YAMAL AIRLINES: Salekhard, Yamal, Russia; Code YL; Year Founded 1997. As 1996 ends, Tyumenaviatrans (TAT), having failed to receive agreed upon payment, refuses to renew its contract with the regional administration at Salekhard to provide daily An-2 services between the scattered communities of the region.
Unwilling or unable to redress its dispute with Tyumenaviatrans, the Salekhard regional administration promotes the establishment of Yamal Airlines in February 1997. Yamal, under the leadership of Director General Vasily Kryuk, is, like TAT, organized into two divisions: rotary-wing and fixed-wing. A total of 16 Mil Mi-8T helicopters are purchased for the former while the latter comes to comprise 1 each Tupolev Tu-154B, Tu-154M, and Tu-134A, 6 Yakovlev Yak-40s, and 3 Antonov An-74s. Twice-weekly scheduled services are inaugurated from Salekhard to Yar Sale and Novy Port, while charter and bush services are provided to many other towns and bush locations. A separate contract is also signed between the local government and the airline for the provision of Mi-8T aeromedical flights to isolated communities.
TAT, it should be noted, will eventually receive payment and resume its flights, which are particularly important during the winter when river transportation is impossible.
By the end of September 2000, a new money dispute has arisen with the regional administration at Salekhard. This time the local leaders have failed to make good on a $4-million debt for local air services. When TAT once again shuts off flights, the leaders of that community, on October 1, turn to Yamal Airlines, which by now has grown into a well-respected local service operation. Under a new contract, Yamal agrees to double its twice-weekly services from Salekhard to Yar-Sale and Novy Port and to launch new flights to Mys Kamenny, Seyakha, Yaptik-Sale, and Tambey.
During the fourth quarter, the regional government for the Khanty Mansisk Autonomous District puts out feelers concerning the creation of a possible “super regional airline,” through some combination of Yamal, Tyumenaviatrans (TAT), Kogalym Airlines, and TyumenAirlines. It is understood that any such amalgamation is a long way off.
YANAAIR CARGO, LTD.: Kenya (1991-1995). Yana is established at Nairobi in late summer 1991 to offer all-cargo services with Swiss and British companies each taking 24.5% shareholding. A Boeing 707-338C is leased from Anglo Airlines, Ltd. of the U. K., while two Antonov An-12Fs are also acquired.
Managing Director John Sanyer’s new Boeing begins revenue flights on September 19 over a twice-weekly route from London (LGW) to Nairobi via Amsterdam and back. The Russian-made turboprops fly regional services.
The 15-employee carrier runs into financial difficulties in 1992 and withdraws one Antonov. In 1993, Roger Hargreaves becomes CEO and Yana applies for a multistop route from Nairobi to Bujumbura that begins in 1994. Flights cease in 1995.
YANDA AIRLINES (PTY.), LTD.: Range Road, Whittingham, New South Wales, 2330, Australia; Phone 61 (65) 723100; Fax 61 (65) 722757; Code ST; Year Founded 1989. Established at Singleton, New South Wales, in 1989, Managing Director Paul Rees’ new small carrier is equipped with 2 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains. Scheduled services are inaugurated linking the base with Scone and Sydney.
A third Navajo Chieftain is acquired in 1990 and Maitland is added as a destination. A fourth PA-31-350 is purchased in 1992. Flights continue in 1993-1994 as a fifth Navajo Chieftain enters service. In the fall of
1995, the company suffers an accident that is serious enough to cause government authorities to suspend its license. Safety concerns are addressed and Yanda is allowed to resume operations in January 1996.
A total of 34 weekly flights are offered from Sydney to Scone, Maitland, Gunnedah, and Coonabarabran without further incident or headline in 1997-2000.
At the end of the latter year, the company’s operating certificate is again suspended by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority for alleged breaches of safety regulations. Further investigation into a range of issues will occur and it is unclear if the four-plane carrier will survive.
