EMIRATES AIR SERVICES, LTD.: United Arab Emirates (1976-1994). Mohammed Bin Massood and Sons of Abu Dhabi form this wholly owned charter carrier in April 1976. Originally known as Abu Dhabi Air Services, the company undertakes both passenger and cargo flights throughout the Gulf region. It is the first domestic fixed-wing operator to be granted a license by the U. A.E.
While descending through clouds from 15,000-ft. on an October 4 ferry flight, a DC-7CF with four crew crashes into Mt. Kenya in Kenya; there are no survivors.
The fleet is increased over the next four years to include 3 de Havil-land Canada DHC-6-200 Twin Otters and 1 DHC-7-102.
By 1980, enplanements are 70,198 and 5.21 million FTKs are operated.
Over the next 12 years, President Abdullah Massood, assisted by Managing Director C. O. Miller, assemble a fleet that comes to comprises the single de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102, a pair of DHC-6-200 Twin Otters, a Pilatus-Britten-Norman Islander, and a Weatherly 201.
Types operated are not limited to these owned units as a variety of others, including Gulfstream IIs, British Aerospace BAe 125-800s, Cessna 500 Citation Is, and even Lockheed C-130 Hercules freighters, are flown on behalf of their owners.
The company also establishes an aircraft maintenance division that gains a substantial reputation throughout the Mideast. During the Gulf crisis of 1990-1991, the EAS reputation for quality and on-time maintenance performance wins the company contracts from the U. S. Army, USAF, and Lockheed-Marietta.
Airline employment in 1992 stands at 70.
Emirates Express flights are inaugurated five times per day from Abu Dhabi to Dubai in May with a pair of leased British Aerospace BAe (HS) 748-B2s. This new service is halted at the end of January 1993 and, citing competition from nationalized organizations, the company itself closes its doors on February 28.
This action is shortly reversed and operations, minus the BAe (HS) 748-B2s, continue largely without change over the next year.
In April 1994, EAS is sold to Abu Dhabi Helicopters, Ltd. that will enjoy the benefits of the company’s maintenance leadership while merging its flight operations with its own new fixed-wing division.
EMIRATES AIRLINES, LTD.: Airline Centre, Rame Roundabout, P. O. Box 686, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Phone 971 (4) 228 151; Fax 971 (4) 238 817; Http://www. emiratesairline. com; Code EK; Year Founded 1985. Dissatisfied with the services and returns provided by Gulf Air Company, Ltd., the Dubai ruler unexpectedly orders creation of a new carrier in 1985 and provides $10 million in initial capitalization. While retaining his previous position as Dubai National Air Travel Agency (DNATA) chief, Maurice Flanagan, a 25-year veteran of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British Airways, Ltd. (2) is named managing director. Indeed, many of the airline’s 1,000-member staff will be loaned from DNATA or work for it and the airline as well.
A one-year management and support contract is entered into with Pakistan International Airlines Corporation for the lease of an Airbus Industrie A300B4-203 and one Boeing 737-340, plus Pakistani flight and ground crews. Service is begun to Bombay, New Delhi, and Karachi on October 25.
Service is inaugurated to Cairo, Colombo, and Dhak in the spring of 1986.
A B-727-100 from the ruler’s personal fleet is refurbished by HAECO in Hong Kong and joins the fleet. In November, the carrier orders its first purchased aircraft, two A310-304s, for delivery during the following July and August. The same month, weekly B-737-340 service is started to Dhaka. During the fall, an order is placed for an A300-605R.
Enplanements for the first full year total 287,762 while 17.25 million FTKs are also flown. Revenues total $63.1 million and with costs held down there is an operating profit of $3.26 million.
Airline employment increases 88.4% in 1987 to 878 as two A310-304s join the fleet in July, one to replace a leased B-737-340, along with an A300B4-203, which is leased from Pakistan International Airlines Corporation (PIA) when delivery of the A300B4-605R is delayed.
The company’s major new route of the spring is from Dubai to Bombay and, in July, service is inaugurated to the company’s first European destinations: Frankfurt and London (LGW).
As an aside, the duty-free shopping complex at Dubai, reputed to have the world’s lowest prices, sells over 258,000 flasks of perfume, 12,100 cameras, 55,570 watches, and 189 million cigarettes to travelers.
Passenger boardings accelerate 63.9% to 471,491 and freight skyrockets 112.2% to 36.6 million FTKs.
The workforce grows a further 13.1% in 1988 to 993 and the fleet now includes 2 A310-304s, 1 A300B4-605R, 1 A300B4-203, and 2 B727s, one each Dash-2M7A and Dash-264A.
Frequencies are initiated to Khartoum and Nairobi and the one-millionth passenger is boarded on July 6.
During the summer, frequencies to Cairo are increased from four to six per week, from two to four to Amman, from three to five to
Colombo, and from once to twice weekly to Dhaka. A new route is inaugurated in August from Dubai to Damascus and, in September, the airline signs on with the Amadeus computerized reservations system.
Customer bookings jump 33.9% to 631,128 and cargo increases 70.2% to 62.28 million FTKs.
There is no change in 1989 in either workforce or fleet. Passenger boardings surge 15.5% to 729,000 and freight climbs 25.8% to 78 million FTKs. Revenues are $165.1 million. The operating profit is $12.4 million and net earnings total 14.1 million dirhams ($3.8 million).
In February 1990, Emirates contracts with Unisys to set up the Airline Revenue Enhancement System (ARE); the system goes into operation during the spring.
On June 1, A300-605ER flights begin from Dubai to the company’s premier Far Eastern destinations of Bangkok, Singapore, and Manila. The route to Manila is flown via Bangkok while that to Singapore is operated via Colombo, Sri Lanka.
This expansion is to be followed by the initiation of service to Paris, Rome, and Zurich in August and to Manchester on September 1; however, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait forces cancellation of these plans.
