On Oct. 2, 2017, Monarch Airlines, a British charter airline, closed its doors permanently after nearly 50 years of service. The demise is one of the largest in the United Kingdom and left 110,000 people stranded. The airline has a long history and its demise left many people in shock and thousands unemployed. A Modest Tour Operator The airline was founded in June of 1967, with backing from the Mantegazza family. At the time, the family also owned UK tour…
With the Canadian market reeling from the loss of Canada 3000 Airlines and Canadian Airlines in 2001, entrepreneur Michel Leblanc wanted to start a new low-cost carrier to compete with Air Canada and WestJet. Leblanc, with plenty of experience in the industry as a founder and employee at Royal Aviation,…
Founded in May 1987, Australian carrier Flight West Airlines took to the skies above Brisbane to begin their impact on a variety of small cities across the country. The airline lasted a brief 14 years before succumbing to a complicated struggle to survive. An appropriate reflection of their slogan "jetting…
After the success of Southwest Airlines in Texas, former president Marion Lamar Muse decided to found a new airline in the Lone Star state. The new airline was created in Dallas in 1981, and carried the name Muse Air after its president. Muse choose the McDonnell-Douglas MD-80 as the primary…
With the Japanese islands of Ryukyu becoming a popular domestic tourist destination, airlines made moves to provide flights to the island chain. One of these carriers was Southwest Air Lines which started operations throughout the island chain in 1967 with a single Convair 240. The airline based its operations around…
Located at Ercan International Airport (ECN) on the border between the North and South Island of Cyprus, Turkish KTHY, or "Cyprus Turkish Airlines," was based on the Turkish side of the island. The airline started off in December 1974 in the city of Nicosia, with the first flight taking off…
Founded in 1965 as Air Melanesiæ, the airline operated domestically out of Vanuatu. For 39 years, the fleet could be found hopping between 18 of Vanuatu's 83 islands, connecting passengers to 29 destinations. Headquartered at Bauerfield International Airport in Port Vila, Vanuatu, Air Melanesiæ was the product of a joint venture…
After the success of SeaPort Airlines in the Pacific Northwest by offering low-cost airfare with an alternative security entrance, investors in the Chicago area plotted to repeat success, but this time in the Rust Belt. Lakeshore Express started operations in 2012 by operating flights between Chicago-Midway to Pellston and Lansing,…
British Airways foray into other European airlines began in 1992, when it purchased a 49% stake in Delta Air, a German regional airline based in Friedrichshafen. British Airways renamed the airline Deutsche BA (dba) and proceeded to change the focus of the airline. In 1997, the airline acquired the remaining…
Established in 1996, Origin Pacific Airways officially commenced operations from its hub in Nelson, New Zealand in April 1997. The airline was founded on experience by Robert Inglis and Nicki Smith, who had formerly founded Air Nelson in 1979 before it was sold to Air New Zealand. Over the course…
