what we do - at a glance timeline

Look at this 'timeline' to follow Monarch's history at-a-glance:

• 1969: A fleet of six aircraft carries 250,000 passengers annually.
• 1971: First jet service (Boeing 720B) comes into operation.
• 1976: Monarch becomes an all-jet fleet.
• 1981: Monarch carries over a million passengers this year and offices are opened at Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow.
• 1985: Scheduled route licences are applied for.
• 1986: Monarch Crown Service is launched.
• 1988: 2.5 million passengers are carried.
• 1990: New purpose-built headquarters is opened at Luton boasting its own Boeing 757 flight simulator.
• 1996: Monarch Aircraft Engineering adds a brand new hangar in Manchester to existing facilities at Luton.
• 1999: The addition of Airbus A330-200 aircraft brings two-class seating to the long-haul charter market.
• 2000: Monarch's website is launched, with on-line booking for scheduled flights.
• 2001: Monarch carries nearly five million passengers on a large network of both scheduled and charter routes, with a combined workforce of nearly 3,000 people.
• 2002: Monarch unveils a new livery for its aircraft, plus new corporate colours of indigo and yellow.
• 2003: Monarch bases aircraft at London Gatwick for the first time with routes to Malaga, Alicante and Faro.
• 2004: New routes to Gran Canaria and Lanzarote are added from Luton.
• 2005: Monarch adds Birmingham as a UK base with routes to Malaga, Tenerife, Alicante and Faro.
• 2006: Further expansion occurs at all UK bases with new routes to Murcia and Menorca from Birmingham and Luton. Monarch also confirms an order for six next-generation Boeing 787 Dreamliners to lead the long-haul fleet from 2010, with three new Airbus A321s joining the short-haul fleet in 2007.
• 2007: Monarch launches flights to Ibiza from Luton, Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester, and forms a partnership with dance music label Hed Kandi to target the youth market for the first time - the deal also sees Monarch livery a Boeing 757 with the distinctive Hed Kandi branding.

Monarch has consistently played a major part in the growth of the airline industry - and we're set to play an even greater role in its future…