Customer bookings increase another 25.5% to 914,935 while cargo jumps 29.5% to 100.79 million FTKs. Revenues reach $190.3 million, the operating gain is $20.5 million, and net income reaches $9.1 million.
The workforce is reduced 9% in 1991 to 1,287 and the fleet now includes 3 A300-605Rs, 2 A310-304s, and 1 each B-727-2K5A, B-727-2M7A, and B-727-264A. Orders are outstanding for one A300-605R, three A310-304s, and three, later five, A310-308s.
During the entire Gulf crisis since the previous August, Emirates is the only airline serving the area not to cancel a single flight.
A $64-million loan is obtained from U. A.E. banks and is employed to purchase the fourth A300-600R, which is delivered in June.
Flights begin to the Far East with frequencies to Bangkok, Manila, and Hong Kong.
Enplanements decline to 813,919 and freight falls to 92.74 million FTKs. Revenues are $280.3 million, the operating profit is $25.8 million, and net gain totals $6.4 million.
The upward growth in employment is resumed by 9.9% in 1992 to 1,414.
New services are started to Jakarta and Paris in July and to Rome and Zurich in August; Manchester becomes a destination on September 1.
Through the first seven months during which statistics are provided, passenger boardings skyrocket 121.5% to 863,492 while freight jumps a huge 128.3% to 101.2 million FTKs. The operating profit is $47.1 million and net earnings now total 67.5 million dirhams ($18.4 million).
In 1993, Chairman Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum and President Abdullah Massood increase their workforce to 2,000 and acquire one more A300-605R, one A310-304, and five A310-308s.
In January, the company receives the 1992 “Passenger Service Award” from Air Transport World magazine.
Orders are placed for seven B-777-21Hs for delivery between March 1996 and May 1997. New markets are initiated at Doha and Muscat in January.
A code-sharing alliance is entered into with Cyprus Airways, Ltd. in March. Under its terms and employing Cyprus’ A320-231s, joint weekly, block-space roundtrip services are inaugurated from Larnaca to Dubai. As part of the deal, the two begin to code-share on the Dubai to Nicosia route.
The Dubai to Muscat route previously served exclusively by Gulf Air becomes part of the company’s network in June.
Destinations now also visited also include Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bangkok, Beirut, Bombay, Cairo, Colombo, Damascus, Delhi, Dhaka, Dharhan, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Jakarta, Jeddah, Karachi, Kuwait, London (LHR), Male (Maldives), Manila, Manchester, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, Shiraz, Singapore, Tehran, and Zurich.
First-class service is introduced on September 1 on six of the carrier’s weekly return flights to Delhi; on October 26, two additional roundtrips to Bombay are also undertaken.
During November, the company signs an agreement with United Airlines by which the two will work together to attract more high-paying business travelers flying between the Persian Gulf and the U. S. More specifically, the arrangement provides for code-sharing and block-space payments on Emirates flights between Dubai and London (LHR).
Traffic figures through November are publisged. Customer bookings increase 55% to 1,732,934 and cargo grows 82.9% to 249.79 million FTKs. Revenues increase to $497.8 million and with costs down an operating surplus of $34.8 million is generated. The net gain is 10.6 million dirhams ($2.9 million).
During 1994, the employee population swells 12.2% to 3,973 and the company begins to consolidate its routes to the Far East, Mideast, and Europe, adding flights to Doha, London (LGW), Nice, and Larnaca.
Fax capability is made available aboard an A310-308 in July, the first installation of such service aboard an Airbus aircraft.
During the same month, a joint agreement covering freight operations is signed with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V) Under its terms, the two airlines plan to make use of each other’s cargo networks and distribution centers in order to extend their freight possibilities. Also under the pact, a weekly, roundtrip freighter service is inaugurated on August 10 between Dubai and Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. An Atlas Air B-747F is wet-leased to provide the lift.
In October, twice-weekly flights begin to Larnaca, Cyprus, from Dubai, replacing the code-sharing agreement with Cyprus Airways, Ltd. on the route.
During the fall, plans are made to introduce frequencies to Johannesburg and Ho Chi Minh City during the new year.
Passenger boardings rise 18.4% to 2,197,068 while freight increases by 23.2% to 342.6 million FTKs. Revenues swell 19% to $649.3 million; the operating profit is $46.41 million and net gain reaches $23.06 million.
The workforce grows again in 1995, rising 11.2% to 4,417.
New routes are opened to Nairobi, Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City.
On June 3, the carrier begins twice-weekly A310-308 roundtrips from Dubai to Johannesburg via Moroni in the Comores Islands. The Dubai to Amsterdam joint service with KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) becomes twice weekly. The company now also offers two daily flights from Dubai to London (LHR), a daily service to and from London (LGW), and five flights each week to Manchester.
A scheduled A310-308 service to Johannesburg via Moroni on September 28 is not permitted to land and pick up 104 South African tourists visiting the Comores under a vacation package from World Leisure Holidays. The service continues to South Africa without them. These and other vacationers are stranded while a group of armed mercenaries, led by Frenchman Robert Denard, attempt to take over the Comores, previously a French colony.
Enplanements accelerate 12.8% to 2,480,436 and cargo jumps 17.7% to 426.55 million FTKs. Operating income is up 12.8% to $743.66 million and costs climb 13.5% to $695.17 million. Operating gain reaches $48.48 million and a net $21.89-million profit, down slightly, is recorded.
Airline employment stands at 2,000 in 1996.
Three B-777-21Hs are placed into service on June 24, while four B-777-21H IGWs (the IGW stands for “increased gross weight”) remain on order. The three initial machines fly nonstop routes to London, Jeddah, Karachi, and Bangkok and one-stops to Manila and Hong Kong. Frequencies are increased on numerous routes.
