CityJet
Ireland · CITY-IRELAND · Active
Airline Identity
History
CityJet was founded in 1992 as Business City Direct and began flying in December 1993, initially operating the Dublin–London City route under a Virgin Atlantic franchise before going independent in 1996. Financial difficulties in 1999 led Air France to take majority ownership by 2000, and the airline operated for years largely as an Air France regional feeder before being sold to Intro Aviation in 2014 and then to founder Pat Byrne and other investors in 2016. In 2018 CityJet exited its own-brand scheduled network entirely to focus on wet-lease (ACMI) flying for other European carriers, and in October 2023 it merged its operations with Air Nostrum to form the Strategic Alliance of Regional Airlines (SARA).
Current Operations
CityJet no longer sells tickets under its own brand; it operates as a wet-lease (ACMI) carrier, flying Bombardier CRJ900 and CRJ1000 aircraft on behalf of airlines including Scandinavian Airlines, Lufthansa and Brussels Airlines, with crew bases in Copenhagen and Stockholm-Arlanda alongside its Dublin headquarters. Since October 2023 it has operated within the Strategic Alliance of Regional Airlines (SARA), a joint holding structure formed with Spain's Air Nostrum, in which CityJet holds a minority stake.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.