Headquartered at Burlington, Ontario, MGA is set up in 1991 to operate all-cargo services in Atlantic Canada from a base at Shearwater, Nova Scotia. Flights begin with a pair of Convair CV-580s.
When operations cease in January 1997, the company owes more than C$835,000 to unsecured creditors. The only secured creditor is Montreal-based RoyNat, Inc., which holds a mortgage of more than C$1 million on the two aircraft.
MARKAIR: United States (1984-1995). Freight-specialist Alaska International Air is renamed MarkAir in early 1984. One-time bush pilot Neil Bergt is chairman/CEO, with his longtime associate Ralph Brumbaugh as president.
Employing 4 Boeing 737-2X6Cs and 3 Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules freighters, the reborn entrant inaugurates scheduled passenger services on March 1 linking the carrier’s Anchorage base with Fairbanks, Barrow, and Bethel.
In the next year, destinations will be increased by the addition of stops at Aniak, Dillingham, Galena, King Salmon, Kodiak, Kotzebue, McGrath, Nome, Prudhoe Bay, St. Mary’s, and Unalakleet. Cargo flights continue to be operated with three Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules freighters. In midyear, most of the airport facilities of nearly bankrupt Wien Air Alaska are purchased and taken over.
Traffic data is kept confidential.
Flights begin in 1985 to Seattle via Juneau and Ketchikan. Scheduled cargo services are maintained by both the B-737-2X6Cs and four Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules freighters. Contracts are signed with several commuter carriers for feeder flights to a number of smaller communities and villages, including Bethel, Dillingham, King Salmon, Galena, McGrath, St. Mary’s, and Unalakleet.
During the year, Raymond Vecci of Alaska Airlines and MarkAir Chairman Bergt enter into a mutual-toleration pact. Under its terms, the two will feed passengers into each other’s flights on routes from Anchorage to Dillingham, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, and King Salomon. The arrangement funnels Alaska Airlines passengers onto MarkAir which, in turn, pays a portion of each fare to the Seattle-based company and will last for just over half a decade. The two will continue to compete for passengers and cargo between Anchorage and Fairbanks, Bethel, and Prudhoe Bay.
MarkAir is another private airline unwilling to reveal its traffic figures, but it does report to the DOT that revenues of $83 million are earned. Although an operating profit of $10.9 million is generated, there is a net loss of $2.9 million.
Airline employment grows 0.3% in 1986 to 608. A partnership arrangement is entered into with Alaska Airlines under which the large regional is able to offer Alaska’s frequent flyer mileage and use the national’s ticketing and scheduling networks. During the year, a Lockheed L-188PF is sold to Spirit of America Airlines.
Traffic figures are now released and show that passenger enplane-ments for the year are up 1.1% to 330,254. Freight, on the other hand, declines by 9.8% to 52.62 million FTKs. Revenues swell 3% to $85.21 million, expenses drop 4.2% to $68.8 million, and the operating profit is $16.41. A net profit of $20.28 million is achieved.
The workforce is reduced by eight (1.3%) in 1987 as the carrier suffers a bad year.
Passenger bookings decline 8.7% to 299,562 while freight falls 8.1% to 31.31 million FTKs. Revenues, too, are off by 1.9% to $83.6 million. Expenses, however, are up by 3.3% to $71.1 million, causing a decline in operating profit to $12.6 million and a downturn in net gain to $2.18 million.
The employee population resumes its upward march in 1988, growing by 15.5% to 693. The fleet now includes 4 B-737-2X6Cs, 1 B-737-2T2A, 3 Hercules freighters, and 1 de Havilland Canada DHC-7-101.
During late October, company officials meet with Peninsula Airways President Orin Seybert to discuss possible collaboration and a limitation of Peninsula’s competition on routes between Anchorage and southwest Alaska regional hubs.
Traffic also recovers, climbing by 20.2% to 360,126 travelers flown. Revenues are up 18.5% to $99.1 million and operating income grows to $15.45 million. Net profit is $3.16 million.
The workforce is increased a further 8.2% in 1989 to 750 as the carrier, now advanced into the ranks of National carriers, acquires a B-737-2T4A and enters into a complete code-sharing agreement with Alaska Airlines. MarkAir is now the 12th largest private employer in Alaska and the state’s largest in-state airline.
In February, the airline temporarily slashes its cargo fares, thereby causing a large drop in postal freight rates. The competition protests to the Department of Justice that Chairman Bergt’s tactic is a textbook example of predatory pricing designed to eliminate competition.
In April, Reeve Aleutian Airways is one of five Alaskan air carriers subpoenaed by the DOJ to provide information in an investigation of possible antitrust violations in the airline industry. Together with Peninsula Airways, Frontier Flying Service, Ryan Air Service, and Alaska Airlines, Reeve is required to supply documents (dating back to January 1, 1984) to a May 9 grand jury session or forward them directly to Washington.
Although the airline subpoenas do not name a target, the May 6 issue of the Anchorage Daily News reports the subject is MarkAir. The presidents of both Peninsula Airways and Frontier Flying Service confirm to the newspaper that DOJ lawyers have quizzed them within the last year concerning possible antitrust activities by Bergt’s carrier.
Largely as a result of its new arrangement with Alaska Airlines, passenger boardings jump 10.6% for MarkAir to 394,248. Freight declines 6% to 43.2 million pounds. Revenues total $85.4 million, expenses are 71.66 million, and the operating profit is $16.16 million. Net gain reaches $2.68 million.
The number of workers climbs 20% in 1990 to 900, 3 DHC-6-300s join the fleet, and 2 DHC-8-102s are ordered. The B-737-2T2A and B-737-2T4A are leased to Delta Air Lines.
President Brumbaugh resigns in January; his post is taken over by Executive Vice President Michael F. Cerkovnik. Scheduled daily roundtrips commence in May between Anchorage and Kenai.
En route from Anchorage to Unalakleet on June 2 to pick up a crowd of herring fishermen, Flight 3087, a B-737-2X6C with four crew, crashes into the side of 1,230-ft. Blueberry Ridge, 4i/! mi. short of its runway destination. The aircraft skids several hundred feet, losing one engine and its tail section. No one aboard is killed and two men are able to walk away with rescuers.