New markets are inaugurated by July 1 at Melbourne, Athens, Kuala Lumpur, and San’a. When Vietnam refuses to allow the carrier beyond-rights to Singapore, Emirates drops services to Ho Chi Minh City.
The company becomes launch customer for the A330-200 with an order to Toulouse for 16 jetliners that will replace the entire existing Airbus fleet between 1999 and 2002.
Customer bookings jump 15.7% to 2,867,744 and 511.34 million freight FTKs are operated, a 25.9% increase. Operating revenues total $764.32 million while operating costs are $742.29 million. As a result, the operating profit is $62.02 million and a net $22.02-million gain is reported, up slightly from 1995.
The employee population is increased by 7.1% in 1997 to 5,393.
In January, a $65-million Emirates Group Training College is opened at Dubai. The facility boasts both B-777 and Airbus simulators, a cabin-crew evacuation trainer, classrooms and auditorium, and engineering workshops.
In February, a $2-billion order is placed for 16 A330s. A $500-million order is simultaneously placed with Rolls Royce for Trent 700 engines with which to power them. The first B-777-21H IGW arrives from Seattle on April 13, following a nonstop 7,405-nm. trip accomplished in 15 hrs. 3 min.
A code-sharing and block-space agreement begins with South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd. in June and covers five Emirates and one SAA return flight every week between Dubai and Johannesburg. At the same time, the first B-777-21H IGW, after a month of workup, enters service on a route to Melbourne via Singapore.
By July 1, the company has five B-777-21Hs and two B-777-21H IGWs in service.
Designed to strengthen the old commercial road that once connected the Sahara with the Chukkas region, Emirates, on July 2, inaugurates thrice-weekly services to Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan. Also during the month, the IGWs are placed on a route from Dubai-Colombo-Singapore four times per week; the new Singapore service is extended on to Jakarta thrice weekly.
An option for two of seven additional B-777-21H IGWs is exercised in August, with the machines scheduled to join the fleet during the fall of 1998. A third B-777-21H IGW arrives by September and is employed in October to commence service to Dar es Salaam, capital of Tanzania. Also during the fall, a new 1.3-million-sq.-ft. Emirates Technical Center is opened.
In November, a code-sharing pact is entered into with Qantas Airways (Pty.), Ltd. covering thrice-weekly flights between Dubai and Melbourne made with Emirates B-777-21H IGWs.
Passenger boardings accelerate 24.2% to 3,555,552 while freight surges 30.6% to 712.72 million FTKs. Operating revenues reach $763.81 million, while expenses are $718.72 million. The company enjoys a $45.09-million operating profit and a net gain of $22 million.
Airline employment stands at 4,978 in 1998 and the fleet, all of which is Stage III certified, includes 22 airplanes: 7 B-777s, 6 A300-605Rs, and 9 A310s, 7 Dash-308s and 2 Dash-304s.
Emirates receives 1998 “Airline of the Year” honors in January at the OAG Global Awards presentation.
On March 30, an available 40% stake in Air Lanka, Ltd. is purchased by Emirates for $70 million. Under terms of the equity sale, the government of Sri Lanka will hold 51% majority control and the remaining 9% is distributed among the airline’s employees. The Arab carrier’s funding passes to Air Lanka in two tranches, beginning with $45 million up front on signing day.
Management of the carrier passes to Emirates under a 10-year contract when the arrangement is finalized in May.
Beginning on July 1 and continuing through August 31, Emirates offers free stopovers in Dubai to passengers traveling to various international points from Nairobi, Kenya. The package includes two-night hotel accommodation and a complimentary tour of the area.
Later in the summer, Emirates inaugurates daily return flights to Malta.
During the last week of August, the company, under a new contract, transfers its ab initio airline pilot training from the British Aerospace Flying College at Prestwick, Scotland, to the School of Aviation Sciences, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo.
The company, during the Farnborough Air Show at London in September, announces a $2.4-billion order for six A340-500s for delivery in 2002.
The carrier announces on October 20 that it will inaugurate nonstop return service in January from Dubai to the Pakistan cities of Islamabad and Lahore.
On October 25, code-sharing begins with Thai Airways International, Ltd. (THAI) on all passenger and cargo flights.
Weekly B-777-21H IGW roundtrips to Kuala Lumpur begin on December 2.
This year’s customer bookings jump 14.1% to 4.05 million, while freight traffic rises 11.9% to 797.51 million FTKs. Revenues accelerate 24.2% to $1.11 billion, while costs climb 20.3% to $1 billion. The operating profit is $109.33 million, while the net gain climbs to $71.37 million.
In January 1999, Emirates receives “Airline of the Year” honors, for the second year in a row, at the OAG Global Awards ceremony at Washington, D. C.
On February 9, Chairman Sheikh Al-Maktoum indicates that planning has begun for nonstop roundtrips from Dubai to North America, beginning in 2002. Emirates also expresses a desire to begin competition to and within Australia should the country adopt an “open skies” aviation policy.
Libya and Dubai sign a memorandum of understanding on February 25 that will allow Jamahiriya Libyan Arab Airlines and Emirates Airlines to schedule flights between the two countries. Libya, however, remains under UN embargo.
On March 1, a 12-year, $157.5-million bank loan is arranged that permits the carrier to order another pair of A330-243s. The first of 24 new aircraft to be delivered over the next several years is an A330-243 that arrives on March 10. It will be placed on a new route between Dubai and Manchester, England.
The British Broadcasting Corporation reports, on April 23, that Emirates and Iraqi Airways are holding discussions aimed at creating a package holiday product for Shi’ite pilgrims wishing to visit the holy sites in the southern cities of Kerbala and Najaf. Although UN sanctions against Iraq prevent tourists from flying into the area, it will be possible for them to travel on the existing ferry service between Dubai and southern Iraq.
