TUNIS AIR AND ITS A319

TUNIS AIR AND ITS A319

In its effort to provide a new, original , and entertaining views on commercial aviation, UTOPIA AIRPORT, in its a plane a name feature,  has selected the A319 of Tunis Air.

The airline was the first in the Arab world and in Africa to order the Airbus A319 in October 1997.  The first Airbus A319 was delivered as TS-IMJ  (cn869) on August 28, 1998 named El Kantaoui



"Airbus A319-100 Tunisair (TAR) TS-IMJ - MSN 869 - Named El Kantaoui (5413067101)" by Laurent ERRERA from L'Union, France - . Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Tunisia whose shores are gently washed by the Mediterranean sea is a major touristic destination for sun  starved North Europeans, its sea side, its beautiful cities and the legendary Tunisian hospitality (Thank you Phoenicia) , its admirable landscapes conspire to make Tunisia an idyllic vacation place. This has lead the Tunisia authorities to create in the Sousse governorate a touristic village, this village is Port El Kantaoui born out the the dream of the late Tunisian President Habib Bourguiba to develop tourism in the Sahel region.The port architecture has been inspired by village of Sidi Bou Said . El Kantaoui offers to its residents many activities : golfing, music festivals, regattas etc..


Port El Kantaoui Beach (348954999)“ von Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK - Port El Kantaoui Lizenziert unter CC BY 2.0 über Wikimedia Commons.


"Port El-Kantaoui Door" by Blackerking - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

The second airbus A319 to be delivered as TS-IMK on September 16, 1998   (cn880) named Kerkennah(قرقنة) 

 

TS-IMK Airbus A319-114 A319 TAR (9406766325)CC BY-SA 2.0

Markus Eigenheer from Genève via wikimedia commons

  



"Kerkennah" by NASA - Taken from NASA World Wind. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Kerkennah  is a small archipelago with a total area of 160km2 , it consists of  2 main islands  Cherghi  and Gharbi  roughly translated as East and West and they refer mainly to the strong winds (Gharbi)  that prevail in the region and 12 islets Gremdi, Roumadia, Rakadia, Sefnou, Charmadia, Ch’hima, Keblia, Jeblia, El Froukh, Firkik, Belgharsa and  El Haj Hmida. The islands enjoy a warm and dry climate .The touristic attraction of the islands has not been exploited yet to its full potential  due to the lack of adequate infrastructure, however that does not stop mainland Tunisians to spend their holidays and build second homes there.



"Flouka en maraude" by  Elcèd77 . Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.



Oasis kerkennienne" by  Elcèd77 -  Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.


The third airbus A219 was delivered as TS-IMO (cn 1479)  on April 18, 2001 and  carried the name of HANNIBAL

Airbus A319 Tunisair TS-IMO (5116888215)CC BY 2.0-HANNIBAL

curimedia - Airbus A319 Tunisair TS-IMO via wikimedia commons

Hannibal counting the signet rings of Roman nobles killed during the battle, statue by Sébastien Slodtz, 1704, . Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Hannibal a name that triggers so vivid memories , the man who dared to question Rome supremacy in the Mediterranean, the only man to occupy Italy for 15 years . The urban legend says Hannibal taught the Romans the meaning of fear.In fact, Hannibal became such a figure of terror that whenever disaster struck, the Roman Senators would exclaim "Hannibal ante portas " ("Hannibal is at the gates!") to express their fear or anxiety.Hannibal is usually ranked among the best military strategists and tacticians. Hannibal's exploits (especially his victory at Cannae)  continue to be studied in military academies all over the world as he  distinguished himself for his ability to determine his and his opponent's strengths and weaknesses, and to play the battle to his strengths and the enemy's weaknesses.Hannibal is considered one of the greatest generals of antiquity, together with Alexander the Great, Scipio,Julius Caesar and Pyrrhus of Epirus .One of his most famous achievements was the crossing of the Alps with elephants 



The material of legend: in "Snow-storm: Hannibal and his Army Crossing the Alps", J.M.W. Turner envelopes Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps in Romantic atmosphere.Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.