Later in the year, the St. Mary’s, Alaska-based Hermen’s Air is purchased; as a wholly owned subsidiary, Hermen’s MarkAir Express begins providing feed with six leased Cessna 208 Caravan Is.
Four-times-a-day scheduled return service from Anchorage to Homer is started on October 30.
Customer bookings jump 10.9% to 438,000, but cargo continues its tailspin, falling 33.9% to 29.4 million FTKs. Revenues increase 18.19% to $128.3 million and costs are up 21.71% to $112.44 million. Consequently, operating income slips to $15.85 million, but net gain doubles to $7.86 million.
Airline employment declines by 16.7% in 1991 to 750 and the fleet now includes 7 B-737-200s, 2 DHC-8-102s, 2 DHC-7-103s, and 3 Hercules freighters. Orders are placed in January for 5 Beech 1900Ds. The DHC-6-300s are transferred to Hermen’s MarkAir Express.
On February 6, Frontier Flying Service expands from Fairbanks to Anchorage with a new Beech 99 route via McGrath and Galena. As a result, the commuter enters into a fare war over the McGrath-Anchorage segment with the much larger MarkAir, charging a roundtrip tariff of $280. MarkAir, in retaliation, immediate drops its $326 roundtrip ticket price to $190. AB-737-353 is now purchased from the assets of Air Europe, Ltd., which had declared bankruptcy on March 8.
The relationship between MarkAir and Alaska Airlines begins to deteriorate in July. MarkAir Chairman Bergt is extremely displeased when the larger carrier seeks an increase in the percentage of its take from fares of Alaska Airlines passengers booking onto MarkAir. Alaska Airlines also rejects a plan to substitute smaller, more cost-efficient aircraft for some of the jets serving Kodiak. Bergt determines to unilaterally abrogate the 1985 pact, claiming that the other side does not want to continue the special relationship.
In October, Chairman Bergt informs his employees that he is planning an expansion that will put his aircraft deep within airspace previously dominated by Alaska Airlines. He is, however, willing to consider a last-minute possibility of selling his airline to the larger company. Thus he travels to Seattle for a meeting with Alaska President Vecci. No arrangement can be achieved and in the weeks that follow, an intense fare war will begin between the companies.
The senior carrier cancels its code-sharing pact with MarkAir in November, while suing MarkAir for fraud and breaking its mileage agreement. Bergt files a $150-million counter suit charging that Alaska has moved to squash the regional by illegally terminating its code-sharing and frequent flyer agreements.
These moves, together with recession and higher costs, lead to significant decline. Late in the season, an office and the maintenance hangar at Fairbanks are sold to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), and leased back.
On December 2, Chief Financial Officer Steve Hartung writes to William Scott, executive director of AIDEA, reporting that the company needs money, but also needs more workers for its hangar and office complex in Fairbanks. With the right planning and help, Hartung suggests, the Fairbanks complex can employ up to 150 Alaskans.
The fare war with Alaska Airlines in December approaches cutthroat intensity on routes from Anchorage to Nome and to Kotzebue. Normal $400 fares are slashed in half. MarkAir also pushes into Southeast Alaska, where Alaska Airlines has long enjoyed monopoly jet service and U. S. government subsidies. In addition to deep discounts on published fares, Bergt’s airline offers bargains on group travel and begins to court cruise operators that require one-way transportation between Juneau and Seattle. On December 30, daily return service is inaugurated between Ketchikan and Seattle.
Enplanements this year drop 12.1% to 386,000 and freight plunges 30.6% to 21.2 million FTKs. Revenues fall 5.95% to $120.67 million and expenses increase 3.58% to $116.47 million, lowering operating income to $4.19 million. The net profit is cut in half, to $3.08 million. The company’s total assets are listed at $158 million, with $50 million in current liability and $76 million in noncurrent liability.
Company employment grows 20% in 1992 to 900 even as its rock-bottom rates damage its ability to pay creditors. Still, on January 2, the Hartung-Scott correspondence of December, which has resulted in a whirlwind round of negotiations over 28 days, brings an agreement. Under its terms, the State of Alaska agrees to purchase the MarkAir hangars at Bethel, Unalaska, and Fairbanks for $5.8 million. MarkAir, in turn, promises to lease them back, paying AIDEA $1 million per year for 15 years in rent and to hire 112 full-time employees.
The price war with Alaska Airlines takes a new direction in January. In previous years, both competitors had rejected attempts by the Alaskan state government to gain discounts. When the Department of Administration approaches the two airlines seeking discounts, Alaska Airlines rebuffs the approach. MarkAir, on the other hand, agrees to sell tickets a 27% below regular coach fares. The state purchases 100 Anchorage-Juneau tickets and makes plans to acquire additional tokens in bulk. Alaska Airlines files a protest pointing out that the acquisition was made outside the normal bidding process; the statehouse agrees that additional ticket purchases will follow bidding rules.
Also in January, service is inaugurated between Juneau and Seattle. On January 17, the company sells all three of its Lockheed L-100-30 cargo planes to Southern Air Transport (SAT). Painted in SAT’s black, white, and gray colors, two of the aircraft will be wet-leased back to help
MarkAir operate a $5.6 USAF contract, received the same day, to ferry cargo and passengers from Elmendorf AFB to Galena, King Salmon, Atka, Shemya, and Amchitka.
MarkAir, which has planned on operating with less than $10 million until anticipated summer bookings provide saving income, sets the routes and leases the first B-737-400, 2 Dash-46B, to be placed on the Anchorage-Seattle route. While maintaining its competition with Alaska Airlines, MarkAir now awaits the typical surge in summer reservations.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation files suit during the second quarter to recover $6.3 million in overdue loans and back interest.
The first two Beech 1900Ds enter service on April 1. On April 28, Porcaro Blankenship, the company’s Anchorage advertising agency, advises certain suppliers that they will have to wait for payment, which comes on May 7. Public discussion of plans for a public offering, current since the previous fall, now end. Also during the month, a third and fourth Beech 1900D arrive.
Eagerly anticipating a large number of summer reservations, employees are surprised when, by the second week of May, they have not arrived. The third week passes, but still the business boost does not occur. On May 18, Ralph Brumbaugh is lured out of retirement to reassume the president’s chair, freeing Chairman Bergt from certain of the problems of day-to-day management.