The daily Gulf News reports on May 7 that the carrier is negotiating for membership in the transnational “OneWorld” airline alliance.
With the beginning of the summer schedule, the number of weekly roundtrips from Dubai to Beirut is doubled from 5 to 10.
Officials from Emirates Airlines meet with their counterparts from Gulf Air Company G. S.C., Kuwait Airways Corporation, Oman Airways, Qatar Airways, and Saudi Arabian Airlines at Kuwait City on May 15 to plan a united body to compete against the growing number of major world airline alliances. The CEOs, who also agree to meet quarterly, discuss ways to coordinate and develop additional revenues, cut expenses, and invest jointly in support services.
The company announces on May 17 that it will launch nonstop roundtrip service on November 1 from Dubai to Munich, six days a week. On January 1, the flights will become daily.
Acting under terms of the rehabilitation plan of Philippine Airlines (PAL) , the government of the Philippines on May 21 begins to withdraw operating permits from certain other airlines on routes from Manila to destinations at Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, and the Far East. Emirates Airlines is the first given notice that, effective June 1, its authority to operate roundtrips from Manila to Hong Kong has been withdrawn.
On June 16, the company agrees to lease an ILFC B-777-31H, to be delivered before the end of the year, thus becoming the first airline in the world to operate all three members of the B-777 family of airliners.
A block-seat, code-sharing agreement is signed with Philippine Air Lines (PAL) on August 20. Effective September 1, the Manila-based concern will return to Dubai (15 months after being forced to suspend service to that point) when it resells seats on each of Emirates three weekly nonstops between Manila and Dubai.
At the end of October, Emirates adds its first service to Scandinavia when it code-shares on the Dubai to Stockholm segment of a new thrice-weekly service from Colombo to Stockholm offered by SriLankan Airlines, Ltd.
Six-times-a-week B-777-21H return service is inaugurated on November 1 between Dubai and Munich.
The first of three B-777-31Hs is delivered on November 15 wearing a newly revised color scheme that features large billboard titles. The aircraft is the first Dash 300 Triple Seven delivered to any Mideast airline. The second Dash-31H arrives on December 23. The new jetliners join three Dash-21Hs and six Dash-21HERs already in the fleet. Meanwhile, the last of six A330-243s to be acquired since March 10 is delivered on December 15.
Passenger boardings jump 11.9% to 4,541,000 while cargo traffic surges 24.7% to 994.83 million FTKs. Revenues ascend 15.1% to $1.35 billion, while expenses are up 16.3% to $1.24 billion. Although the operating profit slides to $111.4 million, net gain advances to $87.1 million.
Airline employment stands at 6,524 at the beginning of 2000, a 15.4% increase over the previous 12 months. The fleet now includes 6 A330-324s, 7 A310-308s, 1 A310-304, 3 A300-605Rs, 3 B-777-21Hs, 6 B-777-21HERs, and 2 B-777-31Hs.
The Dubai-Munich route is operated once every 24 hrs. as of New Year’s Day. The B-777-21H service from Dubai to Bangkok, continuing on to Hong Kong, becomes daily on January 4. The thrice-weekly return service from Dubai to Johannesburg via the Comoros ends on January 15 and is replaced with daily nonstop direct Airbus roundtrips between Dubai and Johannesburg. Six-times-a-week A300B4 return service is inaugurated on January 26 from Dubai to Bahrain; the route will be served twice daily from March 26.
Meanwhile, four more A330-324s are delivered between January 24 and March 23. Emirates is named recipient of the 1999 “Air Cargo Development” award by Air Transport World magazine in February.
Thrice-weekly A330-243 roundtrips are inaugurated on March 26 from Dubai to Sydney via Singapore. These services complement the link from Dubai to Melbourne, operated via Singapore since 1997. The next day, thrice-weekly A330-243 return service is started from Dubai to Entebbe via Nairobi. On March 28, a code-sharing agreement is signed with Philippine Airlines.
By the end of March, Emirates has operated 65 Hadj flights on the Dubai-Saudi Arabia route this year, transporting some 35,000 pilgrims.
Thrice-weekly A330-243 roundtrips are inaugurated from Dubai to Milan on April 1; as the services are routed via Rome, they have the effect of increasing service to the Eternal City from three times a week to six. Having found it unprofitable to conduct business in Azerbaijan, the company halts its Baku service on April 29.
On May 1, it is announced that orders will be placed for five A3XXs for delivery in 2006 and 2007, plus five options. A frequent flyer program, Skywards, is debuted on May 29.
It is reported in early July that Emirates will increase its stake in Sri Lankan Airlines, Ltd. from 26% to 40% by the end of the year.
Arrangements are completed with Air Transat, Ltd. on July 11 for the purchase of the Mideast airline’s six A310-304s/-308s. When the Airbuses begin to arrive in Canada during December, they will start to replace an aging TriStar fleet.
A large equipment order is signed on July 25. Contracted for delivery later in the decade are six B-777-31Hs and by a memorandum of understanding, seven A3XXs (two cargo and five passenger planes).
Four-times-a-week return service is initiated on September 1 from Dubai to Chennai (Madras), India.
Under terms of the dual-designator pact signed with Philippine Airlines in March, the two companies launch code-sharing flights, also on September 1, thrice weekly between Dubai and Manila. The third B-777-31H is delivered on September 26.
On October 5, the United Arab Emirates become the first of the wealthy Gulf Arab monarchies to join in the growing chorus protesting 10 years of sanctions against Iraq. Without waiting for clearance from the UN sanctions committee, a B-777-21H is dispatched to Baghdad, transporting 30 tons of medical supplies and an official delegation led by the UAE health minister, including a team of specialist doctors. The decision to send the UAE plane has been made personally by President Sheikh Zaid bin-Sultan al-Nahayan, who, ironically, is in the U. S. (a leading nation supporting the processing of Iraq flights via the UN) recovering from heart transplant surgery.
