Editing Air Mauritius (section)

==History==
===Foundation===
[[File:Air Mauritius Boeing 707-400 G-APFD ORY 1978-7-28.png|thumb|right|A [[British Airtours]] [[Boeing 707]] leased to Air Mauritius at [[Orly Airport]] in 1978]]
The company was established on 14 June 1967 by [[Air France]], [[British Overseas Airways Corporation|BOAC]] and the [[Government of Mauritius]], with a 27.5% stake each; the balance was held by Rogers and Co, the general sales agent for Air France and BOAC in Mauritius.<ref name="FI1968" />

In the beginning, the carrier operated international services in conjunction with Air France, [[Air India]] and [[British Airways]], which jointly had a 25% holding in Air Mauritius at that time.<ref name="FI1978" />{{rp|1131}}<ref name="Tropical lifeline" />{{rp|41}} Until 1972, the company restricted its activities to ground services only; it started flight operations in its own right in August 1972 with a six-seater [[Piper PA-31 Navajo]] [[aircraft lease]]d from [[Air Madagascar]], connecting Mauritius with [[Rodrigues]].<ref name="Tropical lifeline" />{{rp|41}} The aircraft wore an Air Mauritius [[Aircraft livery|decor]], but kept a [[Madagascar|Malagasy]] [[Aircraft registration|registration]].{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=124}}

In 1973, a [[wet-lease]]d [[Vickers VC10]] from British Airways enabled the company to launch a long-haul route to [[Heathrow Airport|London]] via [[Jomo Kenyatta International Airport|Nairobi]],<ref name="Tropical lifeline" />{{rp|41}}<ref name="flag" />{{rp|474}} whereas services to [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Bombay]] were operated by [[Air India]].{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=124}} The Navajo was replaced with a 16-seater [[Twin Otter]] that was acquired in 1975. When an agreement with Air France and British Airways came to an end, a [[Boeing 707-400]] [[wet-lease]]d from [[British Airtours]] helped the airline to start long-haul services in its own right.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=124}} Long-range operations started on 1 November 1977.<ref name="FI1978" />{{rp|1131}} A second Twin Otter arrived in 1979.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=124}}

===Services expansion===
By April 1980, the company had 414 employees and a fleet of one [[Boeing 707-420]], one [[Boeing 737-200]] and two Twin Otters to serve a route network of passenger and cargo services to Bombay, London, Nairobi, [[Roland Garros Airport|Réunion]], [[Plaine Corail Airport|Rodrigues]], [[Rome Fiumicino Airport|Rome]] and [[Ivato International Airport|Tananarive]]. Ownership of the company had changed to have the [[Government of Mauritius]] as the major shareholder (42.5%), followed by Rogers & Co. (17.5%), Air France and British Airways (15% each) and [[Air India]] (10%).<ref name="FI1980-277" /> Air Mauritius acquired a second-hand [[Boeing 707-320B]] in 1981. It had previously belonged to [[South African Airways]] (SAA) and permitted the airline to return the Boeing 707-400 to British Airtours.

In November 1981, a joint service between Air Mauritius and Air Madagascar began in the Tananarive–Mauritius–[[Comoros]]–Nairobi and Réunion–Mauritius runs, following the lease of an Air Madagascar [[Boeing 737]]. During the early 1980s, routes to [[Durban International Airport|Durban]] and [[OR Tambo International Airport|Johannesburg]] were inaugurated using Boeing 707-320B aircraft flown with Air India and British Airways [[Aircrew|crews]]. The incorporation of a second aircraft of the type, bought from Luxavia, allowed the carrier to expand the European route network to Rome and [[Zürich Airport|Zürich]] in 1983,{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=124}} whereas [[Paris]] was added in the mid-1980s.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} Leased from SAA, a [[Boeing 747SP]] named "Chateau de Réduit" entered the fleet in November 1984 and was deployed on services to London.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}}

By March 1985, the fleet comprised two Boeing 707-320Bs, a Boeing 737-200, a Boeing 747SP and a Twin Otter.<ref name="FI1985-47" /> That month, the first of two [[Bell 206 JetRanger]]s was incorporated.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} In April, a 46-seater [[ATR 42]] was ordered,<ref name="FI1985-4" /> and [[Changi Airport|Singapore]] was added to the route network with a weekly service using [[Boeing 707]] equipment. In June that year, Air Mauritius joined the [[African Airlines Association]].{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} The carrier made a profit of [[British Pound|GBP]]3.5&nbsp;million for the fiscal year 1985–86.<ref name="FI1988-5" />

