History

1974

  • The Aviation Pioneer Gunther Eheim establishes the Charter and Executive Airline ‚Contact Air’.

1983

  • Beginning of the cooperation with DLT, which is nowadays Lufthansa CityLine.

1984

  • Conclusion of the first charter contract for scheduled services with DLT and construction of an own Contact Air route network.

1987

  • Incorporation of Bombardier Dash 8-100 into the LUFTHANSA network. Contact Air is the very first German airline which operates this type of aircraft with 36 seats.

1989

  • At Saarbruecken Airport a new high technology location with a modern maintenance facility, storehouses and offices is built.
  • Contact Air is launch customer for the Bombardier Dash 8-300Q. A total of seven were operated in the LUFTHANSA network.

1996

  • Contact Air becomes the first partner airline of the new established ‘Team Lufthansa’. As a consequence, eleven 50-seats Fokker-50 are taken over from Lufthansa CityLine. Phase-out and delivery of the Dash 8 to Bombardier and to other operators worldwide.

1999

  • Contact Air celebrates its 25-year anniversary in Terminal 1 at Stuttgart Airport.

2003

  • The first out of nine ATR 42-500 is taken over from Eurowings. At the same time the Fokker fleet is marketed worldwide.

2004

  • Starting February six ATR 72-500 are taken over from Eurowings and four ATR 42-500 are marketed.
  • Official start of the cooperation-model ‘Lufthansa Regional’.

2006

  • Starting in 2006 the ATR 42-500 was phased-out and sold to customers around the world. The delivery took place in Saarbruecken.

2008

  • Phase-in of the first Fokker 100. Start up of a two aircraft Zuerich based operation for SWISS INTERNATIONAL AIR LINES. Extension of JAR-145 approval for the Fokker 70/100 maintenance Line and Base unlimited.

2009

  • Incorporation of six further Fokker F100. These aircraft replace the ATR 72-500 fleet at LUFTHANSA. Delivery of five ATR 72-500 to LUFTHANSA Regional Partner Air Dolomiti. One more was delivered back to ATR industries.

2013

  • After sales of trading assets of Contact Air Flugdienst GmbH & Co. KG, Deizisau, to OLT Express Germany GmbH, Bremen, in 2012 OLT Express Germany had to announce insolvency in January 2013.
  • Takeover of the Maintenance base (airplane servicing, technical naval care, engineering, sales and rental company/ Exchange) by the group of EHEIM, Deizisau and foundation of Contact Air Technik GmbH, Maintenance base Saarbruecken.

2014

  • Contact Air Technik receives the approval to the Bombardier Dash 8-Q400 maintenance.