The year’s fifth A330-243 is delivered on October 27, followed by a sixth on November 30. It is announced on December 4 that the company will inaugurate daily A330-243 roundtrips on March 25 between Dubai and Dusseldorf.
Emirates and Deutsche BA Luftfahrtgesselschaft, GmbH. sign and begin a code-sharing pact on December 15. The German line is able to sell tickets for the Mideast carrier’s return services from Dubai to Munich while Emirates is able to place its designator on Deutsche BA flights from Munich to Berlin, Cologne, and Dusseldorf. Another A330-243 arrives during the day.
Daily A330-243 roundtrips are introduced on December 18 between Dubai and Birmingham, England. The last of eight A330-243s received this year is delivered on December 21. At the end of the year, Emirates begins operating its first B-747 freighter, a Dash-47UF under an ACMI contract with Atlas Air.
Customer bookings this year accelerate 20.9% to 5.48 million, while cargo traffic is up 29.5% to 1.28 billion FTKs.
EMMET COUNTYAVIATION: United States (1980-1982). ECAis set up at Harbor Springs, Michigan, in the spring of 1980 to provide seasonal scheduled passenger services to Pellston and Mackinac Island. Piper 185 and Cessna 206 flights commence in May and are continued throughout the summer. The company flies again in 1981, but in April 1982 is taken over by Michigan Airways.
EMPIRE AIR LINES: United States (1944-1952). Founded by Burton “Burt” Zimmerly as Zimmerly Air Lines, this local service carrier launches Cessna lightplane operations on the Boise-Lewiston route on April 1, 1944.
The company acquires three Boeing 247Ds from Canadian Pacific Air Lines, Ltd. on July 28, 1945.
The carrier is renamed Empire Air Lines on March 1, 1946, and the CAB certifies the company on May 22, agreeing to do so again in July 1949. Meanwhile, flights begin on September 28 over a route from Pocatello to Coeur d’Alene via Boise.
CPAL’s last 2 B-247Ds are acquired and, by the end of 1947, the 5 have flown a total of 3.5 million incident-free miles.
Following the purchase of a Douglas DC-3 in March 1948, Empire extends routes from Boise to Seattle, Spokane, and Portland. Late in the month, with spares hard to come by, the company elects to retire its Boeings.
The six-year-old is taken over by West Coast Airlines on August 4, 1952.
EMPIRE AIRLINES (1): United States (1977-1995). Melvin E. Spelde forms Empire Airways as an FBO at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 1977 and undertakes nonscheduled and contract service charter passenger and cargo services to local and regional U. S. and Canadian destinations.
Late in 1983, Spelde creates a commuter airline division under this name to provide scheduled daily passenger and cargo flights from Coeur d’Alene to Boise, beginning on January 1, 1984. During the next decade, the Empire Airways division will maintain charter services.
During the late 1980s, the fleet grows to include 2 Fairchild F-27s, 6 Fokker F.27-600s, an F.27-500, 2 Fairchild-Swearingen Metro IIs, and 32 Cessna 208 Caravan Is. During the summers, Beech 99As are leased to transport firefighters to and from forest blazes under contract to the U. S. Forest Service.
By 1988, enplanements are 11,798 and profits are $456,329 (operating) and $296,774 (net).
In 1989, the 150-employee airline owns a fleet of 2 F.27-600s, 3 leased Metro IIIs, and 1 each Cessna 421 and 172.
Passenger boardings accelerate by 40% to 19,663 and freight is up by 47.3% to 74,000 pounds. Revenues jump 44.9% to $10.4 million, expenses rise 48.9% to $9.97 million, and the operating profit falls to $393,939. Net gain climbs to $315,536.
Airline employment is increased 40.8% in 1990 to 145 as nonstop flights are inaugurated from Coeur d’Alene to Seattle.
Customer bookings jump 44.5% to 28,414. Two de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters are acquired in 1991 as passenger boardings drop 27.6% to 20,570. Freight is also down, by 8.8%, to 72,370 pounds.
In late 1992, the company enters into a partnership with Vancouver-based Silver Wings Holidays to operate a pair of British Aerospace BAe 146-200s on inclusive-tour and other charters to cities in Canada and the Western U. S.
Customer bookings ascend 7.3% to 22,077, but cargo slips 0.3% to 72,127 pounds.
Early in 1993, President Spelde oversees a workforce of 133 and operates a fleet of 2 Metro IIAs, 3 DHC-6-300s, 2 F.27-600s, and 2 BAe 146-200s. In addition to worldwide contract services, scheduled flights are maintained in Hawaii and the western and midwestern states of Idaho, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota.
A six-month management contract is signed in October with the new Hawaiian interisland regional Mahalo Air.
In December, a separate Metro subsidiary, Capitol Airlines, is set up at Minneapolis (MSP) and launches scheduled flights to Chicago (MDW).
Passenger boardings skyrocket 83.4% to 40,402, but freight falls 20.3% to 57,000 pounds.
Airline employment is boosted to 200 in 1994 and a major contract is signed with Federal Express for the transport of cargo. As a result, the company withdraws its Twin Otters and BAe jetliners, acquiring in their place a fleet of 28 Cessna 208 Caravan Is.
With the company moving into the freight business, it is not surprising that customer bookings plunge 41.1% to 23,851 while cargo climbs 27.7% to 73,000 pounds.
The sudden impact of the changeover from an emphasis on passengers at Empire Airlines to cargo at Empire Airways is catastrophic and forces the scheduled passenger operation to shut its doors in June 1995. Empire Airways, the parent, continues to operate as an all-cargo Federal Express feeder.
