ARKANSAS TRAVELER AIRLINES: United States (19801984). Mountain Home, Arkansas-based Mountain Home Air Service is reformed and renamed in August 1980. Scheduled passenger and cargo flights continue to be flown to Memphis via Bartlesville and Mountain Home.
President Thomas L. Fleming’s Piper PA-31-310 Navajo and Beech 55 Baron daily roundtrips are maintained without change until the carrier suspends service in late 1984 and closes its doors.
ARKHANGELSK AIR CONCERN (ARKHANGELSKI AVI-AKONCERN): 163070 Arkhangelsk, Vaskovo Airport, 163070, Russia; Phone (81822) 50936; Fax (81822) 50165; Code 5N; Year Founded 1992. An autonomous division of Aeroflot Russian International Airlines originally created at Arkhangelsk as a division of the old Aeroflot Soviet Airlines, AAC, in 1992, begins its own domestic scheduled services plus charter flights to destinations in Europe. Boris I. Zadorin is the general manager with a fleet of 8 Antonov An-24s, 6 An-26s, 12 Tupolev Tu-134s/-154s, 10 Yakovlev Yak-40s, and 12 Mil Mi-8 helicopters. Enplanements total 1,262,256.
Fully on its own in 1993, the company suffers severe traffic downturns. In May, a Tu-134 must make an emergency landing at its home airfield just after takeoff because missing hydraulic fluid has somehow been replaced with lemonade.
Passenger boardings plunge 47.8% to 854,030 while freight is off 46.3% to 84.7 million FTKs.
Regional and domestic charter operations continue apace in 1994 and, late in the year, plans are made to begin testing the new Ilyushin Il-114 in the spring.
Customer bookings fall again, dropping 13.6% to 737,800. Cargo declines as well, down 11.8% to 74 million FTKs.
Flights continue in 1995-1998, during which years Comdr. Vasili Razlvski becomes general manager. Although the mission of regional service continues, the fleet is altered to include fewer fixed-wing and additional rotary-wing aircraft. This will allow additional contract helicopter work. Present during the latter year are 22 An-24/26s, 30 Let L-410UVPs, 19 Mi-8/17s, 14 Mi-6s, 10 Mi-2s, and 9 Mi-26s.
Flights continue apace in 1999. On February 16, 2000, the Moscow media reports that the carrier has increased the number of its flights and started several new routes from the north. Key among these is a resumption of service between Petrazavodsk and Moscow after a five-year hiatus; flights are operated thrice weekly from Kirovsk to Moscow via Petrazavodsk.
ARKHANGELSK AIRLINES: Russia (1994-1995). AA is established at Arkhangelsk Airport in 1994 to offer domestic passenger and cargo charters. Viktor S. Andropov is appointed general director and he launches services with 1 Tupolev Tu-134A, 4 Antonov An-24Bs and 3 An-26s. Plans are made to acquire an Ilyushin Il-76 freighter. In 1995, the company is renamed AVL Arkhangelskie Vozdushnye Linie.
ARKIA ISRAEL AIRLINES, LTD.: P. O. Box 39301, Dov Airport, Tel Aviv 61392, Israel; Phone 972 (3) 690-2222; Fax 972 (3) 6991390; Http://www. arkia. co. il; Code IZ; Year Founded 1950. The El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. associate Eilata, Ltd. is formed at Tel Aviv in July 1949 to serve as the nation’s domestic carrier. Capitalization is provided on a fifty-fifty basis by El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. and by Kanfot, a holding company of the labor federation Histadrut. Yaacov Hozman is named managing director.
The first aircraft acquired is a de Havilland DH 89A Dragon Rapide turned over from the Israeli Defense Forces on July 4. This is followed by a Curtiss C-46 Commando, turned over from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. on October 11, which retains its El Al markings and crew.
This Commando is employed by Eilata to make its first official flight, Tel Aviv-Elat, on February 28, 1950. In September, the present name is chosen. Late in the year, a second Dragon Rapide is provided by the military. Frequency on the single route increases to twice weekly by year’s end and during the first 10 months, 13,000 passengers are transported.
