It has been discussed for many years that Air Nostum and Cityjet would be brought under the umbrella of a joint holding company. It has now been announced that a strategic alliance of nine European companies, three of which are regional airlines, is to be formed under the name Sara.

The holding company is led by executives who come from Cityjet and Air Nostrum. The largest provider in Europe specializing in ACMI and charter services is formed. However, the flight operations should not be merged – at least for the time being.

In the future, Air Nostrum, Hibernian Air, Cityjet DAC and Cityjet A/S will be represented under the Sara umbrella. The alliance also includes other subsidiaries of the main members. In addition, Anem, Anto, Air Nostrum Global Services, Ara and Ard Aer are also included. The existing shareholders of Air Nostrum will hold the 80 percent majority in Sara. 20 percent goes to the shareholders of the Cityjet Group.

Together they will have a group fleet of 74 machines. It is intended that the fleet will be expanded to 100 aircraft within the next three years. For the time being, only a joint holding company, which is called a strategic alliance, will be created. The brands Air Nostrum, Cityjet, Hibernian Air and those of the subsidiary airlines will continue to exist on the market. The branches should also remain unchanged.

In total, the Sara Group employs 2.500 people and is mainly active on behalf of other airlines within the framework of wet lease and charter orders. The aim is to continue to grow in this segment in both Europe and North Africa.