Toward the end of May, MarkAir is required to lay off 120 workers. It also informs flight attendants-in-training that they must now look elsewhere for employment. Chairman Bergt warns that more layoffs may come, along with pay cuts, if the picture does not improve quickly. The new route between Juneau and Seattle is also sacrificed on May 20 and Juneau is left holding the bag for $134,000 in airport lease fees. Simultaneously, service is halted to Sitka and Ketchikan.
The carrier disengages from its toe-to-toe competition with Alaskan Airlines when it is forced to file for Chapter XI bankruptcy on June 11. The carrier’s creditors allow it to keep flying while it is reorganized and in a fund-raising event, it announces a Permanent Fund dividend special: four roundtrip fares for $915. At month’s end, the fifth Beech 1900D is delivered.
Over the next 60 days, aircraft leases are all renegotiated in a touch-and-go process. For example, on August 5, MarkAir is given until the close of business to wire $214,000 to Beech Acceptance Corp. of Wichita, Kansas. The payment will allow the carrier to retain the five Beech 1900s for a week until leases can be renegotiated permanently.
Passenger boardings increase 49.7% to 578,000 and freight inches upward 0.4% to 21.24 million FTKs. Although $18 million in revenues are obtained, the airline, while in bankruptcy, is relieved of its need to report specific financial statistics.
The payroll is increased another 31.2% in 1993 to 1,181; however, plans to emerge from Chapter XI are stalled. Flights to Denver and Phoenix end on January 10.
Still, MarkAir expands aggressively, completing plans instituted the previous year. A code-sharing agreement is signed with Gary, Indiana-based Direct Air in March for the operation of MarkAir-Direct feeder flights from Chicago (MDW). Chief Financial Officer Don King resigns in April to become vice president at Yute Air Alaska.
A hub is established at Denver and routes are inaugurated to nine communities in Indiana, Illinois, and Pennsylvania in the spring, reaching a yearend total of 15 “lower 48” destinations as far east as New York City.
Meanwhile in July, the Anchorage-based carrier is able to emerge from Chapter XI bankruptcy protection. The success is made possible through a reorganization under which unsecured creditors receive debentures covering 100% of the $15-million debt owed, plus interest. Creditors may wait 3-5 years to receive payment or may exchange their debentures good for MarkAir flights or resale to third parties.
In September, a Flex Fare pricing system is introduced, allowing passengers savings of up to 70% on their tickets. On September 7, deep discount roundtrips are inaugurated from Denver to Los Angeles, Washington, San Francisco, and Dallas (DFW).
All of this activity leads to a dramatic 95.7% increase in customer bookings to 1,125,000. Cargo, on the other hand, falls 36.6% to 13.94 million FTKs. Financial results are provided and show revenues earned of $153.25 million. Expenses are $152.76 million and allow an operating profit of $496,528. There is, however, a net loss of $18.18 million.
Airline employment is reduced by 32.3% in 1994 to 800. Destinations now visited include Anchorage, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, Phoenix, Kansas City, Minneapolis (MSP), Dallas (DFW), Kansas City, Chicago, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Washington, D. C., and New York.
Daily return service is inaugurated on February 17 from Seattle to Juneau and to Anchorage. Paul Bowers, the Juneau Airport manager, reminds the carrier that it still owes $134,000 in airport lease fees from 1992.
The carrier is the 14th largest employer in the state, but it remains nearly $1 million behind in loan and rent payments to AIDEA. An application, which will initially be rejected, is filed for the relocation of company headquarters to Denver’s new international airport.
In December, the pay of most employees is cut by 10%.
The fleet by late December includes 3 each B-737-4S3s and B-737-4Y0s, 2 each B-737-317s, B-737-3M8s, B-737-2X6ACs, B-737-2T4ACs, and 1 each B-737-3S3, B-737-2T2A, B-737-2T4A, and B-737-25A.
Passenger boardings for the year skyrocket 86.2% to 2,095,000, while freight declines 35.2% to 9.04 million FTKs. Revenues increase 43.5% to $220 million and expenses are $216.58 million. As a result, pretax profit shoots up to $3.41 million.
Early in 1995, in an effort to increase its presence in the “lower 48,” the company relocates its operations to Denver, while retaining its Anchorage headquarters.
The carrier also petitions the State of Alaska for a $40-million loan guarantee with which to rescue the airline. In his appeal, Chairman Bergt cites a report from the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska that finds that MarkAir supports 2,200 Alaska jobs beyond its own. The report also estimates that Alaska travelers have an extra $75 million in purchasing power annually because of the airline’s low fares. Before negotiations begin, it is agreed that MarkAir will keep its headquarters in Anchorage during the time of any loan guarantee, plus one extra year.
A blue ribbon commission is appointed by AIDEA on February 1 to review the MarkAir request. It reports its findings on March 14 on its examination of a proposal from the company for a $40-million loan guarantee to help the airline refinance. The unanimous panel vote is that the state should not assist MarkAir because the request is too risky and because state intervention on behalf of a private company is inappropriate and unfair to other competitors. It also recommends that if MarkAir can find another party to share the risks, increase its collateral, and show continuing revenues supporting its business, AIDEA could legally and morally reconsider the loan guarantee.
On March 16, the full board of directors of the AIDEA denies the loan request. As a result, the company announces that it must downsize and will, as a beginning, lay off up to 300 workers and raise fares on some Alaska routes. The workers, including pilots who survive the firings, will be subjected to 15% pay cuts. Chairman Bergt makes a last minute appeal to Governor Tony Knowles, but the governor stands by his agency’s decision.
On March 30, flights originating from Alaska will be dropped to Los Angeles, San Diego, and Oakland. On April 1, unprofitable routes to Cincinnati and Baltimore are abandoned; however, daily service is inaugurated from Denver to Houston. The same day, the San Francisco terminus of the daily roundtrip to Anchorage is switched to Oakland.
Service from Seattle to Los Angeles is suspended on April 10, while plans to halt flights to Juneau on April 15 are moved up and they are also cut on April 10.
The company now owes more than $1 million in rent payments at Denver and the U. S. Internal Revenue Service bids to liquidate the firm’s assets for unpaid taxes. These and other financial woes force MarkAir to refile for Chapter XI in April.
On July 30, FAA inspectors find maintenance discrepancies in two of the Denver-based carrier’s six aircraft. As a result, MarkAir cancels a dozen flights with those planes until repairs can be made. Hundreds of passengers must scramble to find other flights.