With improvement in land access to Elat, the C-46 is grounded and in May 1952 the Dragon Rapides take over the service. Two more DH 89As are placed on the service in 1953. Commando flights are resumed in February 1955 and the DH 89As launch nonscheduled flights to Rosh Pinna’s Mahanaim Airport and to Sdom. On October 9, two military Douglas C-47s are obtained and converted to civil DC-3 standard.
The Douglas transports are placed in service in February 1956, replacing the C-46 and Dragon Rapides. Another DC-3, leased from BKS Air Transport, Ltd., is also employed. Passenger boardings this year are 23,000. In April 1957 two more C-47s are obtained and after modification are also introduced, helping the year’s enplanements to triple to 65,000.
Rosh Pinna becomes the second scheduled destination in 1958 and is served by both DC-3s and two ex-USAF TC-45Gs (Beech 18s). During the year, an agreement is signed with the French Turbomeca firm to provide commercial helicopter service on a fifty-fifty basis under the name Arkia-Aliza.
Three Sud-Est SA-318C Alouette IIs are placed in service in May and June 1959. As business increases, another DC-3 is placed in service during the summer of 1960 via a lease from British European Airways Corporation (BEA). Two more converted C-47s are modernized and added to the fleet in January and June 1961. During the year, the carrier obtains a nonscheduled carrier license from the government and begins flying charters to European destinations on behalf of El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. Due to financial loss, Arkia-Aliza ceases operations in May. Service continues apace in 1962-1963.
With a surge in tourism to Elat in 1964 occasioned by the opening of new hotels, Arkia is forced to add additional capacity. Two Handley Page Herald 200s are placed on the Tel Aviv-Elat route in April and May. Airline employment is now 85, enplanements total 158,000, and total revenues are $1.433 million.
Lew Bigan becomes general manager in 1965. A third Herald is purchased. Passenger boardings climb 15% to 181,700. Charter flights to Massada begin in January 1966 and on the year, a total of 177,000 passengers are flown. Herald service to Nicosia begins in March 1967. During the Six-Day War of June, the carrier’s Handley Page Herald 200s serve as flying ambulances.
In July, the carrier begins flights into the occupied territories, including Kalandia Airport in Jerusalem and the Sinai towns of Ophira, St. Catherine, and Sharm-el-Sheikh. Beginning on August 1, the company initiates air tours of battle sites from the recent conflict. A Herald is leased on November 16 for six months from Bavaria Fluggesellschaft, GmbH. Bookings reach 193,217 on the year.
The employee population stands at 152 in 1968. The last two DC-3s are retired and two additional Herald 200s join the fleet, one a release of the German aircraft used earlier. With the war over, the company flies 69% more hours this year. Passenger boardings accelerate 79% to 469,593. Revenues reach $3 million.
Two additional Herald 200s are chartered in 1969. The first Vickers Viscount 833, purchased from British United Airways, Ltd., joins the fleet on October 16.
Coming in after an October 26 training flight, the new ship, with five crew, is destroyed as the result of a bad landing at Tel Aviv; there are no fatalities.
A second Viscount 833 is purchased from British Midland Airways, Ltd. on December 20. Non-Viscount passenger bookings on the year reach 471,000.
Another Viscount 833, purchased from British Midland Airways, Ltd. is delivered on February 21, 1970. Another Viscount, an 814D, is added on April 8, 1971. It is followed by the arrival of another exBritish Midland Airways, Ltd. 831 on September 19, 1972. In December, the carrier joins with the FBO Kanaf Air Services to form a lightplane operation, Kanaf-Arkia Airlines, Ltd., on a fifty-fifty basis.
Among the small planes to be operated into the future are Cessna 172s and 337s, Metro II/IIIs, Piper Navajo PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains and Cherokee/Cherokee Sixes, Britten-Norman BN-2A Islanders, and de Havilland Canada DHC-6-100 Twin Otters.
Just after the passengers aboard a Viscount 833 deplane at Nicosia, Cyprus, on April 9, 1973, the aircraft is shot at by Arab guerrillas in two speeding jeeps. Firing back with a submachine gun, an Israeli security guard hits one of the vehicles, killing its driver. Out of control, the jeep crashes into the Vickers, causing substantial damage to an engine and an area of the wing. The surviving terrorists are captured.