In 1986, a second Boeing 747SP that was also leased from SAA entered the fleet; it was named "Chateau Mon Plaisir". The incorporation of this aircraft allowed the carrier to phase out a Boeing 707.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} In 1987, South African Airways' landing rights on Australian soil were suspended by the [[Australian government]] and [[Qantas]] ceased its operations in [[South Africa]]. There had been an increase in demand from businessmen since that time, as most passengers travelling from South Africa to Australia had to stop at [[Kai Tak Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Taoyuan International Airport|Taipei]] or Singapore.<ref name="FI1989-21a" /><ref name="FI1989-21b" /> Given that landing rights in Australia for Air Mauritius had not been approved yet,<ref name="FI1989-21a" /> a Boeing 747SP non-stop service to Hong Kong commenced on 29 October 1989, in cooperation with [[Cathay Pacific]].{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} Flights to [[Kuala Lumpur Airport|Kuala Lumpur]] had started in May 1988.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}}

===Fleet modernisation===
[[File:Air Mauritius Boeing 767-200ER 3B-NAL HKG 2006-9-4.png|thumb|An Air Mauritius Boeing 767-200ER on approach to [[Hong Kong International Airport]] in 2006. The airline received two aircraft of the type in April 1988.<ref name="range" />]]

Valued at {{US$|122|link=yes}}&nbsp;million and financed by a group of banks that included [[Barclays]], [[BNP Paribas|BNP]], [[Crédit Lyonnais]] and the Spectrum Bank,<ref name="FI1988-10" /> the company took delivery of two [[Boeing 767-200ER]]s in April 1988.<ref name="range" /> These aircraft were named "City of Port Louis" and "City of Curepipe".<ref name="range" /> One of them set a record-breaking distance for commercial twinjets on 18 April 1988, when it flew non-stop from [[Halifax, Nova Scotia]] to Mauritius, covering a distance of almost {{convert|9000|mi|km}} in less than 17 hours.<ref name="range" /><ref name="FI1988-2" /><ref name="Boeing">{{cite web|title=Boeing 7-Series – Fast Facts: Boeing 767 |url=http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/767.html |publisher=[[Boeing]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512042645/http://www.boeing.com/news/feature/sevenseries/767.html |archive-date=12 May 2012 |quote=On 18 April 1988, an Air Mauritius 767-200ER set a new distance record for commercial twinjets--flying 8,727 statute miles (14,042 kilometers) from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Mauritius in 16 hours and 27 minutes. |url-status=dead }}</ref> A contract worth {{US$|8.9}}&nbsp;million including [[spare part]]s for these two Boeing 767s had been signed a year earlier.<ref name="FI1987-32" /> Also in 1988, a Boeing 707 was leased from Air Swazi Cargo to operate freighter services, and the first ATR-42 started revenue flights in December, replacing the Twin Otters on inter-island services.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} A second ATR-42 was ordered in September 1989.<ref name="FI1989-17" />

By March 1990, the route network included [[Ivato International Airport|Antananarivo]], Bombay, Durban, [[Geneva Airport|Geneva]], [[Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport|Harare]], [[Kai Tak Airport|Hong Kong]], Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, [[Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport|Moroni]], [[Munich Airport|Munich]], Nairobi, Paris, Reunion, Rodrigues, Rome, Singapore and Zürich.<ref>{{cite journal|title=World airline directory – Air Mauritius |journal=[[Flight International]] |volume=137 |number=4207 |date=14–20 March 1990 |page=58 |url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200710.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731131301/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1990/1990%20-%200710.html |archive-date=31 July 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref> A new route to [[Perth Airport|Perth]] was inaugurated in December 1991.<ref>Air Maurituius to Australia ''[[Australian Aviation]]'' issue 72 November 1991 page 6</ref> Named "Paille en Queue" and leased from [[International Lease Finance Corporation]] (ILFC), the first [[Airbus A340-300]] entered the fleet in May 1994; following delivery, a Boeing 747SP that was on lease from SAA was returned.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} The airline became the first in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] to fly the [[A340-300]].<ref name="Airbus" /> A second A340-300, named "Pink Pigeon" and purchased directly from Airbus, was handed over by the aircraft manufacturer in October. Services to [[Brussels]] and [[Cape Town]] were launched in July and November of that year. Also leased from ILFC and named "Kestrel", Air Mauritius' third A340-300 joined the fleet in April 1995.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}} The airline started trading on the [[Stock Exchange of Mauritius]] during the year.<ref name="FI2000-63" /> In 1996, the last Boeing 747SP was sold to [[Qatar Airways]] and direct flights to [[Manchester Airport|Manchester]] were launched.{{sfn|Guttery|1998|p=125}}