To make matters worse, another aircraft, on a Seattle to Chicago flight via Denver, is forced to return to Seattle after it becomes the target of a bomb threat. The service eventually arrives in Denver.
After Boeing repossesses two jetliners on October 24, the company is unable to continue regular operations and converts from its present Chapter XI status to Chapter VII and is liquidated following its last flight on November 18. The company’s final traffic figures are released and show that, through mid-October, enplanements are off 52.7% to 990,000. Former USAir Shuttle CEO Terry Hallcom makes an attempt to rescue the company, but fails by year’s end.
The 1991 countersuit against Alaska Airlines, however, lives on. On July 22, 1998, four days before trial in the $150-million claim is set to begin, the major announces a $19-million settlement with MarkAir’s bankruptcy trustee. Former Chairman Bergt calls the arrangement a “bittersweet victory.”
MARKAIR EXPRESS: United States (1990-1995). St. Mary’s, Alaska-based Hermen’s Air is purchased by MarkAir in 1990. Although Stanley Hermen remains as president, the now wholly owned subsidiary is reconfigured into the national carrier’s feeder, Hermen’s MarkAir Express. A variety of support and aircraft will be transferred from MarkAir to its new associate.
En route from Cold Bay to False Pass to pick up passengers on December 21, a Cessna 208 Caravan I slams into the 200-ft. level of a mountain near Hot Springs Bay; the pilot is killed.
Second largest of the Alaskan Section 401 airlines, MarkAir Express in 1991 operates a fleet of 48 aircraft: 29 Cessna 207As, 12 Cessna 208 Caravan Is, 4 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters, 2 Cessna 185s, and 1 DHC-5.
A DHC-6-300 fails its takeoff from Chevak on October 26; there are no fatalities.
In mid-December, a sugar-like substance is found in the oil of two Twin Otters. Samples are sent to Exxon, the fluid’s manufacturer, and the FBI investigates possible sabotage.
On the evening of December 22, a Cessna 207A is reported overdue on a flight from McGrath to Nikolai, about 50 mi. E of McGrath in the Kushkokwim River valley. The next morning, Air National Guard and Civil Air Patrol aircraft locate the wreckage on a snowy slope of Halfway Mountain, 20 mi. NE of McGrath. Searchers recover the pilot’s body and key cargo.
A total of 199,155 passengers are flown during the first year along with 11,109,000 pounds of mail.
The fleet is increased to 56 aircraft in 1992. One of two newly acquired Cessna 207As depart Old Harbor for Kodiak on the afternoon of April 25, but one crashes in a riverbed east of the takeoff point minutes later. Low clouds, which may have contributed to the accident, prevent the second plane from spotting the wreckage. Tracking a locator signal to the crash site, a USCG helicopter rescues the injured pilot three hours later.
While en route from Dillingham to Koliganek with a mail cargo on July 20, the second new Cessna 207A, piloted by Edward Goodman, slams into the Muklung Hills six miles from the takeoff point. Reported overdue at Koliganek, a USCG helicopter picks up a signal from the wrecked plane’s emergency locating device and flies to Goodman’s rescue.
Passenger boardings for the year climb 30.4% to 259,663.
The fleet in 1993 includes 7 leased Beech 1900Cs, 5 Cessna 208 Caravan Is, 3 owned and 2 leased de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300s, 1 DHC-7-101, 1 chartered DHC-7-103, and several small Cessnas. Customer bookings slip 1.5% to 255,829.
An eighth Beech 1900C is acquired in 1994 and passenger boardings recover, jumping upward by 7.2% to 274,225.
When MarkAir moves to Denver early in 1995, it leaves its subsidiary behind, serving some 70 villages in the bush.
A bizarre incident occurs at Bethel on August 3 when a Cessna 172 plane leaves without its pilot during a preflight check. Having manually spun the propeller as part of routine testing, the unidentified pilot is shocked when the engine catches and the plane starts to move. The aircraft taxies across the ramp, through the weeds and plows into some bushes on the tundra 500 feet away, belly-up. No other passengers or cargo are aboard the aircraft.
Unable to achieve altitude after liftoff from a remote strip at Toksook Bay on November 3, a Cessna 207 with a pilot and six passengers, collides with rising terrain 1/4 mi. N of the runway; although no injuries are reported, the aircraft is badly damaged.
By late November, MarkAir Express is forced into Chapter XI bankruptcy; operations are suspended and the regional files for Chapter VII liquidation. During the first 11 months, 238,737 passengers have been flown (a 13% decline) and 3.31 million FTKs operated.
MAROOMBA AIRLINES (PTY.), LTD.: Fauntleroy Ave., Perth Domestic Airport, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Phone 9478 3850; Fax 9479 7689; Http://www. capeweb. comau/maroomba; Code KN; Year Founded 1998. Tiny Maroomba Airlines is established at Perth in 1998 to offer seasonal roundtrip charters for Roscoe’s Charters to Busselton and the Margaret River wine region. Flights begin and continue with a single Beech Super King Air 200.
MARQUETTE AIRLINES: United States (1938-1941). Briefly named Midwest Airlines, Marquette is established at St. Louis in the spring of 1938 to offer scheduled passenger and mail flights over the 564 miles to Detroit via Cincinnati, Dayton, and Toledo. It is the only airline started in the U. S. during the year. Employing four Stinson Model A Tri-Motors obtained from American Airlines, the carrier inaugurates revenue services on April 20. Once per day, each way flights are made Wednesdays through Saturdays.
Successful in the backyard of Transcontinental and Western Air Lines (TWA) , the smaller company is bought out by the larger on August 15, 1940. As the CAB does not immediately sanction the $350,000 purchase, TWA leases its new acquisition’s routes until government approval is received in April 1941. Amalgamation is completed on December 5.
MARSHALL’S AIR: United States (1979-1982). Alfred Marshall organizes this carrier at St. Thomas, U. S. Virgin Islands, in 1979 to offer tourist charter and cargo flights to Puerto Rico, the Windward Islands, and the Leeward Islands. Scheduled passenger flights are also initiated, linking the company base with Tortola, Anegada, and Virgin Gorda. Operations are flown with a pair of Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders and a Beech B-58 Baron.
Unable to weather the recession, the company stops flying in 1982.
