Air Arola

Air Arola is the flag carrier of the Republic of Arola and a subsidiary of the state-owned Arogo Holdings. The airline began operations on 24th November 1958, just half a year after Arola gained independence.

History
Air Arola was founded on 24th November 1958 as Arolan Airways in Kelvia, Arola by former pilots based in the country, who sacrified their remaining budget to create Arola's first airline since independence. Just a few days later, then-Arolan president Samuel Salo was told about the pilots' plan to form an airline in Arola and agreed to allow them to start operations, as well as giving them a cheque of $100,000 Arolan dollars to start the airline. Both and  also reached out to fund for Arolan Airways' operations.

The first Arolan Airways aircraft purchased were 5 airliners, one of the last in production at Douglas. The first DC-6 flight from Kasala to Uilo was performed on 24th December 1958, which ferried passengers meeting their relatives for the next day. The flight proved to be a success, and the DC-6s eventually formed the backbone of their fleet.

In the 1960s, Arolan Airways began jet operations with the acquisition of and  aircraft, which allowed them to expand further outward to the United Kingdom and the Americas. At this point, Arolan Airways also adopted a navy blue over white cheatline livery, with a fleur-de-lis on the tail and the Arolan Airways symbol on the nose.

Further fleet expansion continued in the next decade, as Arolan Airways began to purchase aircraft for flights to South Africa. Arolan Airways also moved from its original hub at Kelvia Korvola Airport to the newly opened Kelvia Kasala International Airport upon Kasala’s opening in 1973. In April 1975, Arolan Airways was sold to the state-owned AROGO (now Arogo Holdings).

In 1978, Taiwanese flag carrier signed a deal with Arolan Airways to provide them with some of their  aircraft, boosting capacity on Arolan Airways' routes.

Arolan Airways continued to enjoy a fleet and destination growth, as well as some partnership with China Airlines since Arola and Taiwan had good relations. In 1985, Arolan Airways purchased aircraft for European routes and replaced their DC-8 fleet with  aircraft acquired from China Airlines at the end of the 1980s.

On 14th June 1991, Arolan Airways announced an improvement to their outdated brand identity and renamed themselves as Air Arola, with a new logo and livery inspired by the Arolan flag and the Arolan Airways symbol. Air Arola became the launch customers for both the MD-11 and Boeing 777 aircraft, placing 22 orders for each type of aircraft, adding up to 44. Air Arola also purchased its first Airbus aircraft, the, in 1997.

On 1st September 2001, Air Arola officially joined the airline alliance complete with a minor overhaul of Air Arola's 1991 identity. Only 10 days later, Air Arola was forced to scale back its American operations temporarily due to the.

In 2002, Air Arola was awarded the World’s Best Airline award by for the first time. Air Arola would not get awarded again until 2019.

In July 2008, Air Arola began selling tickets for their special 50th anniversary flight which would fly from Kasala to, using Airbus A340-600 aircraft. The flight departed as AR158 on 24th November 2008 at Kasala and arrived at Sydney the next day. Even though the flight was a success, Air Arola rejected flying a non-stop flight from Kelvia to Sydney, citing fuel costs as a reason. As of October 2021, the longest regularly scheduled Air Arola flight are flights AR183 and AR184 between Kelvia and Singapore.

In November 2012, Air Arola once again revamped their identity, bearing a China Airlines-esque livery while keeping the Arolan Airways symbol in their new logo. It also placed orders for the aircraft in 2017, replacing their previous plans for A330neo aircraft. The first A350-900 flight was held on 27th May 2018 between Kelvia and London Gatwick, while the A350-1000 commenced revenue service on April 21, 2021. The final A350 was delivered to Air Arola in February 2023, concurrently with the retirement of the Boeing 767-400ER.

On Arolan Day 2018, Air Arola slightly modified their logo by only keeping the outlines of the Arolan Airways symbol, the first time the symbol has ever been displayed in this manner. The 2012 livery still remains the same even with the change. Air Arola purchased aircraft in January 2020, with 25 aircraft allocated to Air Arola while the remaining 30 have been allocated to Air Arola Shuttle.