EMPIRE AIRLINES (2): United States (1979-1986). In September 1979, Oneida County Aviation, based at Oneida County Airport near Utica, New York, changes its name to Empire Airlines in an effort to reflect for its nonlocal customers its New York State base. Services are maintained by Chairman/President Paul Quackenbush’s carrier to Newark, Boston, New York City, Buffalo, Washington, D. C., and Albany with a fleet comprising 5 Fairchild-Swearingen Metro IIs and 2 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains.
Later in the year, the CAB awards a certificate of public convenience and necessity, the first issued to a commuter airline following passage of the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Enplanements total 108,000 and a total of 71,000 pounds of freight are hauled. A $53,000 operating profit is earned.
In 1980, the FAA grants Empire a Part 121 certificate, and on September 15 — now a fully certified jet carrier—it introduces the first two of six ordered Fokker F.28-4000 Fellowships on its Syracuse-New York City run. In short order, the Utica-based company begins jetliner service to a variety of cities from Boston to Baltimore, including White Plains, Rochester, Hartford, Montreal, and Syracuse.
Enplanements for the year total 149,269, a major 63.9% boost; freight does even better, storming upward by 71.9% to 121,301 pounds. Revenues accelerate 105.5% to total $9.82 million while expenses are up by exactly the same percentage, but fortunately, hit only $9.69 million. All involved with the carrier are pleased to see the $132,208 operating profit.
The employee population increases 39.3% in 1981 to 369 as the third F.28-4000 is placed into service. Orders are placed for five additional F.28s.
Frequencies are initiated from Rochester to Boston and New York City (JFK and LG A). In December, the firm goes public by selling
550,000 shares of common stock at a public offering. The move increases capitalization by $4.5 million.
Enplanements soar 155.9% to 409,072, while freight traffic gains by 26.5% to 247,000 FTKs. Revenues skyrocket 145.1% to $24.07 million and expenses increase 149.6% to $22.86 million. A net profit of $517,380 is reported on top of an operating income of $1.21 million.
The payroll continues to be expanded in 1982, climbing 21.7% to 438.
Flight 141, a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo, is lost in an accident at Ithaca on January 5. Two additional F.28-4000s are delivered in April, with a sixth delivered in July. Meanwhile, Buffalo is added to system charts. Four Swearingen Metro IIs are retained for shorter routes.
As the result of a new interline agreement signed with Pan American World Airways (1) late in the year, the carrier switches its gate at New York (JFK) from that maintained by Eastern Air Lines to the World Port facilities of Pan Am.
The large regional’s passenger boardings swell 36.9% to 562,763, while freight traffic skyrockets 268% to 89,000 pounds. Expenses rise 61.9% to $37 million, overwhelming a 51.1% growth in revenues to $36.4 million. As a result, a $617,552 operating loss is taken. Still, a $495,308 net profit is generated, the eighth such pretax gain in a row.
Remarkable progress continues for the large regional in 1983, reflected in a 25.7% boost in airline employment to 543.
The airline adds Binghamton and Elmira to its route system and, in partnership with Pan Am, launches “Empire/Pan Am Express” feeder service to New York (JFK) from Hartford, Connecticut, and the upstate New York cities of Buffalo, Syracuse, Rochester, Ithaca, and Utica. Simultaneously, the Syracuse hub is further strengthened and the fleet is increased to 10 F.28-4000s.
Passenger Christopher Bradshaw is arrested in Syracuse on September 21 after his Metro II lands safely. He had, for whatever reason, reached into the cockpit of the aircraft and shut off the fuel to one engine, sending the plane into a sharp drop. Charged with four counts of attempted murder, Bradshaw is ordered by a judge on September 22 to undergo a mental examination.
Customer bookings rise 28.3% to 701,068 and freight skyrockets 107.6% to 1.07 million FTKs. Operating income jumps 37.9% to $50.18 million and costs are up 23% to $45.52 million. Operating profit increases to $4.66 million and the ninth consecutive net profit, $2 million, is earned. Empires 9.3% operating margin is fourth highest among the 24 publicly owned U. S. airlines.
With revenues of $76.9 million in 1984, Empire Airlines technically moves upward into the category of “National” carriers. Total revenue for the year is up 53.2% to $76.89 million and costs are $70.7 million. Operating gain totals $6.18 million and a record after-tax profit of $2.75 million is produced. With the help of five new Fokker F.28-4000s, passenger bookings balloon 51.2% to pass the million mark in annual boardings for the first time (1,084,000) and cargo skyrockets 106.9% to 88,000 FTKs.
The company, in January 1985, receives the 1984 “Regional Airline of the Year” award from Air Transport World magazine.
In April, Empire begins direct feed to the Boston gates of British Airways, Ltd. (2); the restricted service includes special fares and one-step check-in. Twice-daily F.28-4000 nonstop flights begin on June 2 from Baltimore (BWI) to Montreal.
On July 11, President Quackenbush announces the transfer of corporate headquarters, maintenance, and reservations from Utica to the Syracuse hub.
The most significant event of the year is the company’s October takeover by Piedmont Airlines (1); it is acquired for about $41 million or $15 per share.
During its last full and independent year, the large regional boosts its passenger traffic by 20.9% as 1,310,000 passengers are boarded.
The integration of the national into the major receives DOT approval in early 1986. Meanwhile, to help meet traffic demand, two additional
F.28-4000s are acquired in March and April. On May 1, the merger is finished and Empire is absorbed, losing its separate identity.
EMPIRE AIRWAYS: 2115 Government Way, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 83814, United States; Phone (208) 667-5400; Fax (208) 667-8787; Http://www. empirecoe. com; Code EM; Year Founded 1977. The
FBO Empire Airways is established at Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in 1977 by its owner Melvin E. Spelde, who also undertakes nonscheduled and contract passenger and cargo flights to local and regional destinations.
