Herendish Airways

Herendish Airways is the state-owned flag carrier of Herendoland and one of the only two international airlines of the country (the other being its low-cost and charter subsidiary Air Ruby). The airline was founded in 1937 as the Serviços de Transporte Aéreo Herendoland (STAH) and renamed to its present name of Herendish Airways in 1951. It is a member of the since 2000.

Herendish Airways mainly flies out of Cercadas Ferdinand Magellan Airport, as well as Turiz Airport and limited destinations from Meidelo Airport. The airline’s mainline fleet consists of predominantly Boeing aircraft, although it has occasionally operated Airbus aircraft for part of its existence, while its regional fleet consists of ATR and Boeing aircraft.

History
Herendish Airways was founded on July 26, 1937 with the name Serviços de Transporte Aéreo Herendoland (Herendish Air Transport Services) by the Herendish government. The airline began operations over a year later in September 1938 between Cercadas and Turiz using a fleet of three aircraft.

In early 1939, Herendish Airways launched its first international routes to and was able to acquire s the following year. During World War II, Herendish Airways flew ammunition and supplies for Herendish troops stationed in Southeast Asia in covert for the state government.

International routes were expanded beyond Oceania in the late 1940s and 1950s, when Herendish Airways began introducing the for regional routes and longer-range. In 1949, Herendish Airways moved their hub in Cercadas from Eiró to the newly opened Alcarva Airport and the airline was renamed to Herendish Airways in 1951.

Herendish Airways received its first jet aircraft, the in 1962, enabling its expansion to North America and Japan. In 1971, the airline took delivery of its first to replace the DC-6 and introduced the  in 1975. Around the same time, Herendish Airways introduced its distinctive logo that featured an abstract bird formed by two semicircles tilted 26 degrees to the left.

In 1981, Herendish Airways launched its inaugural flight to in South Africa with its 747-200B aircraft. A series of fleet replacements occured in the 1980s, with Boeing 707 and 747-200 aircraft phased out in favour of the and the Boeing 747-400 respectively.

The aging Boeing 737 aircraft on regional routes were replaced throughout the 1990s with second-hand, Boeing 737 NG and Bombardier Dash 8-200 aircraft. In April 1999, aircraft were introduced for its Asian route expansion but later complemented the long-haul fleet.

On December 12, 2000, Herendish Airways became a full member of the. In 2004, the airline placed orders for aircraft to replace its A300s. Herendish Airways also launched its low-cost and charter subsidiary, Air Ruby, in 2007 and began service the following year with Boeing 737 aircraft. In 2011, the ATR 72-600 began replacing the airline’s regional Dash 8-300 fleet.

Herendish Airways placed an order for Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft to replace its oldest long-haul fleet in 2013, later transferring all of its 787-8 orders to Air Ruby two years later. In 2014, the airline began taking delivery of its new aircraft. Herendish Airways announced a major expansion in April 2017, revamping the airline’s identity, introducing several new destinations in North America and replacing the 737-800 with newer 737 MAX 8s.

Codeshare agreements
Herendish Airways codeshares with the following airlines:
 * Air Ruby
 * Air Tseng
 * Air Ruby
 * Air Tseng

Current fleet
As of February 2023, the Herendish Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Fleet development
In March 2004, Herendish Airways ordered eight aircraft to replace the Airbus A300s on high-demand Oceania and medium-haul Asian routes. The first A330 was delivered to Herendish Airways on February 23, 2007. In 2008, Herendish Airways announced an additional eight orders as well as five leased aircraft. Six Airbus A330s were transferred to low-cost subsidiary Air Ruby in early 2010, but were eventually transferred back to Herendish Airways by 2018.

Between 2009 and 2013, Herendish Airways ordered a total of 18 s to replace ageing Bombardier Dash 8-300s and they were progressively rolled into service from 2011. In 2012, Herendish Airways ordered seven and leased five such aircraft.

On September 4, 2013, Herendish Airways placed an order for eight Boeing 787-8 and eleven aircraft, with deliveries to begin in 2016. However, all eight 787-8 orders were transferred to Air Ruby due to a lack of international destinations. The first 787-9 for Herendish Airways arrived in Cercadas on August 3, 2016.

Herendish Airways ordered an additional 23 Boeing 787-9s in December 2022, after considering the Boeing 777X. The newer 787-9 aircraft will be delivered from 2025 to replace the Airbus A330-200.

As part of a major renewal program announced in April 2017, Herendish Airways announced that it had ordered 26 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft to replace the 737-800 on domestic and Oceania routes. They were originally slated for delivery in 2021, but were delayed to at least early 2023 due to the and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Business
Business class is the highest class available on Herendish Airways and is currently available on Oceania and international routes.

The latest version of the Business class cabin product is used on Airbus A330, Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft and was introduced with the 787 in 2016. These seats are configured in a 1-2-1 layout and can recline into a fully-flat bed and feature a privacy partition, a wooden tray table, USB ports, storage bins, a personal minibar and a 24-inch touchscreen IFE display.

On Boeing 737-800 aircraft, Business class is in a 2-2 configuration and features wider leather seats compared to Economy with a pitch of 125 cm. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft have a slightly improved and updated version featuring IFE displays and USB outlets.

Business class passengers are entitled to complimentary amenity kits, access to Herendish Airways and Star Alliance lounges and have unlimited WiFi and Internet access regardless of flight length.

Economy Plus
Economy Plus is available on wide-body aircraft only. Each Economy Plus seat has 100 cm of pitch compared to 85 cm on Economy class, a 20-inch LCD display for in-flight entertainment, an extendable reading light and USB outlets. Economy Plus passengers almost have the same level of service as Business, but have paid alcoholic drinks and WiFi plans (although there is a free one that lasts for half of the flight).

Economy
Economy class is available on all aircraft. The seats are configured in a 2-2 layout on ATR 72s, 3-3 on the Boeing 737, 3-3-3 on the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 and 2-3-2 on the Boeing 787. Seat pitch ranges from 80 to 85 cm and, except on Boeing 737 and ATR 72 aircraft, a 20-inch IFE screen.

The latest Economy class product on the Boeing 787s feature the Kookaburra Couch on window row seats only, which have retractable armrests and can be converted into one large lie-flat bed upon request. This feature is only available for flights that last beyond 6 hours.