North Central Airlines was founded in 1939 as the aviation arm of the Four Wheel Drive Auto Company. Based in Clintonville, Wisconsin, the airline started by using a small Waco biplane for company use. In 1944, however, the automotive company decided to start public air service and began operations in 1946. The airline was named Wisconsin Central Airlines and initially operated the Cessna Bobcat to six cities in Wisconsin. The airline proved to be successful, eventually adding the Lockheed Electra…
Launched in 1977, Air Tungaru was the first airline of Kiribati, and also the nation’s flag carrier. Over the course of their history, the carrier served approximately 20 destinations, including all 16 domestic airports in the Gilbert Islands, such as Aranuka, Kiritimati, Beru, Marakai, Onotoa, and Tamana, among others. Their…
With Pittsburgh International Airport growing in size with the completion of a new terminal in 1992, it was an opportune time for new carriers to attempt to dislodge the hub presence that US Airways had built there during their Allegheny Airlines years. One of these carriers was an upstart low-cost…
The Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea, is midway between England and Northern Ireland. Traditionally, all travel to and from the island has been via boat as over the years, airlines based on the island have come and gone. One of these airlines was Manx2, founded. However, the…
Founded in 1946 by Captain Shin Yong-Wook, South Korean carrier Korean National Airlines, or KNA, was formed as a commercial passenger and air cargo airline. Instead of its longer full name, the carrier operated under the name Koreanair. KNA’s inaugural flight took place on October 30, 1948, from Seoul to Busan…
With the rise of low-cost carriers in Europe throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, the idea of cheaper travel was catching, with airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair seeing massive expansion. Motived by the success of other low-cost carriers and seeing Eastern Europe as a potential new market, Slovakian investors…
In 2003, SWISS decided to terminate its route between Geneva and Lugano. In response, businessman Julian Cook decided to begin an airline to operate the route. The airline would be called Baboo, which began its first flight on November 3rd, 2003, with aircraft operated by Cirrus Airlines. The airline was…
With many airlines restructuring in the early 2000s, major U.S. carriers were brought into difficult times. New airlines saw this as a way to cash in on the possibility of winning over business passengers who wanted something more from the legacy carriers. One of these marketable ideas was the long-haul, all-business…
Trans-Colorado Airlines was founded in August 1980 in the quiet mountain town of Gunnison, Colo. In its infancy, flights were operated to Denver's Stapleton Airport using a single Swearingen Metro II turboprop aircraft. The airline was founded during the post-Deregulation era in the U.S. when regional airlines were experiencing a…
In June 1977, Scottish carrier Air Ecosse took to the skies on its inaugural flight from Aberdeen to Wick, Scotland. The subsidiary of parent company Fairflight Charters, the airline operated both scheduled passenger flights and mail flights on behalf of Royal Mail. Simply designed, many of its aircraft featured a…