In June, a Herald 200 is sold to British Island Airways, Ltd. and in December another Viscount 831 is purchased from British Midland Airways, Ltd. Despite the effects of the Yom Kippur War, overall-cargo traffic rises 6.2% while passenger boardings jump 15.2% to 677,409.
In 1974 the workforce is 4,850 and the fleet includes 10 aircraft. On March 7, a Viscount 831 is purchased from Alidair, Ltd. Passenger en-planements dip 4.7% to 647,000 as a result of the Yom Kippur War. The Nicosia stop is suspended as a result of the Greek-Turkish war. A new trademark is adopted in 1975 as Tel Aviv-Mitzpe Ramon services are inaugurated. Traffic jumps 10% to 715,000.
In 1976, bookings drop 10.9% to 637,000. Still, the workforce is increased by 11.4% to 412. Carrier officials elect to offer jet service in 1977, purchasing a BAC 1-11-523 on August 16 and leasing a second on May 20, 1978. This service expansion fails as declining traffic and soaring fuel prices combine to cause financial loss. Four Herald 200s are sold along with the Viscount 814D.
Losses continue into 1979. On September 12, one BAC 1-11-523 is sold to Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. A Viscount 831 is leased to In-tra Airways, Ltd. on September 20 and sold to Jersey European Airways, Ltd. on December 18. At the end of the year, it is decided to privatize the carrier completely. In March 1980, Kanaf Arkia purchases 75% interest with the remaining 25% sold to Arkia employees. In July, the second BAC 1-11-523 is sold to Philippine Airlines. Enplanements total 365,958.
Early in 1981, the carrier is renamed Arkia Israeli Airlines, Ltd. as airline employment is increased 5.3% to 400. On May 8, a Boeing 737210 is purchased from Wien Air Alaska; it is leased to Air Berlin USA and will be returned in December. Two new de Havilland Canada DHC-
7-102s are acquired in October and November and placed in domestic service from Sde Dov Airport, Tel Aviv.
Passenger boardings drop 21.3% to 301,697, but cargo is up by 11.1% to 224,000 FTKs.
Three more Viscounts are sold in 1982 and a third Dash 7 is purchased. The B-737-210 returned from Air Berlin USA is placed in service on April 2. Two new B-737-2E7s are delivered on March 2 and 15, 1983 while the earlier B-737-210 is sold to Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. on March 30. The last Viscount 833 is sold on April 6, and the fleet is reconstituted to include 2 B-737-2E7s, 3 de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102s, 4 Fairchild Metro IIs, 1 Metro III, 5 Piper Navajo Chieftains, and 8 Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders. A B-737-2E7 is sold to Dan-Air, Ltd. on December 22. Passenger boardings dip 21.3% to 301,697.
In 1984, Arkia assumes the dual responsibility of providing domestic, commuter-type services while providing international charter flights to West Germany, France, Italy, Rhodes, the U. K., and Austria. To execute the latter mission, the carrier leases back the Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd. B-737-2E7 for the Christian tourist season in March-April and charters an El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. Boeing 707-458 on April 1. Meanwhile on March 22, the second B-737-2E7 is also sold to Dan Air/Dan Air Services, Ltd.
On May 7, a B-727-95, christened City of Jerusalem, is leased for a year from Aeron Aviation Corp. On December 15, a B-707-349C is leased for three months from Aer Lingus Irish Airlines, Ltd. Another El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. B-707-331B is chartered from the flag carrier on April 1, 1985. On May 1, Arkia and Sun d’Or, Ltd. sign a join operating agreement providing for the coordination of charter operations and aircraft.
The first B-707-458 leased from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. is returned on July 13, 1986. On October 12, an El Al B-707-358C is leased for three months; the lease is renewed for nine months on April 20, 1987. To support increased traffic to Elat’s resorts, two more El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. B-707-358Bs are leased in the spring. Another DHC-7-102 is acquired on August 15. Passenger bookings rise 35% to 510,428 and revenues jump 30.4% to $30 million.