Late in 1983, Spelde creates a commuter division, Empire Airlines (1) , to provide scheduled passenger and cargo flights. These regular revenue services by “Idaho’s Airline” commence on January 1, 1984, linking its base with Lewiston, Boise, and Seattle. Nonscheduled operations continue apace over the next 11 years.
Airline employment is boosted to 200 in 1994 and a major contract is signed with Federal Express for the transport of cargo. As a result, the company withdraws its Twin Otters and BAe jetliners, acquiring in their place a fleet of 28 Cessna 208 Caravan Is.
With the company moving into the freight business, it is not surprising that customer bookings at Empire Airlines (1) plunge 41.1% to 23,851 while cargo at Empire Airways climbs 27.7% to 73,000 pounds.
Just after takeoff from Flagstaff, Arizona, on January 11, 1995, a Cessna 208B freighter makes a shallow bank left and crashes into a line of trees near the end of the runway; the pilot is killed.
The sudden impact of the changeover from passenger emphasis to cargo is catastrophic and forces the passenger operation to shut its doors in June. Empire Airways, the parent, continues to operate as a Federal Express feeder.
The employee population stands at 140 in 1996 and the fleet, now operated exclusively on behalf of Federal Express, comprises 3 Cessna 208A Caravan Is, 32 Cessna 208B Caravan Is, 1 Fairchild F-27F, 2 Fokker F.27-500s, and 8 F.27-600s. A total of 72.26 million pounds of freight are transported, a decline of 7.6% from the previous year.
Service is continued in 1997 and cargo declines to 50.96 million pounds.
Late in 1998, Empire becomes the first Federal Express feeder to place a freighter version of the Shorts 360-300 into service. During these 12 months, freight flown increases by 6.3% to 54,377,972 pounds.
Flights continue without incident or headlines in 1999. Freight increases 3.2% to 56.17 million pounds.
A total of 160 workers are employed at the beginning of 2000, a 14.3% increase over the previous 12 months.
While en route on October 9 from Bellingham, Washington, on a Federal Express (FedEx) cargo service to Orcas Island Airport at East-sound, Flight 665, a company Cessna 208B Caravan I encounters deteriorating weather. The single-engine turboprop goes into a steep nose-down attitude and is destroyed as it crashes in wooded terrain near the NE end of Lummi Island, killing its pilot.
EMPIRE AVIATION, LTD.: Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos, Nigeria; Year Founded 1999. With shareholding divided between Arkia Israel Airlines, Ltd. (30%), Koor Industries, Ltd. (30%), and local Nigerian investors (40%), Empire Aviation, Ltd. is set up at Lagos in early January 1999 under the direction of Arkia Executive Vice President Shlomo Hanael.
Outfitted with two of the three de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102s recently discarded by Arkia and obtained under lease, the new entrant inaugurates service at the end of the month from the Nigerian capital to Kano, Port Harcourt, Abuja, and Benin. It is hoped that the operation will be able to help fulfill a demand for air transport not being met by
Nigeria Airways, Ltd.
Service is maintained during 2000.
EMPIRE STATE AIRLINES: United States (1964-1968). Empire State is founded at Syracuse in the spring of 1964 when its owner, the FBO Flight Service (founded in 1953), elects to offer scheduled passenger and freight service to Binghampton via Ithaca and Elmira. Employing Beech 18s, the company begins daily roundtrip revenue flights on May 11, continuing them without change throughout 1965.
A Gates Learjet 24 is placed on the route as an experiment beginning on March 28, 1966. The aircraft is one of only a handful of its type ever employed by American commuter airlines. Learjet frequencies to New York (LGA) and Washington, D. C. (DCA) are flown in 1967.
In 1968, the CAB grants a Syracuse to Binghampton route to Mohawk Airlines, which had abandoned it earlier. The competition forces Empire State to shut its doors on July 13.
EMPRESA AEREA HALCON, S. A.: Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Av R. Obligado s/n, Buenos Aires, Argentina; Phone (1) 771 7067; Fax (1) 777 4574; Http://www. eaereahalcon. com. ar; Year Founded 1967. Halcon is established at Buenos Aires in 1967 to provide executive and small group passenger charters to destinations throughout the country that are not served by scheduled airlines. Revenue flights commence with a fleet of small Cessnas.
By 2000, the company operates one each Cessna Citation IV, Aero Commander 681, and Grumman G-1159 Gulfstream IV.
EMPRESA ANDORIENTE, S. A.: Peru (1960-1966). Empresa An-doriente is set up in Lima during November 1960 to serve as an ad hoc charter operator. After a fleet of ex-military Boeing B-17s (converted to civil standard) is assembled, nonscheduled flights to various Andean locations begin in the spring of 1961. The unprofitable airline stops flying in April 1965 and declares bankruptcy in February 1966.
EMPRESA DE AEROTRANSPORTES COSTARRICENSES, S. A. See EDAC (EMPRESA DE AEROTRANSPORTES COSTARRI-CENSES, S. A.)
EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREO BRASILEIRO, S. A. See EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEROVIAS BRASIL, S. A.
EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS CATARINENSE, S. A. See TAC (EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS CATARI-NENSE, S. A.)
EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS NORTE DO BRASIL, S. A. See AERONORTE (EMPRESA DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS NORTE DO BRASIL, S. A.)
EMPRESADE TRANSPORTES AEROVIAS BRASIL, S. A.: Brazil (1942-1961). As one of the links in his South American airline empire, Lowell Yerex, CEO of TACA (Transportes Aeros Centro Americanos, S. A.), creates Aerovias Brazil at Rio de Janeiro on August 26, 1942. Capitalization is divided between Yerex (42%), TACA Vice President Charles E. Matthews (18%), and Brazilians, Roberto and Oscar Taves (40%).