===2000 onwards===
[[File:Air Mauritius A340 3B-NAV ZRH 2004-7-16.png|thumb|Air Mauritius [[Airbus A340-300]] at [[Zürich Airport]] in 2004]]
At April 2000, Air Mauritius had 2,000 employees. At this time, the airline had a fleet of five Airbus A340-300s, one [[ATR42-300]], two [[ATR42-500]]s and two Boeing 767-200ERs that served a route network including Antananarivo, Brussels, Cape Town, [[Delhi]], Durban, Frankfurt, Geneva, Harare, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London, [[Seychelles International Airport|Mahe Island]], Manchester, [[Maputo International Airport|Maputo]], Mauritius, [[Melbourne Airport|Melbourne]], [[Milan Malpensa Airport|Milan]], [[Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport|Mumbai]], Munich, Paris, Perth, [[Plaine Corail Airport|Rodrigues Island]], Rome, Singapore, [[Roland Garros Airport|Saint-Denis]], [[Saint Pierre Airport|Saint-Pierre]], [[Vienna Airport|Vienna]] and Zürich.<ref name="FI2000-63" />

African [[medium-haul]] routes started utilising the [[Airbus A319]] following its delivery in 2001.<ref name="Marketplace" /> The [[Airbus A340#A340-300|A340-300]] was ordered by the carrier in mid-2005.<ref name="Airbus" /><ref name="Airadd" /> The A340-300 Enhanced was put on service on the [[Heathrow Airport|London Heathrow]] route in December 2006, soon after delivery.<ref name="Other News - 04/14/2006" /> In late 2007, the fleet saw the incorporation of the [[Airbus A330|Airbus A330-200]];<ref name="Other News - 11/16/2007" /> a second aircraft of the same type was delivered in October 2009.<ref name="Other News - 10/29/2009" />

In March 2016, Air Mauritius launched the 'Air Corridor' with its first direct flights to Singapore, which was previously served via [[Kuala Lumpur]]. The new route aimed at improving air connectivity between Mauritius and Singapore to stimulate the growth of passenger and cargo traffic between Asia and Africa through these two hubs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Mauritius Pt 1: Africa-Asia hub develops with Air Mauritius 12th Asian destination, AirAsia X launch |publisher=CAPA Centre for Aviation |date=14 July 2016 |url=http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/mauritius-pt-1-africa-asia-hub-develops-with-air-mauritius-12th-asian-destination-airasia-x-launch-291685 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731141118/http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/mauritius-pt-1-africa-asia-hub-develops-with-air-mauritius-12th-asian-destination-airasia-x-launch-291685 |archive-date=31 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mauritius Pt 2: Air Mauritius faces intensifying competition and challenges in developing a new hub |publisher=CAPA Centre for Aviation |date=14 July 2016 |url=http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/mauritius-pt-2-air-mauritius-faces-intensifying-competition-and-challenges-in-developing-a-new-hub-291686 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160731141111/http://centreforaviation.com/analysis/mauritius-pt-2-air-mauritius-faces-intensifying-competition-and-challenges-in-developing-a-new-hub-291686 |archive-date=31 July 2016 }}</ref>

[[File:Air Mauritius A330-200 3B-NBM HKG 2012-7-16.png|thumb|An Air Mauritius [[Airbus A330-200]] on short final to [[Hong Kong International Airport]] in 2012. The airline has the ''[[Red-tailed tropicbird|paille-en-queue]]'', a fish-eating tropical bird, as its symbol.<ref name="Tropical lifeline" />{{rp|41}} A stylised silhouette of this bird can be seen in the aircraft titles.]]

On 22 April 2020, the board of directors decided to place the company under [[Administration (law)|voluntary administration]] after [[COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritius|COVID-19]] related disruptions made it impossible for the airline to meet its financial obligations for the foreseeable future. The pandemic had a major impact on the revenue of the company while it was seeking to change its business model to address existing financial problems. The company will continue its operation, this decision was taken to safeguard the interest of the company and its stakeholders.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://defimedia.info/breaking-news-air-mauritius-placee-sous-administration-volontaire|title=Air Mauritius placée sous administration volontaire|date=22 April 2020|website=[[Le Défi Media Group]]|language=fr|access-date=22 March 2020|archive-date=24 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200424212328/https://defimedia.info/breaking-news-air-mauritius-placee-sous-administration-volontaire|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/89442-air-mauritius-files-for-voluntary-administration|title=Air Mauritius files for voluntary administration|website=ch-aviation|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=30 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200430052410/https://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/news/89442-air-mauritius-files-for-voluntary-administration|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/air-mauritius-files-for-voluntary-administration/138016.article|title=Air Mauritius files for voluntary administration|first=Graham|last=Dunn2020-04-22T13:23:00+01:00|website=[[FlightGlobal]]|access-date=22 April 2020|archive-date=23 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200423180557/https://www.flightglobal.com/strategy/air-mauritius-files-for-voluntary-administration/138016.article|url-status=live}}</ref> It exited administration mid-2021.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.aviator.aero/air-mauritius-exits-voluntary-administration|title=Air Mauritius exits voluntary administration|first=Aviator|last=Aero|website=Aviator|date=30 September 2021|access-date=9 July 2022|archive-date=26 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626234050/https://newsroom.aviator.aero/air-mauritius-exits-voluntary-administration/|url-status=live}}</ref>