Two B-707s are returned to El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. in early 1988; however, a B-707-358C is chartered on a long-term basis on March 9. Customer bookings climb 4% to 518,521, but cargo is down by 1.6% to 4.93 million FTKs.
A DHC-7-102 is purchased from Maersk Air, A. S. on June 17, 1989 and a B-707-323B is chartered from Jetran, Inc., on December 14. Options are taken on three Avions de Transport Regional ATR72s and a fourth Dash 7 arrives.
The fleet in 1990 includes 1 B-707-323B leased from Florida West Airlines, 2 B-707-358Cs leased from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd.,
2 B-737-258As chartered from the same source, 1 leased DHC-6-300, and 4 DHC-7-102s. Airline employment climbs 17.2% in 1991 to 612 and as recession reaches Israel, the fleet is reduced. Gone are the B-707-323B and one B-707-358C. One more Dash 7 is, however, added.
Passenger boardings inch up 1.6% to 584,355 and revenues increase 5.4% to $59 million.
Six new workers are hired in 1992 and Chairman/CEO Israel Boro-vich’s domestic-oriented fleet now includes 1 DHC-6-300 and 7 Dash 7s. Enplanements decline to 533,500 in this recessionary year.
In 1993, the employee population of Chairman I. Arnon’s airline is cut 27.2% to 450. During the year the large holding company Koor purchases a 17.8% shareholding.
Two B-757-258s are leased from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. in April and the two B-707-358Cs are withdrawn.
Employing an Airbus Industrie A300B4 leased from Egyptair, S. A.E., Air Sinai, Ltd. inaugurates a new weekly Cairo to Tel Aviv via Sharm-el-Sheikh return service in March; the route is pooled with Arkia.
Other destinations now visited from Tel Aviv include Elat, the Dead Sea, Gush, Katif, Haifa, Jerusalem, Masada, and Rosh Pina. Charters are also flown to such European cities as London, Paris, Frankfurt, and Berlin.
Passenger boardings move ahead by 22% to 650,700.
There is no change in the workforce during 1994 even though passenger traffic is up significantly. Customer bookings advance by 14% to 742,100.
The workforce grows to 1,000 during 1995. The company’s 29 aircraft transport a total of 822,200 customers, an increase of 10.8%. Revenues total $130 million and expenses are such as to allow a net profit of $7 million.
The fleet in 1996 includes 10 DHC-7-102s, 1 IAI 1124 Westwind, 1 DHC-6-300, 1 B-737-281, 2 B-747-123Fs, which are leased to Polar Cargo Airlines 1 B-747-128F that is chartered to Atlas Air, 1 B-747-2B3F that is leased to Air France, 2 B-737-258As, and 1 B-757-258, all
3 of which are chartered from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd.
In March, company DHC-7-102s take over El Al’s scheduled flights to Cyprus.
On April 18, company officials, in a complex arrangement, purchase 11 B-737s from Canadian Airlines International, Ltd. for $60 million. The planes (3 Dash-275Cs, 2 each Dash-242Cs, Dash-217As, and Dash-296As, and 1 each Dash-2T5A and Dash-2T2C) are then leased back to CAI for US$1,079,100 per month for a six-year period, bringing Arkia a profit of US$17.7 million. As part of the arrangement, CAI is given the option of continuing the lease of individual aircraft for two-year periods, up to four years, after 2002.
The acquisition is financed by a loan from the Bank of Hapoalim, underwritten by a lien on the planes and the monthly payments and a cash deposit of US$12 million. Arkia receives the US$12 million as a loan from Bank Leumi, backed by a lien on its deposits and negotiable bonds. The airline also announces its intention to sell five of its remaining aircraft during this year.
Destinations visited in 1997 include Elat, Haifa, Jerusalem, Kiiyat Shimona, Rosh Pina, and Tel Aviv. In July, a B-737-281 is sold to Lan-Chile Airlines (Linea Aerea Nacional Chile, S. A.). Orders are placed for a B-757-200 and two B-757-300s, for delivery in 1999-2000.