Despite Air Arola’s rapid expansion in the 2010s, all flights and planes were grounded due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Arola, though flights have since resumed. In the midst of the, Air Arola suspended all flights to Russia and Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

On August 23, 2022, Air Arola announced orders for 21 more A220-300 aircraft and 18 A321neo aircraft, to replace its oldest A319-100 and A321-200 aircraft respectively from 2024.

Destinations
Main article: List of Air Arola destinations

Air Arola’s main and largest hub is Kelvia Kasala International Airport, one of the busiest airports in the Nordics and located near Arola’s capital Kelvia. Air Arola flies out of Terminals 1 and 3 at Kasala, with Terminal 1 used for intra-Schengen flights, Terminal 3A for flights to non-Schengen European countries, Africa and the Middle East and Terminal 3B for flights to America and Asia. Air Arola’s secondary hub is Uilo Airport, which is mainly used for Northern and Eastern European flights.

In the mid 1960s, Air Arola opened its first routes to North America, followed by Africa in the early 1970s. Its cooperation with Taiwanese flag carrier in the 1970s and 1980s meant that it began adding Asian routes, although flights to mainland China were not launched until 1993 when Arola formally recognised the PRC. In 2005, Air Arola moved its London operations to. Regularly scheduled flights to Otterton in the Republic of Wilson began in October 2022, after some controversies with relations between the two countries.

On February 24, 2022, Air Arola suspended all flights to Russia and Ukraine due to the, later extending to Belarus in March that year (Air Arola’s flights to Minsk had been suspended twice in 2021). This also meant that Air Arola’s Asian routes were diverted across the North Pole or through Central Europe.

Codeshare agreements
Air Arola codeshares with the following airlines:


 * Lechutan Airlines
 * Salerian Airways
 * Lechutan Airlines
 * Salerian Airways
 * Lechutan Airlines
 * Salerian Airways
 * Lechutan Airlines
 * Salerian Airways
 * Lechutan Airlines
 * Salerian Airways

Current
As of February 2023, Air Arola's fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Former
Air Arola has previously operated the following equipment:


 * (1999-2010, replaced by B777-300ER)
 * (2003-2018, replaced by A350-900)
 * (1978-1991, replaced by B747-400)
 * (1990-2010, replaced by B777-300ER)
 * (1985-1998, replaced by A320 family)
 * (1989-2002, acquired from China Airlines, replaced by B767-400ER)
 * (2001-2023, replaced by A350-1000)
 * (1995-2010, replaced by B777-300ER)
 * (1958–1967, replaced by DC-9)
 * (1962-1990, replaced by B767-200)
 * (1966-1999, replaced by A320 family)
 * (1974-1993, replaced by MD-11)
 * (1992-2003, replaced by B777-300ER)

Cabin classes
Air Arola currently offers four types of passenger classes, Coach, Coach Premium, Suite and Suite Deluxe classes.

The current design and lineup of Air Arola's cabin classes were introduced in May 2018 on A350-900 aircraft, and has since rolled out to all aircraft except for the B767-400ER.

Suite Deluxe
Suite Deluxe class, formerly First Class until 2012, is the flagship cabin class of Air Arola. Suite Deluxe is currently available on Airbus A350, Boeing 767 and 777 aircraft only. Every paying passenger on this class are allocated with their own fully enclosed suite with a frosted glass sliding door, which come with a reclinable bed, a 32-inch touchscreen TV, two cup holders and a tray table which can be automatically controlled.

Suite Deluxe passengers are also entitled to their own shared showers on Boeing 767 aircraft and private showers on A350 and B777 aircraft. On the A350-1000 and B777-300ER, there are also “Roomette” private rooms for daytime use, installed with a mini-bar, two silk seats that can recline up to 75 degrees, four cup holders and a 26-inch remote-controlled TV.

Suite
Suite class, formerly Business Class or Premium Business Class until 2012, feature seats that can recline up to 70 degrees and into beds when requested. Suite seats have 60" of pitch, a privacy partition, two cup holders, a medium-size tray table, two -made reading lights, USB ports and a wide selection of entertainment and live TV on a 24-inch TV.

