A. S.
ISTHMIAN AIRWAYS, S. A.: Panama (1929-1933). Ralph Sexton forms Isthmian in the Panama Canal Zone in the spring of 1929; the company is the first civil air transport concern established in Panama. Employing Hamilton H-45s/H-47s floatplanes, service is inaugurated on May 5 across the entire width of the country, Cristobal to Balboa.
The 47-mile route is maintained until the pioneer airline becomes a victim of the Depression in 1933.
ITA (ITAPEMIRIM TRANSPORTES AEREOS, S. A.): Praca Pio X No. 15, 4th & 6th Floor, Rio de Janeiro, 20 040 020, Brazil; Phone 55 (21) 263-4255; Fax 55 (21) 233-4261; Http://www. itapemirim. com. br/visa/aero/htm; Code K9; Year Founded 1990. ITA is founded by its chairman, Camilo Cola, at Rio de Janeiro in September 1989 and is one of the first all-cargo carriers to be established in Brazil since the 1970s. Ownership is held by Cola’s Itapemirim Transportes group, the largest surface transport concern in the country. A Boeing 727-25F is acquired and is given a grey belly and yellow fuselage above the wingline, with titles reading “ITA Itapemirim Cargo.” After a delay, services are inaugurated in January 1991 on a route to Manaus. A B-727-173C arrives at year’s end and doubles the company’s capacity.
In 1992-1993, the fleet is significantly increased as two more B-727s, a Dash-46F and a Dash-30C, are placed into service. The former had previously been operated by Evergreen International Airlines.
Marketing alliances are established in 1995-1997 with Federal Express (FedEx), KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.), and Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. To handle these commitments, Chairman/CEO Cola acquires two Cessna 208B Grand Caravans, as well as one each B-727-25F, B-727-225AF, and B-727-259AF.
Scheduled destinations visited include Belem, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Manaus, Porto Alegre, Recife, Salvador, and Viracopos. Montevideo and Miami are new charter markets.
At the beginning 1998, airline employment stands at 400 and the company is designated a flag carrier; it is assigned to the Brazil-U. S. market as a scheduled all-cargo airline.
It is reported on September 6, 1999 that ITA has been taken over by TAM (Transportes Aeros Regionais, S. A.) and will shortly be renamed Interexpress Transportes Aereos Regionais, S. A.
Airline employment totals 2,000 at the beginning of 2000.
ITALAIR, S. p.A.: Italy (1996-2000). This third-level operator is established at Rome in 1996 to offer regional scheduled passenger services within Italy. Luigi Greco is president and he begins revenue flights with five Avions de Transport Regional ATR42-320s.
Service is maintained in 1997-2000. In these years, the company’s turboprops visit Alghero, Bologna, Brindisi, Cuneo, Genoa, Naples, and Pisa. Enplanements during the latter year total 65,000. The company announces during the summer of the latter year that it’s routes from Al-ghero to Venice and Verona are to be dropped with the beginning of the winter schedule on October 29. At that point, the carrier will be operating a single ATR42-320 on daily roundtrips from Alghero to Bologna and from Cuneo to Rome, thrice weekly to Genoa, and four times a week to Pisa
Before these changes can be made, ItalAir shuts down in September.
See ITA
ITALY FIRST, S. p.A.: 115 Corso d’Augusto, Rimini, 47900, Italy; Phone 0541 438811; Fax 0541 28808; Http://www. italy-first. com; Code IF; Year Founded 1999. Italy First is established as a subsidiary of Gruppo Condor at Rimini in 1999 to operate scheduled domestic replacement passenger services as well as charters and air ambulance flights to points around the Mediterranean and to the CIS. Two Avions de Transport Aerien Regional ATR42-320s initiate revenue flights to Al-ghero, Bologna, Milan, Naples, and Rome.
Employing both ATR42-320s wet-leased from Italy First., Meridi-ana, S. p.A., on behalf of Alitalia, S. p.A., inaugurates twice-daily roundtrips on May 1, 2000, from Naples to Bologna
World History
