropolitan France and between the mainland and Corsica. Although privately run, Air Inter was obligated to maintain unprofitable regional routes to justify its exclusive rights on lucrative Paris routes.

The airline concentrated on frequent internal flights from Paris Orly to major urban centers including Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Strasbourg, and Mulhouse. After the inauguration of Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1974, where Air France moved its international services, Air Inter also operated these routes from Charles de Gaulle (except for Nice) to channel passengers into international networks.

Air Inter linked Orly with secondary and tertiary provincial cities as well as all three commercial airports on Corsica (Ajaccio, Bastia, and Calvi), operating regional domestic services. Numerous routes serving smaller towns were subcontracted to TAT.

Prior to the liberalisation of the EU internal air market in the early 1990s, Air Inter was a dominant force alongside Air France, UTA, and TAT on most major domestic routes within metropolitan France, especially those radiating from Paris. Exceptions included routes such as Paris-Nice and Paris-Basel/Mulhouse. On the Paris Orly—Nice sector, Air Inter directly competed with Air France; on Paris Charles de Gaulle—Basel/Mulhouse flights, competition came from Swissair.

Flights operated by Air Inter to Basel/Mulhouse used the domestic terminal connected to Mulhouse, classifying them as domestic flights. Conversely, Swissair utilized the international terminal linked to Basel.

While UTA possessed limited rights for domestic segments of long-haul flights, its infrequent operations meant it posed little competition to Air Inter. SNCF, one of Air Inter’s significant public shareholders, became a formidable competitor after launching its high-speed TGV train service in 1981. This notably affected the busy Paris-Lyon air route by causing reductions in flight frequency and aircraft size.

Before liberalisation, Air Inter also contended with Air France on routes between mainland France and Corsica.

In 1977, Air Inter acquired a 20% interest in Air France’s charter subsidiary Air Charter International, effectively ending their rivalry in the French inclusive tour market.

Passenger traffic on Air Inter’s domestic network increased steadily over time, reaching 21 million annually. This volume at one point exceeded that of Air France, positioning Air Inter as Europe’s largest scheduled domestic carrier.

Air Inter was among the few European ultra short-haul mainline airlines that consistently generated profits and served as a precursor to modern low-cost carriers. It offered fares lower than other European domestic airlines as well as competing rail prices. The airline featured quick turnaround times (35 minutes for a fully occupied 314-seat A300), no assigned seating, minimal onboard amenities, and streamlined crew operations.

On 1 January 1995, following EU deregulation, Air Inter lost its monopoly over domestic trunk routes departing Paris Orly; competitors from other EU countries gained unrestricted rights regarding capacity and pricing.

The French government pursued a strategy to consolidate controlling interests in both Air Inter and UTA under the umbrella of Air France. This aimed to establish a unified national carrier capable of achieving economies of scale and expanding global reach to better compete amid EU market liberalisation challenges.

Fleet

Air Inter was a pioneer in implementing Category 3 all-weather landing capabilities, initially utilizing Caravelle aircraft and later enhancing head-up display systems on the Mercure and A320 models.

Throughout its 37 years of service, Air Inter's fleet included several key aircraft types:

Airbus A300 B2/B4 variants
Airbus A320 100/200 variants
Airbus A321-100
Airbus A330-300
Dassault Mercure
Douglas DC-3/C-47
Fokker F27 Friendship 500 series
Fokker 100
Nord 262
Sud Aviation Caravelle III/12 series ("Super 12")
Vickers Viscount 700 series

The airline transitioned into the jet era with the Caravelle III and was among the first to operate the Airbus A300, which was Europe's inaugural commercial jetliner and Air Inter’s first widebody aircraft. At its peak, the fleet numbered 22 planes, including some acquired second-hand up to 1992.

Air Inter was a launch customer for both the Dassault Mercure—the French answer to the Boeing 737—and the Airbus A320, eventually maintaining a fleet of 33 A320 aircraft. It remained the only airline to operate the Mercure and was a joint launch customer of the A320 along with Air France and British Caledonian.

Service with the Mercure commenced on June 4, 1974. Due to limited commercial demand, the French government granted Air Inter a subsidy of £10,775,000 to support operations of its small fleet of ten aircraft. Additionally, the airline upgraded the Mercure prototype to full airline standards, expanding its Mercure fleet to eleven units. The type was retired after approximately twenty years in operation in 1995.

The Airbus A320 was introduced into Air Inter’s fleet in 1988.

The last model added was the Airbus A330 in 1994, with Air Inter serving as its inaugural operator.

Incidents and accidents

During its 37 years of operation, Air Inter recorded twelve incidents, including three fatal crashes and one hijacking that resulted in a death.

The three fatal accidents were as follows:

On August 12, 1963, Air Inter Flight 2611, a Vickers Viscount 708 (registration F-BGNV) flying from Lille to Lyon, crashed near Tramoyes amid a storm while holding at flight level 30 under air traffic control instructions. The accident claimed the lives of fifteen out of sixteen passengers onboard and one individual on the ground. Contributing factors included severe weather conditions and potential pilot incapacitation caused by lightning.

On October 27, 1972, Air Inter Flight 696Y, a Vickers Viscount 724 (F-BMCH) operating a night flight from Lyon to Clermont-Ferrand, collided with Pic du Picon mountain at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet. Sixty of sixty-eight people aboard perished. The crash was attributed to crew failure to recognize a radio compass malfunction caused by electrical interference, resulting in premature descent into terrain.

On January 20, 1992, Air Inter Flight 148, an Airbus A320-111 (F-GGED) approaching Strasbourg from Lyon, crashed into Mount Sainte-Odile. This accident resulted in eighty-seven fatalities out of ninety-six onboard and remains the airline’s deadliest incident. The cause was traced to incorrect programming of the Flight Control Unit which led to an excessive rate of descent below minimum safe altitude.

A significant non-fatal event occurred on December 28, 1971, when a Vickers Viscount (F-BOEA) suffered irreparable damage during a training exercise at Clermont-Ferrand Aulnat Airport after leaving the runway during an engine failure simulation.

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