AIR JET (COMPAGNIE AIR JET, S. A.): BP 10297, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle International Airport, F-95700, France; Phone 33 (1) 49 19 73 20; Fax 33 (1) 48 62 50 80; Http://www. airjet. fr; Code BC; Year Founded 1980. A subsidiary of the Jet Services Group, S. A., Air Jet is established at Paris (ORY) in May 1980 to provide scheduled domestic passenger services as well as passenger and cargo charter services to holiday destinations to regional European and Mediterranean destinations. Roger Caille is president/director general and initial flight equipment comprises 2 Fokker F.27-600QCs and 1 Beech King Air 90.
Scheduled services begin between the southeastern French communities of Lyon and Avignon in 1981. Overnight parcel services are flown to Avignon, Bordeaux, and Lyon. Bookings at the 40-employee company that year total 3,007.
A route is extended to Paris (CDG) in 1982 and enplanements rise to 15,115, doubling to 31,389 in 1983. Operations continue apace in 19841985; night freighter operations continue to play a significant role in company services. A second F.27-400 is added during these years.
In 1986, Chairman Roger Caille and Managing Director Louis Ol-livier add 1 Piper PA-31-310 Navajo and 2 F.27-600s. Enplanements now total 39,784. Bordeaux joins the route network in 1987 and passenger bookings jump to 45,000. Messier Scriabine succeeds Messier Ollivier as managing director in 1988. To accommodate increasing demand, a fifth F.27, a Dash-600QC, is acquired from the Guatemalan Air Force late in 1989.
Daniel Swiedziol becomes the new managing director in 1990 and he adds two more F.27-600QCs. Enplanements total 61,000. In 1991-1992, a British Aerospace BAe 146-200QC is obtained in October of the former year for use on night all-cargo runs between Avignon and the two major Paris airports (ORY and CDG) and daytime charters.
A total of 140 workers are employed in 1993 and a freight-configured BAe 146-300QT is leased late in the year. An F.27-600QC is leased to Lina Congo (Lignes Nationales Aeriennes Congolaises, S. A.) in 1994. In midyear, the Dash-300QT is replaced with another Dash-200QC.
The 2 BAe 146-200QCs are employed to launch twice-daily scheduled return services on October 2, 1995 between Paris (CDG) and London (LCY). The 5 Fokker freighters are now sold to WDL Aviation (KOLM), GmbH. in Germany.
A third BAe 146-200QC arrives under charter from its manufacturer in March 1996. First flown by National Jet Systems (Pty.), Ltd. of
Australia, it is employed on overnight freight services and daytime passenger charters to Avignon, Strasbourg, and Toulouse.
Jet Services Groupe, S. A. in early 1997 decides to expand its parcel delivery service. To that end, the twice-daily scheduled BAe 146-200QC flights between London (LCY) and Paris are halted on June 9. All passenger operations under the Air Jet name cease on June 27.
Express parcel flights continue during the remainder of the year and into 1998-1999. In December of the latter year, Jet Services Group, S. A. is acquired by the TNT Post Group. The 3 BAe jets maintain cargo service without change thereafter.
In early July 2000, the entire B-737 fleet of Aeropostale (2) (L’Aeropostale/Societe de Exploitation Aeropostale, S. A.) must be grounded after cracks are discovered in a cargo door of one aircraft during a routine maintenance check. TO cover commitments, a British Aerospace BAe 146-200QC is briefly wet-leased from Air Jet.
AIR JORDAN, LTD.: Jordan (1950-1961). H. E. Ismail Bilbeisi Pasha forms this carrier at Amman in fall 1950 to fly short-haul routes with two Airspeed AS.65 Consuls purchased from Chartair, Ltd., of the U. K., in December. Needing a new base for charter operations following the revolution in French Somaliland, the American supplemental carrier Transocean Air Lines (TAL) is invited in 1953 to take an interest and provide technical and managerial assistance. TAL replaces the Consuls with Douglas DC-3s and Curtiss C-46 Commandos and opens new routes for Air Jordan, Ltd. to Baghdad, Kabul, East Jerusalem, and Beirut, site of TAL’s Middle East maintenance/administrative headquarters. In August 1955, new services commence to Benghazi, Cairo, Damascus, Kuwait, and Tripoli.
The carrier’s greatest income during the TAL years is gained from a U. S. Navy contract to fly servicemen on liberty from Beirut to Jerusalem and contracts with Muslim groups in Kabul to fly pilgrims on the annual Hadj pilgrimage to Mecca. When competing Arab Airways, Ltd. ceases operations in 1958, the government of Jordan merges its assets with those of Air Jordan, Ltd. on December 1 to form Air Jordan of the Holy Land, Ltd.
Flight 601, a CV-240 with 4 crew and 11 passengers, attempts to fly below clouds while on approach to Amman from Jerusalem on January 22, 1959; the aircraft hits a line of trees and crashes 11.85 mi. from the runway and 2.8 mi. NW of Wadi-es-Sir (10 dead).
The carrier’s single C-46 is damaged in a June crash and is sold as scrap. TAL’s management contract remains unchanged until that U. S. carrier itself goes bankrupt in 1960. Air Jordan of the Holy Land, Ltd. fails in its efforts to operate independently and ceases trading on September 1, 1961. Its assets are absorbed into Jordan Airways, Ltd.
World History
