Founded in Feb82 by Christian Beugin and Stella Beugin-Bottaro, from whose names the company derived its title, Stellair – Transports Aériens began operations as a small French airline specialising in regional passenger and cargo services throughout Europe and North Africa. As the company gradually established itself in the market, it expanded its fleet with aircraft such as the Fokker F27 Friendship, increasing its operational capabilities and paving the way for more ambitious services.
Within this process of expansion, Stellair took a significant step towards jet operations in 1991 by leasing Fokker F28 Fellowship F-GIAI from TAT (Touraine Air Transport). The arrival of the twin-jet marked the culmination of the airline's fleet modernisation programme and reflected its ambition to compete in a more demanding sector of the regional market, offering greater speed, capacity and passenger comfort than the turboprop aircraft that had previously formed the backbone of its fleet.
However, the venture failed to deliver the expected results. The F28's relatively high operating costs, combined with the limited scale of Stellair's operations, prevented the Fellowship from achieving the level of profitability anticipated by the airline. After only a brief period in service, the aircraft was returned to TAT and subsequently leased to the Macedonian carrier Palair. Although its time with Stellair was short-lived, the Fokker F28's service with the airline remains an interesting chapter in the operational history of the Fellowship, illustrating both the ambitions of small European regional carriers and the financial challenges involved in operating commercial jet aircraft during the early 1990s.
Within this process of expansion, Stellair took a significant step towards jet operations in 1991 by leasing Fokker F28 Fellowship F-GIAI from TAT (Touraine Air Transport). The arrival of the twin-jet marked the culmination of the airline's fleet modernisation programme and reflected its ambition to compete in a more demanding sector of the regional market, offering greater speed, capacity and passenger comfort than the turboprop aircraft that had previously formed the backbone of its fleet.
However, the venture failed to deliver the expected results. The F28's relatively high operating costs, combined with the limited scale of Stellair's operations, prevented the Fellowship from achieving the level of profitability anticipated by the airline. After only a brief period in service, the aircraft was returned to TAT and subsequently leased to the Macedonian carrier Palair. Although its time with Stellair was short-lived, the Fokker F28's service with the airline remains an interesting chapter in the operational history of the Fellowship, illustrating both the ambitions of small European regional carriers and the financial challenges involved in operating commercial jet aircraft during the early 1990s.
* 11013 F-GIAI Fokker F-28 Mk. 1000 dd. Jan82 - Dic82
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