William “Bill” Stevenson establishes Chieftain Airways, Ltd. at Edinburgh, Scotland, in November 1986. Government authority is received, 2 British Aerospace BAe (HS) 748-B2s painted in soft green and lilac livery are acquired, and George Gilson and Max Gaunt are appointed joint managing directors. Capitalization of ?9 million is raised from financial and private investors.
With British Caledonian Airways, Ltd. (BCAL) acting as general sales agent and ?450,000 subsidy from British Airways, Ltd. (2), Chieftain inaugurates daily return service from Edinburgh and Glasgow on March 30, 1987 to Brussels, Frankfurt, and Hamburg.
On May 1, daily roundtrips are introduced to Hamburg from London (LGW). Unable to achieve fiscal viability, the company is forced out of business at year’s end.
CHILEINTER, S. A.: Chile (1998). It is reported on January 4, 1998, that the Canadian carrier Royal Airlines, Ltd. has joined with a local Chilean investor to establish the charter operator Chileinter, S. A. The new company leases one of Royal’s L-1011-100s, with a second scheduled to join the new entrant at Santiago within three months.
During April, Chileinter begins to operate TriStar passenger charters to Caribbean destinations on behalf of the Argentine all-cargo carrier STAF Airlines (Servicios de Transportes Aereos Fuenguinos, S. A.). Chileinter is purchased outright by STAF Airlines on September 20.
CHINA AIR CARGO (1): China (1987-1988). CAC is organized in the People’s Republic in 1987 to offer scheduled cargo services to Japan and Hong Kong with a pair of Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules freighters acquired in September. Flights continue for less than a year.
World History