MARTINAIR HOLLAND, N. V.: Martinair Building, P. O. Box 7507, Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, NL-1118 ZG, The Netherlands; Phone 31 (20) 601-1222; Fax 31 (20) 601-1303; Http://www. travelx. com/martinairholland. html; Code MA; Year Founded 1958. With a leased de Havilland DH 104 Dove, Martin Schroeder forms Martin’s Air Charter (Martin’s Luchtvervoermaatschappij, N. V.) on May 22, 1958 to offer sight-seeing trips over Amsterdam and the surrounding bulb-growing areas. Flight operations begin on May 24. Employing a Vickers Viking leased from the British company Overseas Aviation, MAC begins flying bulbs to Berlin in 1959.
In April 1960, the 362nd Amsterdam-area charter flight is recorded. Douglas DC-3s are acquired in March and July and Amsterdam-Jersey and Mallorca inclusive tours are flown for the tour operator Centouri. The leased DH 104 is replaced by a purchased unit and the first transport of annuals, to Yugoslavia, is made on December 29.
During the winter off-season of 1961, night cargo flights are undertaken for KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.). A head office is opened at Schiphol Airport on March 3. During the summer, a DC-3 flies Tibetan refugees from Kathmandu to Zurich. The newly founded Maastricht-based charter carrier Limberg Airways, B. V. is purchased and merged, together with its DH-104 and two DH-114 Herons. The first DC-4 is delivered on June 12, 1962.
During the winter of 1962-1963, a DH-114 and two DC-3s fly relief to Ameland Isle. Repainted in Deutsche Lufthansa, A. G. livery, a DH-114 and a DC-3 are contracted to fly passengers Frankfurt-Stuttgart while the airport at Stuttgart is under construction. A lease is signed with Swissair, A. G. and SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) to fly their replacement jet engines. In October, the Holland-America Line, the Royal Rotterdam-Lloyd steamship line, and the Shipping & Coal Co. each take 12.2% interest in the airline.
A Convair CV-340 and a Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas are purchased from KLM in 1964, entering charter operations on January 10 and February 27, respectively. A second DC-7C arrives in October and enters service in November, the same month the Dutch flag carrier acquires 25% of MAC. The fourth DC-3 and DC-7C are delivered in May 1965 as Seven Seas charter flights begin to the West Indies. Employment reaches 300.
Another DC-7C is acquired on February 23, 1966. On March 24, an MAC Seven Seas becomes the first charter carrier airliner to fly the polar route to Tokyo. Re-engined as a Dash-640, the company’s Convair begins a European demonstration flight on behalf of the manufacturer on April 15, reentering charter service on April 23. Two DH-104s are sold during the year and a DC-6A is acquired in the fall, during which time the airline is renamed Martinair Holland and orders its first DC-932 jetliner.
Another CV-640 is acquired on February 6, 1967 and the first three DC-3s are retired. The first DC-8-55 is purchased from KLM on November 15. In December, traffic rights to the U. S. are granted.
A Lockheed L-188 Electra leased from KLM is delivered on April 1, 1968; the DC-9-32 ordered in 1966 is delivered on July 23, allowing return of the L-188. ADC-3 and a DC-7C are sold in October and during the fall, DC-7Cs and DC-6s fly famine relief operations in Biafra. A DC-8-55F enters service in November and two more DC-9-32s arrive in February and April, 1969, respectively. A DC-7C is sold in September and a Fokker F.28 is leased the same month. The third DC-8-55 is delivered in October.
Relief flights to Biafra continue in 1970 as the last DC-3 is sold in the fall. A DC-9-32 and an F.28 are delivered in February and March 1971, respectively. The DC-6A is sold in June and when the last CV-640 is sold in September, Martinair becomes an all-jet airline. The company then adopts a new livery and colors. Two DC-9-32s begin flying Hadj pilgrims from Borneo-Saudi Arabia.
A DC-10-30CF is ordered in February 1972 and Martinair becomes a KSSU Group subcontractor. A new color scheme is introduced when a DC-8-55F begins weekly cargo flights to Hong Kong on September 15, 1973; a DC-9-32 is sold in October. The first DC-10-30CF is delivered on November 19, beginning charter service to Indonesia in December. Also in December, Martinair Holland is incorporated as a holding company, spreading its activities in future years into diversified interests.
On December 4, 1974, a DC-8-55F is en route on a chartered Hadj flight from Suragaya, Indonesia, to Mecca via Katunayake. Carrying 9 crew and 155 passengers, including 183 Moslem pilgrims, the aircraft crashes into the densely wooded central highlands of Sri Lanka during a landing approach to Banaranaike International Airport, coming to rest on Laxabana Hill; there are no survivors.
In September and October 1975, the carrier contracts to evacuate 11,000 Portuguese from Angola.
A second DC-10-30CF is delivered on January 5, 1976. In December, 88 pedigree cows are flown Prestwick, Scotland-New Zealand, the longest air transport of cattle in history. The third DC-10-30CF arrives on December 23, for which a DC-8-55F is returned to McDonnell Douglas as a trade-in.
A second F.28 is acquired and another DC-10-30CF is ordered in May 1977. In November, a DC-10-30CF flies relief missions from Singapore-Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
In the wake of U. S. deregulation, North Atlantic charters are suspended in 1978. Two DC-10-30CFs are leased and late in the year the company’s fourth DC-10-30CF is delivered. In April and May, the Phnom Penh relief flights are continued.
President Schroeder oversees a workforce of 850 and enplanements for the year total 738,480.
All Dutch DC-10s are briefly grounded following the 1979 American Airlines Chicago crash. On June 19, the carrier’s PH-MBT becomes the first Douglas wide-body in the world to restart flights. During the summer, three Airbus Industrie A310s are ordered. By year’s end, the workforce has been increased by 2.2% to 990.
Passenger boardings pass the million-mark for the first time, up 32% to 1,086,000. A $6.3-million net profit is posted.
The workforce is reduced by 1% in 1980 to 950. An F.28 is sold to Ansett Transport Industries.
Freight traffic for the year skyrockets 188.5% to 251 million FTKs, but passenger boardings fall 27.4% to 788,659. Total revenues are $152 million; however, expenses rise 7.4% to $144 million, cutting the profit to $3.3 million.