YANGON AIRWAYS, LTD.: 22/24 Pansondan Street, Kyauktada Township, Yangon, Myanmar; Phone 95 (1) 251 935; Fax 95 (1) 251 932; Http://www. yangonairways. com; Code HK; Year Founded
1996. Yangon is established at its namesake city during the summer of 1996 to provide scheduled and charter domestic passenger and cargo services. The new entrant is a joint venture between Myanmar Airways and Krong Sombat of Thailand. U. Khin Maung Myint is named chairman, with U. K. Win as managing director.
Two Avions de Transport Regional ATR72-210s are leased and revenue flights commence on October 15.
The Krong Sombat shares are sold to Mayflower Holdings Group in September 1997. Flights continue without interruption through the remainder of the year and 1998. By 1999, the turboprops of the 152-worker company regularly visit Dawe, Heho, Kawthaung, Kengtung, Lashio, Mandalay, Myeik, Mytkyina, Nyaung-u, and Tachilek.
The workforce at the beginning of 2000 totals 164. The carrier’s 2 ATR72-210s continue to operate from Yangon to Bagan, Mandalay, Heho, Techileik, Kengtung, Dawei, Myeik, and Kawthoung.
YAROSLAVI AIR COMPANY (YAROSLAVI AVIA KOMPANII): Russia (1993-1996). Yaroslavi is established at Yaroslavi’s Leftsovo Airport in 1993 to operate third-level passenger and cargo services as well as agricultural support and other rotary-wing functions. Nikolay I. Kuprianov recruits a workforce of 250 and begins operations with a mixed fleet of Antonov An-2s and Mil Mi-2s and Mi-8s. Flights continue apace in 1994-1995.
YELLOWKNIFE AIRWAYS, LTD. See WARDAIR CANADA, LTD.
YEMEN AIRLINES CORPORATION: Yemen (1954-1972). Yemen Airlines is formed in 1954 by a group of local businessmen to provide domestic lightplane services. Weekly Douglas DC-3 flights begin in 1957 to Djibouti, French Somaliland.
A chartered DC-3, with four crew and four passengers is lost at Rome on November 3, 1958; there are no survivors.
The company’s single remaining aircraft carries on flights without incident during the remainder of the year and through the next two.
In 1961, the nation’s ruler sells a pair of DC-3s to the company and takes 51% majority shareholding. Operations continue as the flag carrier begins 1962. During the middle part of the decade, civil war forces the carrier to suspend operations for over 18 months, forcing it out of business by 1966.
In 1967, the previous entity is replaced by a new national air transport company, Yemen Arab Airlines. Ownership is divided between Yemen (51%) and Egypt (49%), but even with assistance from the Soviet Union, service is sporadic and the international partnership is dissolved in 1968. Yemen Airlines is now reestablished as a government corporation.
Operations continue apace during 1969-1971 and two DC-6Bs are added to the fleet, including a former Hawaiian Airlines unit. Two DC-3 s and a DC-6 are lost during these years.
While on a maintenance test flight from Taiz on March 19, 1969, a DC-3 with four crew, crashes; there are no survivors. With icing on the wings, a DC-3 with two crew and three passengers crashes just after takeoff from Belgrade on a European charter on September 16, 1971; there are no survivors. A DC-6B is destroyed at Hodeidah, Yemen, on November 11 under unknown circumstances.
In 1972, the carrier is renamed Yemen Airways Company, although it is still also known as Yemen Arab Airlines.
YEMEN AIRWAYS COMPANY. See YEMENIA (YEMEN AIRWAYS COMPANY)
YEMEN ARAB AIRLINES. See YEMEN AIRLINES CORPORATION
YEMENIA (YEMEN AIRWAYS COMPANY): Al-Hasaba, P. O. Box 1183, Airport Road, Sana’a, Yemen; Phone 967 (1) 232 380; Fax 967 (1) 252 991; Http://www. yemenia. com. ye; Code IY; Year Founded 1972. Yemen Airlines is renamed Yemen Airways Company in 1972,
Although it is also known as Yemen Arab Airlines.
En route from Taiz to Asmara on August 25, 1973, the company’s Douglas DC-6B is hijacked to Kuwait by a lone gunman, who surrenders once his safety is guaranteed.
Enplanements for the year total 11,520.