Coach Premium
Coach Premium class, formerly Premium Economy Class until 2012, are available on all medium-haul and long-haul aircraft. Coach Premium is a step up from Coach class, as it has an increased pitch of 40" compared to Coach's 30" pitch, as well as access to complimentary hot towels, blankets, blindfolds, neck-rests and an optional Icelandic canned mountain air.

Coach
Coach class, formerly Economy Class until 2012, is available on all Air Arola aircraft, with seats that recline up to 45 degrees and 20-inch LCD TVs. All aircraft except for the upcoming A220 feature AVOD and live TV on board.

Catering
On domestic Air Arola flights that are less than 2 hours long (applies to all Air Arola Shuttle flights), a complimentary bottled water and caramel cream cheese bagel provided exclusively by Freeway Nine Bagels is offered before takeoff.

On all European flights that are more than 2 hours long, all non-alcoholic beverages are offered for free, while food items and alcoholic drinks can be purchased.

For Suite and Suite Deluxe classes, passengers are offered a full-course meal which are of Nordic cuisine, which include creamy salmon soup with noodles or rice, Baltic herring and Arolan steak. Suite Deluxe passengers are also given the option of Western and Eastern cuisine, as well as Freeway Nine Bagels' bagels for breakfast. Recently, Air Arola has also started serving world-class, a Greenland delicacy, to Suite Deluxe passengers, which was well-received by passengers and critics.

Coach and Coach Premium passengers are served with bagels for breakfast and two hot meals for lunch and dinner, depending on the duration and destination of the flight.

Ground services
Air Arola is noted for its simplistic and revolutionary check-in process, where passengers can enter check-in via the check-in counters or self-service kiosks where passengers can check their baggage and also pre-order meals for their flight.

On flights which require an apron bus or tarmac boarding, Suite Deluxe passengers are offered a limousine service using either a Dillon Grande or a Mama Parsons.

Frequent-flyer program
Air Arola's frequent flyer program is named Territory, which awards miles based on the distance travelled. Territory flyers can redeem for cabin class upgrades, free tickets and boarding and check-in benefits.

Lounges
Air Arola's lounges are branded as Territory lounges, named after the frequent flyer program. The first lounge branded as such opened in 2004 at Terminal 2 of Kelvia Kasala International Airport, which closed down four years later and replaced by a new one in Terminal 3.

Territory lounges feature a tavern, an all-you-can-eat buffet section for Suite and Suite Deluxe passengers, a coffee machine, sleeping pods, showers, saunas and spa services.

Accidents and incidents
Air Arola has only suffered from two fatal incidents in the 1980s, which eventually caused the airline to restructure its safety procedures during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Since then, Air Arola has held an outstanding safety record from airline critics around the world.
 * On 5 December 1984, Flight 228, operated by a (OR-YUU), disappeared from radar mid-flight in the . The wreckage was only discovered four years later in 1988, and no survivors were found.
 * On 24 July 1987, Flight 289, operated by a (OR-WCJ), crashed into a remote forest near Yunkars in the Pudas province of Arola after colliding with an Arolan Airways Shuttle  mid-flight. Fog conditions at the ATC in Kelvia Kasala International Airport caused the crew to turn the aircraft earlier than instructed. None of the 78 passengers and 5 crew survived, and is to date the second and most recent hull loss of an Air Arola aircraft.
 * On 23 August 1998, Flight 126, operated by a (OR-FJU), suffered a left engine failure shortly after takeoff. The aircraft was eventually landed safely without failure at Newark Liberty and passengers were ferried by a backup Air Arola aircraft to Kelvia. After several inspections, a safety cone was found clogging up the left engine and impacted just before the aircraft finished climbing.
 * On 16 July 2019, Flight 365, operated by an (OR-HIC), collided with a catering vehicle during landing at, causing damage to its right wing. All of the 203 passengers and 6 crew survived the incident and deplaned safely.
 * On 18 August 2022, Flight 297, operated by a recently delivered (OR-OCD), suffered a right engine failure before landing. The aircraft landed without incident at its intended destination at  and was immediately withdrawn from service for repairs. The incident was later attributed to a fault in the Pratt & Whitney PW1500G engines.