A DC-9-80 leased from Inex Adria is delivered in November 1981; in December, a DC-9-32 is sold back to McDonnell Douglas.
Freight drops 10.4% on the year to 225 million FTKs and passenger bookings dip 0.2% to 789,571. Revenues grow to $147 million and the net profit soars to $4.9 million, a $71.5% increase.
As the effects of the world economic recession hit home, freight traffic remains level in 1982, but enplanements decline to 789,571.
The employee population numbers 865 in 1983. Taipei-Amsterdam weekly charter flights commence in January. The Inex Adria Dash-80 is returned following receipt on February 18 of the carrier’s first purchased DC-9-82 (McDonnell Douglas MD-82), which enters service on February 19.
A total of 621,000 passengers are carried, a dip of 18%; however, freight traffic jumps a significant 46% to 378.88 million FTKs.
A second MD-82 arrives in 1984, along with two A310-200s. Beginning on December 1, the latter operate long-haul charter flights from Amsterdam to Bangkok via Keflavik.
Enplanements climb to 736,229. A net profit of $5.15 million is recorded on top of an operating gain of $10 million.
Employment jumps 16.2% in 1985 to 1,040 as a Boeing B-747-21AC is ordered for 1987 delivery. Late in the year, A310-200 charters are introduced to New York and Toronto.
Passenger boardings rise 13.7% to 853,104 and cargo climbs 13.4% to 500 million FTKs. Total revenues earned are up 16.1% to $195 million, operating income is $18 million, and the net profit is $9 million.
Service begins to four southern European destinations and Philadelphia in 1986. In June, a second B-747-21AC is ordered and as bookings plunge in the face of terrorism and the Chernobyl disaster, the carrier attempts to win bookings by the expensive process of joining all five U. S. airline passenger reservations systems.
Enplanements, however, dip to 824,000 and revenues are $287 million. Still, there are profits: $26 million (operating) and $18.7 million (net).
Airline employment grows by 4.9% in 1987 to 1,185 as the fleet modernization program is pushed ahead. The first B-747-21AC is delivered on February 23 and christened Prins van Oranje, as orders are placed for two B-767-300ERs. On March 1, the Jumbojet inaugurates a series of cargo flights from Amsterdam to Hong Kong via Dubai and Muscat.
In June, the combi begins flying charters to the U. S. and Canada while in November, the aircraft introduces weekly all-cargo service from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia.
Passenger boardings recover, climbing 22.6% to 1,065,000 and freight is up 8.5% to 676 million FTKs. Revenues advance 5.2% to $301.9 million and costs are held low enough to allow profits of $27 million (operating) and $18.2 million (net), down 2.7% from 1986.
The workforce is increased by 7.2% in 1988 to 1,270 and weekly DC-10-30CF all-cargo services from Holland to Sydney, Australia, begin in January. The second B-747-21AC arrives in September and in November it is substituted for the DC-10-30CF on the weekly Amsterdam-Seattle run.
In December, year-round transatlantic service is initiated, with the twice-weekly summer seasonal Amsterdam-Miami route flown during the winter as well.
Customer bookings increase another 11.1% to 1,183,000; however, cargo dips 0.9% to 670 million FTKs. Revenues rise 7.6% to $295.8 million and operating income reaches $28.7 million. Net gain doubles to $33.5 million, but includes a $10.5-million income from the sale of a DC-10-30CF.
Company employment is boosted another 11.4% in 1989 to 1,415 as the first of six B-767-31AERs enters service. Routes are initiated to Santo Domingo and Tampa and new Star Class service is introduced for business travelers. In April, the U. S. West Coast terminus for the company’s Amsterdam service is transferred from San Francisco to Oakland. For four months, a B-747-21AC is leased to Qantas Airways (Pty.), Ltd. while is own Jumbojets are down for maintenance.
In June, two company pilots purchase 1 of the 12 remaining North American Yale World War II trainers; it is loaded aboard a Martainair B-747-21AC at Seattle and flown to Amsterdam’s Schipol Airport.
A joint fare agreement is signed with Balair Air Charter, A. G. in July that allows travel between New York, Amsterdam, and Basel for one $509 roundtrip fare. Simultaneously, the carrier introduces $698 one-week, inclusive-tour packages at Amsterdam, including roundtrip airfares from New York or Newark. The Balair Air Charter, A. G. joint fare declines to $484 in September and on October 2, Star Class service is introduced aboard the Jumbojets and DC-10s on the North American routes as business-class accommodation without business-class prices.
The subsidiary Martinair Catering Services occupies a new catering facility and later in October, a joint pool agreement for maintenance, flight, technical training, and assistance for the new B-767-31AERs is signed with SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). Also during the month, the airline becomes the only carrier to offer nonstop cargo service, once per week, between Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic and Amsterdam. The number of Miami-Amsterdam nonstops is increased from two to three on November 2 and the first B-767-31AER arrives later in the month.
Passenger boardings climb 9.8% to 1,299,000, but freight is down by 10.2% to 601.41 million FTKs. Revenues ascend 13.9% to $351.7 million, but costs rise more quickly. As a result, the operating profit falls to $31.7 million and net gain slips to $22.5 million.
The payroll is increased 13.4% to 1,605 in 1990. A second B-767-31AER joins the fleet and on November 1 weekly service is opened from Amsterdam to the Dominican Republic city of Punta Cana. The next day, November 2, new frequencies are inaugurated twice weekly from Amsterdam to Cancun and to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Twice-weekly flights are started on November 4 from Amsterdam to the Thai cities of Phuket and Bangkok.
Later in the month, frequencies are increased between Miami and Tampa and Puerto Plata. Customer bookings slide upward a weak 1.8% to 1,322,300. Cargo is boosted 22.1% to 734.3 million FTKs. Revenues rise 11.3% to $406.5 million, but costs accelerate, forcing the operating profit down to $24 million and net gain to $21.2 million.
The workforce grows another 9.7% in 1991 to 1,760. Early in the year, the two A310-200s and an MD-82 are withdrawn as three more B-767-31AERs begin to arrive.
In the spring, service is inaugurated to Montego Bay, Cuba, and Santo Domingo. In April, direct flights begin from Amsterdam to Oakland, California, and frequencies on the B-747-228F route from Los Angeles and Seattle is increased to twice weekly.
