PANINTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS, GmbH.: Germany (19691972). As the result of a moniker challenge by the U. S. flag carrier Pan American World Airways (1), Panair Fluganlage, GmbH. is renamed on December 31, 1969. Several adjustments are made during the first quarter of 1970, as the one-plane house carrier of the tour operator Pa-neuropa, GmbH. prepares for the summer season. Principal among these are the relocation of the company base to Munich and the addition of two more British Aircraft Corporation BAC 1-11-515s. With the beginning of the summer holiday season at the end of March, the company’s U. K.-made jetliners transport vacationers to resorts in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Canary Islands.
During the spring, the decision is made to enter the North Atlantic market in 1971. To that end, the company, in July, purchases a pair of discarded American Airlines Boeing 707-123 Stratoliners. These are ferried to London (LHR) in November and prepared for delivery to Germany at the beginning of the new year.
Not long before departure of the ex-AA jets for Dusseldorf in January 1971 , it is discovered that someone has forgotten to obtain the necessary permits needed to fly into Germany. During the three months it takes to obtain the required paperwork, Paninternational must not only pay for the grounded Stratoliners, but wet-lease substitute jetliners to carry out a commitment for the lift of an increased number of travelers. The arrival of a fourth BAC 1-11-515 arrives on March 15, but the four BACs, taken altogether, still cannot provide the required capacity. Additional subcharters must still be arranged. Throughout the spring and summer, costs mount, even as the Stratoliners enter service.
The straw that breaks the proverbial camel’s back occurs on September 6 when one of the BAC 1-11-515s is forced to make an emergency landing (safely it turns out) on a German autobahn. The event generates heavy and unwelcome media exposure, which leads a number of tour company companies to pull their business.
Having received no payments for its aircraft, American Airlines withdraws its Boeings on October 1. Financial and safety concerns force the company to cease flying on October 6, stranding several thousand customers at their resorts and gaining even more bad publicity. The remainder of the year is spent by company executives attempting to guarantee the safety of their aircraft, boost funding, and find new patrons.
In January 1972, Paninternational is cleared to resume operations. Before it can, however, BAC steps in and repossesses aircraft nos. 2, 3, and 4 for nonpayment. Down to one plane and only a few potential customers, the airline declares bankruptcy in March and is liquidated.
World History