Shaif M. Saeed is appointed president in 1974, with Ahmed M. Ali as general manager. The first jetliner, a Boeing 737-2N8A, is delivered, joining the fleet’s 2 DC-6s and 2 DC-3s. The jetliner largely accounts for a 120% increase in boardings, up to 96,000. Two B-727-2N8As are ordered and the workforce grows to 335.
En route from Hodeida to San’a on February 23, 1975, a DC-3 is diverted to Qizon, Saudi Arabia, by a lone gunman. Taken in hand by police, the pirate is tried and condemned to execution. The death sentence is later commuted to life imprisonment.
The two Boeings are delivered in 1976-1977, allowing the inauguration of service to such southern European destinations as Athens.
The government reorganizes the carrier on July 1, 1978, giving it the present name and taking 51% controlling interest; the remaining 49% of the shares are acquired by Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines). Mohammed Ahmed Al-Haimy is named chairman with Saudia Senior Vice President Rida Hakeem as managing director. Airline employment is now 750 (including 500 foreigners) and the fleet comprises 2 B-727-2N8As, 1 B-737-2N8, 1 DC-6, and 4 DC-3s.
One DC-3 is, however, destroyed as the result of a heavy landing at Marib on November 14.
In 1979-1984, operations are upgraded and service is started to India, Pakistan, and additional Middle Eastern points. Four B-727-173Cs are leased from World Airways and replaced by five purchased B-727-2N8As. For domestic operations, two de Havilland Canada DHC-7-102s are acquired with Canadian financial assistance in 1980 to replace the DC-3s. A total of 356,000 international passengers are transported during the latter year.
Overall enplanements in 1985 are 426,000, falling to 333,000 in 1986. The fleet now includes 1 B-737-2N8, 5 B-727-2N8As, and 2 de Havilland DHC-7-102s. Airline employment in 1987 stands at 1,905, including 225 foreigners, and destinations visited from Sana’a’ include Sharjah, Karachi, Bombay, Aden, Djibouti, Addis Ababa, Khartoum, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain, Dhahran, Riyadh, Kuwait, Amman, Damascus, Jeddah, Cairo, Larnaca, Istanbul, Moscow, Rome, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, and London. Traffic figures are not released.
In 1988 the 1,800-employee North Yemen flag carrier owns a fleet of 5 B-727-2N8As, 1 B-737-2N8A, and 2 DHC-7-102s. Flights begin to Tunisia.
Through the first 6 months of the year, enplanements total 199,866 and a total of 4.59 million FTKs are operated. A net profit equivalent to $6.4 million is reported for the year.
Operations continue apace in 1989. The net profit jumps 65% to $10.5 million. In May 1990, following the political merger of North and South Yemen, it is announced that an agreement has been reached with Alyemda, the South Yemen airline, for the coordination of services.
Passenger boardings during the year’s first half total 205,247. After Iraq invades Kuwait in early August, the company’s newly improved prospects seem to evaporate as the government refuses to support the deployment of non-Arab forces in Operation Desert Shield. The airline loses remittance and aid income from the Gulf States, as well as oil supplies from Iraq. Frequencies to Rome are reduced from two to one per week, while all service to Baghdad and Kuwait City must be suspended. A meeting between the carrier’s management and Saudi shareholders is abruptly cancelled on December 11.
The payroll is cut 1.5% in 1991 to 1,950. On January 18, Chairman Mohammad al-Haimiy reports that the company has lost 60% of its traffic since the Kuwait crisis began. The company’s continuing isolation in the period surrounding Operation Desert Storm leads to a loss of flights to and support from Saudi Arabia (which holds a 49% stake in the carrier) and a series of delays in implementing a merger with Alyemda.
The undercarriage of a B-707-369C collapses as the freighter is landing at Amman, Jordan, on November 26; there are no fatalities to its five-person crew.
Customer bookings are again only reported for the January-July period. These show customer bookings down 51.5% to 99,485 and cargo off 59.9% to 1.65 million FTKs.