During July, the company begins B-767-31AER weekly roundtrips from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale, becoming the only airline to provide nonstop service to that destination from Europe.
The carrier’s first scheduled flights are initiated in August from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca. In October, nonstop B-767-31AER flights are started from Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale and a weekly B-747-21AC frequency is stretched to Detroit and Los Angeles. In late fall, Mexican resort communities join the company’s charter network and a B-747-228F is leased.
Passenger boardings ascend 5% to 1,388,400 while freight climbs 15% to 841.4 million FTKs. Revenues swell 19.2% to $479 million and the net profit jumps to $37.7 million.
The employee population declines in 1992, falling 19.6% to 1,415. The fleet now includes 1 leased A310-203C, 2 leased B-747-21ACs, 1 chartered B-747-228F, 4 owned and 1 leased B-767-31AERs, 1 each Cessna 550 Citation II, Cessna 650 Citation III, and Dornier 228-212 (operated for the Dutch Coast Guard), 2 chartered DC-10-30CFs, and 1 F.28-1000 flown on behalf of the government.
Bogota, and its abundance of cut flowers, becomes a cargo destination during the fall and is flown under a marketing agreement with AVIANCA Colombian Airlines (Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia, S. A.).
During December, a comprehensive expansion of the U. S. West Coast cargo operation is undertaken. A new midweek service from San Francisco is started which, in turn, provides a second weekly Seattle departure timed to coincide with the carrier’s Seattle sea-air clients.
On December 21, Flight 494, a DC-10-30CF with 13 crew and 327 passengers en route from Amsterdam, crashes while landing at Faro, Portugal (56 dead).
Customer bookings increase 23% to 1,703,900 while cargo booms upward by 37% to 1.15 million FTKs. The net profit is $53.9 million on revenues of $534.7 million.
Founder/Chairman Schroeder oversees a workforce of 2,025 in 1993, up 15.1% over the previous year, and orders 4 McDonnell Douglas MD-11CFs. In addition to air taxi, executive, and international all-cargo flights, the company now also flies scheduled to Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York, Newark, Los Angeles, Oakland, Seattle, Tampa, Edmonton, Toronto, Vancouver, Puerto Plata, Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, Cancun, Montego Bay, Holguin and Varadero, Bangkok, Phuket, and Porlamar.
In September, the carrier receives rights to operate scheduled services to the U. S. In cooperation with LanChile Airlines, S. A., flights begin to Santiago during late fall. Amsterdam-Denver roundtrip charters commence in November. During the same month, Skycoach luxury bus service is introduced from the German cities of Hamburg and Cologne to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport.
Unrest in Turkey has an impact on enplanements and cause passenger boardings to decline 7% to 1,586,100; freight, however, rises 2% to 1.17 billion FTKs. Revenues fall 8.5% to $523.1 million, but a $44.6-million net profit is still generated atop an operating gain of $28.6 million.
Airline employment is increased by 4.4% in 1994 to 2,145 and the fleet is enhanced by the delivery of the first of five ordered MD-11s. New services are introduced during the spring and summer to Edmonton, Barcelona, Venezuela, and Bridgetown in the Barbados, and by late fall Martinair, with service to Amsterdam from Miami, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale, actually flies to Europe from more Florida cities than any other carrier. A DC-10-30CF is sold to the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNAF) in September.
Beginning October 24, Martinair and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) turn KLM’s previous thrice-weekly Amsterdam-Orlando route into a joint-venture employing Martinair B-767-31AERs four times a week. Both airlines will market the service in the U. S. and Europe and launch the service with a promotion that allows 36 people to fly free.
During December, plans are made to accept three more MD-11s and inaugurate flights to Freeport during the following spring.
On the year, customer bookings recover and ascend by 15.5% to 1,832,300. Cargo, meanwhile, plunges 14.7% to 1 billion FTKs. Revenues increase 1.4% to $576 million and the operating profit climbs to $43.2 million and a net receipt of $31.2 million is recorded.
The workforce grows by 4.3% in 1995 to 2,290. In January, the carrier receives the Market Development Award from Air Transport World magazine. A fleet development program is nearly completed as the carrier trades in its final A310 and three DC-10-30CFs for four MD-11CFs and one B-767-31AER. Routes are stretched to Puerto Vallarta, Grenada, and Banjul while cargo services to Central and South America, plus Africa, are enhanced. To assist with these frequencies, the DC-10-30CF sold to the RNAF the previous fall is leased back.
Enplanements increase by 4.5% to 1,915,000 while freight traffic rebounds, growing 26.8% to 1.27 billion FTKs. Revenues jump 11.4% to $695 million and expenses swell 13.3% to $657.5 million. Profits drop slightly, with operating gain down to $37.5 million and net profit down to $28.1 million. Both figures are later adjusted downward to $34.5 million and $25.8 million, respectively.
Airline employment is increased by 3.1% in 1996 to 2,360 and an MD-11F joins the fleet. In January, the company receives the 1995 “Market Development Award” from Air Transport World magazine.
Weekly all-cargo MD-11F service is inaugurated on May 1 between Amsterdam and Boston.
On May 28, Flight 631, a B-767-31AER piloted by Capt. Tjakko Weber en route from Amsterdam to Orlando with 205 passengers, suffers widespread electrical problems that blacks out the cockpit’s electronic displays and forces a no-flaps emergency landing at Boston. Although several tires are blown during the landing, no injuries are reported. Capt. Weber and his crew ferry the aircraft to Boeing at Seattle on June 2 for repairs.
Passenger flights to San Juan begin and a cargo route is started to Johannesburg. While Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. employs a B-747-4Q8 to open a new London-Johannesburg route in September, capacity on the Jumbojet’s previous London-Orlando service is replaced by the wet-lease of a Martinair B-767-31AER.
As the result of a block-space, code-sharing agreement signed with China Southern Airlines Company, Ltd. in April, a Martinair B-747-21AC inaugurates twice-weekly roundtrips on October 1 between Amsterdam and Guangzhou. Under the agreement, CSA will transport incoming Martinair freight to other Chinese destinations.
During November, a 40% stake is taken in the Colombia airline TAMPA (Transportes Aereos Mercantiles Panamericanos, S. A.) as well as a 10% interest in Martin Aviation Group, the Miami-based cargo sales and service representatives for Central and South America. In cooperation with VARIG Brazilian Airlines (Viacao Area de Rio-Grandense, S. A.), a second weekly MD-11 freighter service is also launched from Amsterdam to Sao Paulo.