and subduing the Roman  army in Trebia, Trasimene and Cannae .A Roman counter-invasion of North Africa  forced him to return to Carthage, where he was decisively defeated by Scipio Africanus  at the Battle of Zama. Scipio had studied Hannibal's tactics and brilliantly devised some of his own, and finally defeated Rome's nemesis at Zama, having previously driven Hasdrubal, Hannibal's brother, out of Spain. He fled into voluntary exile where his reforms as a statesman in Carthage were unpopular. He became an advisor to king Antiochus III in his war against Rome, when Antiochus met defeat, he fled again to Armenia and his flight ended in Bythinia  where he achieved an outstanding naval victory against a fleet from Pergamon. He was afterwards betrayed to the Romans and committed suicide by poisoning himself.

The fourth  airbus A219 was delivered as TS-IMQ (cn 3096) on April 23 2007 and  carried the name of ALYSSA

 

"Airbus A319-100 Tunisair (TAR) TS-IMQ - MSN 3096 - Named Alyssa (5380895812)" by Laurent ERRERA from L'Union, France - Airbus A319-100 Tunisair (TAR) TS-IMQ - MSN 3096 - Named Alyssa  Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Alyssa, Elissa better known as Dido the first queen of Carthage belongs to the very select club of femmes fatales that left an indelible print on men's mind. In this very closed group we find Cleopatra and Helen of Troy among others.
Dido was born in Tyre to King Mattan 1. With her brother Pygmaliom, she jointly inherited her father's kingdom , but the people of Tyre prefered Pygmalion to a joint rule. She marries her very rich uncle Acerbas . Pygmalion moved by greed and fear of losing power to a very wealthy man, assassinates Acerbas to gain his wealth but it did count on Dido's intelligence who devised a fiendish plot only a woman can think of. Dido fearing for her life wanted to flee Tyre and the nefarious influence of her brother . The plot goes as follows she expresses her wish to return to her brother's palace and Pygmalion accepts and sends an escort to help her move. The escort arrives and she asks from them to throw Acerbas' bag of gold into the sea as a final offering for the soul of her late husband....should you ever believe that she threw gold into the sea, you are greatly mistaken, it was bags of sand. She flees Tyre  and the winds take her to the North African coast where she lands and ask from the ruler king Larbas a piece of land where she and her company could settle temporarily before they can resume their travel. She asks as much land as could be encompassed by an oxhide.  Dido cut the oxhide into fine strips so that she had enough to encircle an entire nearby hill ( The "isoperimetric problem" of enclosing the maximum area within a fixed boundary is often called the "Dido Problem" in modern calculus of variations.) CARTHAGE was born...Do you think the story ends here....No, no legend would be perfect if it does not include a love story (the tragic kind preferably)....come Aeneas fleeing Troy in flames and falls madly in love with Dido a Long story short, Jupiter sends Mercury to press Aeneas to leave Carthage to greener pasture (Italian lands), pious Aeneas accepts as he feels he has a brighter future in Italy and leaves Carthage  , Dido now a scorned woman curses him and his people and proclaims endless hate between Carthage and the descendants of Aeneas (foreshadowing  the Punic wars)Dido can no longer bear to live.  She has her sister Anna build her a pyre under the pretence of burning all that reminded her of Aeneas,  Dido ascends the pyre, lies again on the couch which she had shared with Aeneas, and then falls on a sword that Aeneas had given her.



"Guercino Morte di Didone" by Guercino - http://www.galleriaborghese.it/spada/it/didone.htm. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.


Juno sends Iris from heaven to release Dido's spirit from her body. From their ships, Aeneas and his crew see the glow of Dido's burning funeral pyre and can only guess what has happened. 

El Kantaoui and Kerkennah are fitted with 144 all economy seats wheras Hannibal and Alyssa are fitted with dual class configuration 16 C and 90 Y


From the summer 2010 timetable,

KS private collection

 Tunis Air operated its Airbus A319 from Tunis and Tunisian regional airports

From Tunis to 

From Djerba and Monastir to

Maps generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.