Late in the year, plans are made to begin replacing the 12 DHC-7-102s in the fleet and orders are placed with Aero International (Regional) for 3 ATR72-500s. The new aircraft will be employed on the popular routes linking Tel Aviv with Elat.
Enplanements on scheduled services during the year total 1.25 million. An additional 200,000 charter passengers are flown, while 47,000 hotel rooms are also sold. Revenues of $200 million are generated and allow earnings of $9.2 million.
In March 1998, the company, together with El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd., begins discussions concerning the formulation of a joint low-fare company for charter services. Such an operation would offer the two carriers a chance to circumvent the government’s Sabbath restrictions.
Traffic figures reported for the first six months of the year show a decline of 9.9% over the same period a year earlier, with bookings down to 470,000.
A $250-million order is placed with Boeing on July 31 for a pair of B-757-300s, plus two options, for delivery beginning during the first quarter of 2000. Meanwhile, 2 B-757-258ERs are wet-leased from El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. All 6 of the major’s other B-757s are chartered each Saturday and are operated to Europe, helping El Al to partially beat the Sabbath ban.
A plan is made during the second half of the year for additional aggressive expansion in the new year.
Passenger boardings fall 6% to 1.15 million even as revenues accelerate 2.5% to $191.05 million.
On January 5, 1999, the premier ATR72-500 is received, allowing the replacement of three DHC-7-102s. The other two ATRs will be received in February and March.
Also during the month, the carrier joins with two other investors to establish a new airline in Nigeria. With $4 million in shareholding divided between Arkia (30%), Koor Industries, Ltd. (30%), and local Nigerian investors (40%), Empire Aviation, Ltd. is set up at Lagos under the direction of Arkia Executive Vice President Shlomo Hanael. Outfitted with two of the three just-discarded Israeli DHC-7-102s 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.
A cooperative agreement is signed between Arkia Israel and Frankfurt-based Aero Lloyd Flugreisen GmbH. & Co. (Luftverkehrs K. G.) on January 24 under which the two will jointly market charter flights and lease aircraft. The partnership is the first for Arkia with a European airline.
The company’s first owned B-757, a formerly owned Dash-258, is acquired at the end of March, along with a third ATR72-500.
Flights continue apace during the remainder of the year as the Israeli government works to deregulate the nation’s air transport market. Traffic remains heavy on the domestic routes from Tel Aviv to Eilat, Haifa, Rosh-Pina, and Kiriat-Shimona, with over 45% being generated on weekends when El Al Israel Airlines, Ltd. is prohibited from operating.
Passenger boardings jump 9.4% to 1,057,000. Revenues total approximately $217 million (as compared to $60 million in 1988).
On January 31, 2000, Arkia becomes the second airline in the world (after Condor Flugdienst, GmbH.) to take delivery of the B-757-300, receiving a new B-757-3E7 trimmed in orange and blue.
Charters between Tel Aviv and Tivat, Montenegro, begin in April.
During late spring, Arkia is awarded its first international scheduled route; ATR72-520 roundtrips between Tel Aviv and Amman consequently commence on August 15.
The renewal of fighting between the Palestinians and Israelis in October has an impact on bookings. Also affected are reservations for the new weekly or twice-weekly scheduled service to Tel Aviv from five German cities, flown in cooperation with Aero Lloyd Fluggreisen, GmbH. & Co.
Briefly suspended, the weekly B-757-2E7 return service from Tel Aviv to Geneva resumes on October 14.
A decline in tourism to Israel during the month due to violence between the Israelis and Palestinians causes a significant downturn in business and forces the carrier to lay off 140 workers on November 1.
ARLINGTON JET CHARTER: 5070 South Collins, Arlington, Texas 76018, United States; Phone (817) 467-4571; Fax (817) 4729725; Year Founded 1990. Established at the Municipal Airport of its namesake city in 1990, Arlington, within seven years, is offering a wide variety of passenger charters and executive flights. Six pilots operate one each Learjet 25B, Beech Super King Air 200, and Turbo Commander 690.