Two Lockheed Model 14 Super Electras are obtained from TACA and, under the unofficial marketing title Brazilian International Airlines, S. A., the carrier begins all-cargo charter services to Miami in October via Uberaba, Goiania, Belem, Paramaribo, Port of Spain, and Ciudad Trijillo. Actual government authority for operations is received on December 29.
Despite the loss of a Super Electra in a February 13, 1943 crash at Lapa, Baia, freight services are maintained, often in cooperation with NAB (Navegacao Aerea Brasileira, S. A.), with which it interchanges both services and equipment. Company headquarters are shifted from Rio to Sao Paulo in 1944 and new aircraft acquisitions include a pair of Fairchild 71s.
Late that year and into 1945, the fleet is upgraded by the addition of two Lockheed Model 12As and two ex-TACA (Transportes Aereos Centros Americanos, S. A.) Douglas DC-2s, which are employed to initiate domestic flights to the inland town of Carolina via Uberaba, Goia-nia, Anapolis, Sao Jose de Tocatins, Peixe, Porte Nacional, Pious, To-cantinia, and Pedro Afonso, and then on to Belem.
In 1946, a fleet of 15 ex-military C-47s (converted to DC-3 civil standard) and 4 Curtiss C-46A Commandos is built up. Government route authority is granted in April for services along the Brazilian coastline from Porto Alegre to Belem as complement to the internal network established earlier. Because so many routes spoke out from their city, a group of Sao Paulo investors purchases all but 6% of the carrier from TACA (Transportes Aereos Centres Americanos, S. A.) on January 11, 1947.
The entire domestic route system is now integrated and on August 27 the U. S. CAB issues a permit allowing the previously flown Miami charter flights to become scheduled.
All-cargo flights are also undertaken to Manaus, but these are suspended in November 1948.
In December the carrier assumes grounded NAB’s internal routes from Rio de Janeiro to Fortaleza via Belo Horizonte, Lapa, and Petrolina. The NAB spurs from Petrolina to Fortaleza, Parnaiba, and Sao Luis are also acquired, the latter two being flown via Teresino.
Unable to begin service, Empresa de Transportes Aereo Brasileiro, S. A. sells out to Aerovias Brazil in January 1949; among the assets are four more DC-3s. The carrier itself is purchased by the State of Sao Paulo on February 17, with ownership assigned to the Municipal Bank of Sao Paulo.
Following total reorganization on September 29, control is assigned, as an intermediate step prior to complete assemblage of a new board of directors, to the bankers, who immediately register the Brazilian International Airlines, S. A. moniker as an official alternate title for use on overseas operations.
A DC-3 with 4 crew and 11 passengers is caught in a violent thunderstorm and turbulence and suffers a massive in-flight structural failure that causes it to crash near Ilheus, Brazil, on May 30, 1950 (13 dead).
On August 11 of this transition year, three of six ordered SAAB 90A Scandias are received from Sweden in Aerovias Brazil livery.
The new board of directors takes office on November 3 and on December 21, the three Scandias are transferred to VASP Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Sao Paulo, S. A.), where they join the other three delivered to that carrier earlier.
Three DC-4s are purchased in 1951, including a former Chicago & Southern Airlines unit now christened General San Martin. These are employed to inaugurate new international services from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires and Montevideo. Freight services are enhanced by the delivery of four Curtiss C-46A Commandos.
In 1952, orders are placed for six Convair CV-340s. On October 14, a DC-3 crashes while landing at Porto Alegre (14 dead).
The feeder airline Aeronorte (Empresa de Transportes Aereos Norte do Brasil, S. A.) is purchased in 1953. This third-level carrier is, however, allowed to continue operation of its route system in the country’s northeast area under its own name.
On May 24, 1954, Linneu Gomes, CEO of the expanding airline REAL, S. A. , enters into merger discussion with the Aerovias board. The first CV-340 is delivered on July 8 and on September 10, legal and financial arrangements are completed and Gomes acquires 87% majority shareholding.
In February 1955, Aerovias Brazil becomes a major component in the Consorcio REAL-Aerovias Brasil. This six-year marriage is reviewed under the entry for REAL, S. A.
In significant financial distress by early 1961, Gomes separates out Aerovias Brazil from his network on May 2 and sells it to VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Aerea Rio-Grandense, S. A.) in a desperate, but ultimately unsuccessful, effort to avoid bankruptcy. The giant airline quickly absorbs its newest acquisition.
EMPRESA DEAN, S. A. Honduras (1924-1934). Formed late in 1923 by the Tegucigalpa auto dealers Dean and Company, Empresa Dean, which would become the first airline in Central America, now hires an
American pilot named Mayes. The flyer had come to Honduras earlier in the year to start an air transport operation with Dr. T. C. Pounds, who held a government mail contract. The partnership did not take, freeing Mayes to offer his Lincoln Standard to Empresa Dean as its first airliner.
The pioneer inaugurates service in January 1924, flying between the capital and the coast, primarily on behalf of the United Fruit Company subsidiary, the Tela Railroad. When revolution breaks out in February, Mayes flies supplies into Tegucigalpa for foreigners and radio station personnel. Later, the successful revolutionaries take over the Lincoln and use it as an ad hoc bomber against government strongholds.
Empressa Dean continues into the early 1930s, providing local services with a mix of single engine aircraft, including a Bellanca CH-300, a Fokker, and a WACO. American Roy Gordon and Englishman Norman Scholes purchase the enterprise in 1931; C. N. Shelton is named chief pilot, with R. C. Forsblade as second pilot and head mechanic.
On April 24, 1934, the operation is taken over by TACA (Transportes Aereos Centro Americanos, S. A.).
EMPRESA NACIONAL DE TRANSPORT E TRABALHO AEREO, S. A. See TTA (EMPRESA NATIONAL DE TRANSPORT E TRABALHO AEREO, S. A.)
World History