A proposal to merge Yemenia and Alyemda into Alyemda-Air Yemen is put forward in October 1992. Work is begun on acquiring the 49% shareholding of Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) and plans are made to integrate fleets and routes. Chairman Mohamed al-Haimiy dies late in the year
The proposed merger remains uncompleted in 1993 and Yemenia continues to operate independently. Ahmed Kaid Barakat is appointed the new chairman/president in February and oversees a workforce of 1,954 and a fleet that continues to boast 5 B-727-2N8As, 1 B-737-2N8A, and 2 DHC-7-102s. Domestic destinations visited from Sana’a’ include Taiz, Hodeidah, Albuque, Aden, and Riyan. International markets include Djibouti, Bahrain, Doha, Jeddah, Sharjah, Dhahran, Khartoum, Addis Ababa, Abu Dhabi, Karachi, Damascus, Cairo, Rome, London (LGW), Amsterdam, Istanbul, Moscow, Frankfurt, Larnaca, Bombay, Amman, Paris, and Riyadh.
Civil war breaks out between the northern and southern parts of the country in May 1994. One B-727-2N8A is withdrawn and British Airways, Ltd. (2) and Air France both end service to Yemen in the early summer. The German airline Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. remains and its regional director will report in June 1995 that Lufthansa had a DM300-million profit in 1994 serving Yemen, compared to a DM300-million loss in 1993.
Normal operations resume on July 22, including the airline’s thrice-weekly service from Sana’a to London. A terminal building damaged during the fighting is repaired.
Yemen’s tourism industry in 1995 is hampered by the shortage of international flight connections. Yemenia, one of the two nationals, charges fares for Yemenis that do not cover costs. Attempting to make up the difference on fares for non-Yemenis reduces the airline’s competitiveness.
Most visitors from Europe arrive on the twice-weekly KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) or Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. flights. A total of seven flights a week to Egypt are offered and five or six (depending on the season) to Jordan.
The union with Alyemda Democratic Republic Airlines is finally completed on May 26, 1996 when Alyemda is merged. Ownership in the amalgamated carrier is divided between the Republic of Yemen (51%) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (49%). Hassan Abdo Sohbi is chairman and oversees a workforce of 2,655. The combined fleet includes 4 B-727-2N8As, 3 DHC-7-102s, 1 B-737-2N8A, 2 B-737-2R4Cs, 1 each B-707-369C, and 1 Airbus Industrie A310-304. Overall enplanements reach 672,955.
Two Airbus Industrie A310-304s are received in March 1997. According to an August 20 press release, in an effort to improve its performance and services, and in order to cope with the financial burden caused by increasing employee wages by 30% and pilots wages by 100%, Yemen has raised its ticket prices by 30%. In addition, the company promises to upgrade its fleet with new equipment at a cost of $200 to $300 million. Two new A320s join the fleet during the fall.
Flights continue in 1998-1999. Scheduled domestic destinations visited at the end of the decade include Aden, Al Ghaydah, Ataq, Hodeidah, Riyan Mukala, Seiyun, Socotra, and Taiz. International services are operated to Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Amman, Asmara, Bahrain, Beirut, Bombay, Cairo, Damascus, Dar es Salaam, Djibouti, Doha, Dubai, Frankfurt, Jeddah, Karachi, Khartoum, London (GTW), Nairobi, Riyadh, Rome, and Sharjah. On December 4 of the latter year, weekly A310-304 return service is started from Sanaa to Johannesburg via Dar es Salaam. Enplanements during those 12 months approach one million.
Hassan Sohbi is chairman at the beginning of 2000 and he oversees a workforce of 4,017. The fleet continues to include not only the Airbus equipment, but 5 B-727-2N8As, 2 B-737-2R4Cas, and 1 B-737-2N8A as well.
Weekly A310-304 roundtrips begin on January 16 from Sanaa to Paris (CDG) via Moroni, Comores.
In May, an A310-324 previously operated by Austrian Airlines, A. G. is leased for five years from AIFS.
The company’s B-737-2N8A loses direction while landing in a sandstorm at Khartoum, Sudan, on June 26. The Boeing runs off the runway and its landing gear separates. No injuries are reported.
A company B-727-2N8A lands at Baghdad on September 29 after Saudi officials change their mind and allow the flight overflight authority. Despite the U. N. embargo, Yemenia is the third company to make a charter flight into the Iraqi capital during September.
World History
