Sabena Boeing 747s with four-engined Airbus A340. After the liberalisation of the airline industry throughout Europe and the economic consequences of the Gulf War, the Belgian government, the main shareholder of the company, realized that Sabena had little chance of surviving on its own in this very competitive market, and began searching for a suitable partner. Sabena remained in a poor financial state, and year after year the Belgian government had to cover losses, however, it was however prevented from providing new funds due to EU State Aid rules. Around 1987, SAS tried to merge with the carrier, but the merger
Andorra Airlines Andorra Airlines Andorra Airlines was a Andorran commercial airline based at Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport. The airline is not the national flag carrier of Andorra, though its aim is to connect the principality to main Spanish and European cities by air. The airline was founded in 2015 by Catalan businessman Jorge Soriano and two Spanish partners. Andorra Airlines publicly announced its launch on 2 February 2016, and operations are planned to start in Q4 2016 with a fleet of two aircraft flying to four destinations from Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport. From Q4 2016, Andorra Airlines estimates to start flight operations