TransAer International Airlines
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Founded | October 1991 |
| Founder | P. J. McGoldrick |
| Defunct | October 20, 2000 |
| Fate | Liquidation |
| Headquarters | Dublin , Ireland |
| Products | Charter airline services |
Number of employees | 450 |
TransAer International Airlines was an Irish charter carrier based at TransAer House within Dublin Airport, Dublin, Ireland.
History
Initially launched as Translift Airways in October 1991, the airline commenced its flight operations in February 1992. On 10 April 1997, it underwent a rebranding to become TransAer. The enterprise was founded by P. J. McGoldrick, who subsequently held leadership roles at Ryanair and EUjet.
The airline's fleet comprised Airbus A300B4 and A320-200 models, alongside short-term utilization of Boeing 727, 757, and 737-200 aircraft. Additionally, it provided leased aircraft services to Libyan Arab Airlines and Khalifa Airways.
On 20 October 2000, the company entered liquidation. Prior to this, it had secured an 18-month agreement to assist in launching a new airline in Kosovo. The downfall was largely due to the Kosovo conflict's detrimental effects, an unsuccessful $18 million investment in TransMeridian, and losses amounting to $14 million from charter operations in Germany and Greece. At closure, TransAer faced debts totaling £30 million and terminated 450 staff members.
After liquidation proceedings began, two of its aircraft were seized in Ireland over outstanding landing and handling charges exceeding £200,000.