IOA is registered on January 13, 1947 as successor to Mistri Airways, Ltd. Equipped with 17 Canadian-built Noorduyn Norsemen and Douglas DC-3s, the carrier operates charters as well as a single route from Bombay to Calcutta via Nagpur.
On February 20, 1948, the company receives an 11-month provisional license to fly a route from Nagpur to Lucknow via Jubbulpore, Allahabad, and Kanpur. Late in the year, executives of the Indian Post Office, in a precursor to a concept developed by Frederick Smith for Federal Express a quarter of a century later, design a night mail program based on a single centralized sorting hub.
On January 31-February 1, 1949, the company begins night DC-3 airmail flights from Delhi to Madras and Bombay to Calcutta; Nagpur is the central exchange point to which aircraft from each city arrive, pick up their mail, and return. lOA encounters financial difficulties and on June 10 suspends operations. The carrier ceases business in October 1950.
INDIAN TRANS-CONTINENTALAIRWAYS, LTD. (ITCA): India (1933-1942). Capitalized at R 1 million, ITCA is founded on June 21, 1933 to operate a transcontinental route in association with Imperial Airways, Ltd. Shareholding is held by the government of India (51%), Indian National Airways, Ltd. (INA) (25%), and Imperial Airways, Ltd. (24%). Two British-registered Imperial Airways, Ltd. Armstrong Whitworth AW-15 Atalantas, the Arethusa and Aurora, are wet-leased and transferred to the new carrier, given Indian registry, and painted in ITCA livery. Meanwhile, the enabling arrangement provides for INA to market the new long-distance product, selling tickets at 11 of its owner’s (Govan Brothers, Ltd.) offices and handling local promotions.
Alternating weeks with the British carrier, ITCA’s Arethusa begins Karachi-Calcutta service on July 7 via Jodhpur, Delhi, Cawnpore, and Allahabad. Westward service departs Calcutta on July 11.
On October 1, the Arethusa extends the Calcutta end of the Karachi-Calcutta service to Rangoon via Akyab. The first westward flight of the joint Imperial Airways, Ltd.-ITCA service departs Rangoon the next day. The two carriers jointly extend the Rangoon destination on to Singapore on December 18 via Bangkok and Alor Star. Westward flights begin from Singapore on December 31.
ITCA services continue with little change until March 1, 1938 when the route to Singapore is halted at Calcutta. The route now flown is Karachi-Calcutta via Jodhpur, Delhi, Cawnpore, and Allahabad.
On June 10, 1940, the route is suspended; hope of resumption continues for the rest of the year but, following the outbreak of war in the Pacific, the Arethusa and Aurora are commandeered by the Indian government in February 1942 and assigned to the air force.
INDIAN WELLS AIRLINES: United States (1984-1985). Founded as C & M Airlines and having operated for a year as Mojave Airlines, this carrier receives its final corporate identity in 1984. Employing a fleet of Cessna 402s and 441s, the Inyokern, California-based carrier maintains scheduled passenger and freight services to Los Angeles. Previous frequencies to Bishop, Mammoth, Ontario, Palmdale, and San Diego are all suspended.
Operations cease in February 1985 as the result of FAA enforcement action against a variety of alleged company FAR violations.
INDIANA AIRWAYS (1): United States (1930-1931). Organized at Indiana, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1930, this small operator obtains a Ryan B-5 Brougham and uses it to launch scheduled passenger flights to Pittsburgh in November. Without a mail contract, the carrier is unable to generate sufficient revenue traffic to fly beyond mid-1931.
INDIANA AIRWAYS (2): United States (1977-1980). The second IA is set up by Reid Airways owner Charles R. Reid at West Lafayette, Indiana, in the fall of 1977 to provide scheduled air taxi roundtrips to Indianapolis and Columbus. Daily Piper PA-31-310 Navajo revenue frequencies are inaugurated on November 15 and are maintained until April 15, 1980.
INDIANA AIRWAYS (3): United States (1979-1980). The third IAis set up not in the Hoosier State, but at Indiana, Pennsylvania, in 1979. Employing Piper lightplanes, the commuter inaugurates daily roundtrip scheduled services linking its base with Youngstown, Ohio, via Pittsburgh. The company fails to attract sufficient traffic and closes down in April 1980.
World History