ARMENIAN AIRLINES: Zvartnots Airport, Yerevan, 370542, Armenia; Phone 7 (8852) 282 860; Fax 7 (8852) 151 393; Http://www. armenianairlines. com; Code R3; Year Founded 1991.
Another former Aeroflot Soviet Airlines division, Armenian separates from its onetime parent in 1991 after having transported 1.83 million passengers during 1990. At the Avartnots Airport base at Yerevan, V. V. Nazarian becomes general director and takes over 51 aircraft from Aeroflot, including Ilyushin Il-76s, Tupolev Tu-154s, Tu-134s, and Yakovlev Yak-40s. In addition to domestic frequencies, charter flights are undertaken to Milan, Paris, and London.
While landing at Yerevan on December 5, 1992, the nosegear of a Tu-154A with 8 crew and 146 passengers hits a concrete wall; although the aircraft is damaged, there are no fatalities.
Scheduled flights commence on March 9, 1993. Combining its numbers with the previous year’s figures, the company is able to transport some two million passengers, despite the difficulties caused by the Ar-menian-Azerbaijan war over the Nagomy-Karabakh enclave.
Airline employment stands at 2,180 in 1994; H. R. Hovannissian is general director, with J. J. Dekker as managing director. Options are taken on 2 Airbus Industrie A310-200s and the fleet comprises 11 Tu-154s, 9 Tu-134s, 9 Yakovlev Yak-40s, and 2 Ilyushin Il-86s.
Destinations served with 55 weekly flights include Amsterdam, Ashkabad, Athens, Beirut, Burgas, Fujairah, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Paris, Rostov, Sverdlovsk, and Tehran. Although traffic figures are not released, it is reported that revenues of $26.8 million allow a profit of $4.8 million.
Customer traffic figures are not provided in 1995 either, although the company announces a profit of $966,000 on operating revenues of $32.1 million. Early in the year, the two Il-86s, during their overhauls, are repainted in the company’s new color scheme.
Early in 1996, the Armenian government begins to search for an investor who will take the airline private and provide sufficient capital to acquire a pair of Boeing 757s.
Plans are made to inaugurate service to Frankfurt, Warsaw, Larnaca, Tashkent, Tel Aviv, Cairo, and New Delhi. New destinations added since 1994 include Adler, Dubai, Ekaterinburg, Kharkov, Minsk, Odessa, Simferopol, and Volgograd. Enplanements total 353,200.
Airline employment stands at 341 in 1997 and the fleet includes 2 Il-86s, 9 Tu-134s, 10 Tu-154s, and 9 Yak-40s. The privatization process commences in July. New services commence to Frankfurt, and also to London (LGW). The company signs a reciprocal code-sharing agreement with British Mediterranean Airways, Ltd. in December. Customer bookings accelerate 11.7% to 400,000.
Negotiations commence with Airbus Industrie early in 1998 for the acquisition of an A310. In addition, plans are made to inaugurate new services to Milan and New Delhi before the end of the year.
An A310-308, formerly operated by Kuwait Airways Corporation, is received in September, complete with a new tail logo. It replaces the two Il-86s on services to most European capitals beginning in October.
Flights continue in 1999. Although the government considers plans to privatize the carrier, the $15-$20 million investment needed to make it saleable prohibits forward progress. It will later be reported that enplanements for the year have fallen 34% and a loss of $1.6 million has been suffered.
On February 22, 2000, the Armenia’s transport minister, Ervan Zakharan, reports that the carrier requires $15 million in the next two years just to survive. A new strategic alliance is signed with Aeroflot Russian International Airlines (ARIA) on March 17 covering joint flights and services.
In an October 3 interview with the on-line Russia Today, Armenia’s National Aviation Union Chairman Dmitry Atabashyan declares the carrier to be in a precarious condition and suffering continuing declines. He reports that the fleet has fallen from 18 units at the beginning of the year to just 11-3 Tu-154s, 3 Yak-40s, 2 Tu-134As, 2 Il-86s, and 1 leased A310. Additionally, the national aviation industry is fragmented to a point where 23 independent services provide ground support for each aircraft departing Erevan Airport.
World History