Passenger boardings inch up 1.4% to 1,942,600 and 1.52 million FTKs are operated, a 19.1% increase. Operating income moves ahead by 8.5% to $692.7 million, while expenses rise 13.5% to $685.3 million. Operating income plunges to $7.4 million and a net gain of $2.44 million is posted.
The employee population climbs 8.5% in 1997 to 2,560. In January, a freight route is also inaugurated to Guangzhou in cooperation with China Southern Airlines Company, Ltd. During the summer, twice-weekly services are launched to Calgary and Edmonton in Canada. The Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. wet-lease ends in April.
Customer bookings ascend to 1,945,000 while freight accelerates 17% to 1.78 billion FTKs. Operating revenue is up 17.4% to $715.34 million and expenses are $666.12 million. The operating profit is $60.63 million, while a huge $17.66 million net gain is celebrated.
At the beginning of the fortieth anniversary year of 1998, Martinair is the 20th largest airline in the world in terms of freight carried.
Back-dated to January 1, the 50% Royal Nedlloyd, N. V. stake in Martinair is officially purchased by KLM for $168 million on February 5. Martinair is allowed to retain its independent identity and to celebrate its fortieth anniversary. An application is filed with the European Commission for a blessing of the union.
In April, it is announced that founder Schroeder will be succeeded upon his December 1 retirement by Aart van Bochove, ATC chairman for The Netherlands.
Significant expansion of freighter services to the western U. S. occurs in the fall. Twice-weekly B-747F service to Los Angeles begins on September 1.
Some 35 min. into a service from Calgary to Amsterdam on September 14, Flight 815, a B-767-31AER with 10 crew and 275 passengers, encounters engine problems. The aircraft returns to its point of origin and makes an uneventful landing; no injuries are reported.
On September 16, the upgraded Atlanta hub receives a boost as its allcargo weekly services are increased from three to seven. Five flights are operated directly to Amsterdam, while two go south to Mexico City and Quito. Using a combination of MD-11Fs and B-747Fs, all-cargo service to Seattle is increased at the end of the month from one flight per week to three.
A three-tiered comprehensive expansion of the carrier’s Latin American cargo program is launched on October 21. It is anticipated that by the end of the first quarter of 1999, the plan will lead to an increase of both routes and capacity in the region by 80%.
The first tier is kicked off when Martinair inaugurates new twice-weekly service from Miami to Buenos Aires; flights over this route will be increased to five per week. Simultaneously, twice-weekly return flights are started from Miami to Lima. Flights from Quito and Guayaquil increase from thrice weekly to five times a week, making Martinair the largest air cargo carrier operating from Ecuador.
A B-747-21AC is employed to inaugurate new weekly freight service on October 25 from Amsterdam to Denver. At the same time, all-cargo service is started to Houston (lAH).
Twice-weekly B-767-31AER return service is inaugurated on November 1 from Miami to San Jose, Costa Rica.
The second and third tiers of the company’s southward expansion are initiated on November 24. Martinair itself launches weekly roundtrips from Miami to Guadalajara, while return flights from Miami to San Juan are boosted to five per week.
The activities of TAMPA (Transportes Aereos Mercantiles Panamericanos, S. A.), for some time an integral part of Martinair’s Latin American strategy, are now shifted into the third tier of expansion. Acquiring a DC-10-30CF on lease, the Colombian airline initiates five-times-a-week all-cargo flights linking Miami (MIA) with Bogota, Medellin, and Caracas.
Passenger boardings this year accelerate 6% to 2.06 million, while cargo traffic climbs 2% to 1.81 billion FTKs. Revenues climb 5.9% to $811.14 million, while costs jump 14% to $804.2 million. Operating profit climbs to $69.64 million and a net $28.03-million profit is reported.
By the beginning of 1999, airline employment has been increased by 12.9% to 2,880.
On January 16, Martinair inaugurates weekly roundtrip B-747F Emerald Service from Seattle to Shannon, Ireland, with continuation to Amsterdam. The flights are the first cargo service to Ireland from the U. S. for the Dutch carrier.
The European Commission, fearful of cargo dominance on routes from Amsterdam to North America and the Mediterranean, announces on February 1 that it will undertake an in-depth review of the Martinair merger with KLM.
Two days later, on February 3, it is announced that Martinair will begin twice-weekly B-767-31AER roundtrips between Miami and San Jose, Costa Rica, on November 1.
With the opening of the summer schedule at the end of March, new weekly B-767-31AER return flights are started from Amsterdam to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The EU Commission begins to negotiate with KLM, demanding substantial changes in the details of the Martinair acquisition. Particular attention is paid to the areas of cargo transport and the company’s increased strength in southern Europe. Still, no one expects the marriage to fail; indeed, on May 12, Royal Nedlloyd, N. V. announces that it will make certain acquisitions that will be covered by the as-yet-unpaid proceeds from the sale.
On May 25, KLM, in anticipation of a negative decision from the EU on its plan to take full control of Martinair, voluntarily withdraws its application to prevent the media attention that will be generated by a negative finding and to review its options in the case. The decision, fully discussed with Royal Nedlloyd, N. V. and Martinair, comes about as the result of a stalemate between KLM and the commission concerning the details of the merger.
The Financial Times reports on May 27 that Royal Nedlloyd, N. V., disappointed by the EU’s pending negative vote and unconvinced that KLM has any options in the matter, has already begun the search for new investors in Martinair. Analysts do not believe their location will be a problem.
Under terms of a new contract with Flowerwings Kenya, Ltd. announced on September 21, Martinair dedicates one-half of the capacity of its thrice-weekly MD-11F return service to Amsterdam from Nairobi to the transport of 80,000 kg. of fresh flowers. Spurred by demand, fresh flower transport from Kenya has undergone a revolution since 1976, when only one weekly flight was operated.
Beginning on November 1, the number of “Flower Flights” to The Netherlands from Kenya is increased to six times a week. The same day, weekly B-767-31AER roundtrips to the Thai cities of Bangkok and Phuket are added to the schedule, along with weekly Monday return service to Havana.
Frequencies to other North American points are added or increased, including daily to Miami, twice weekly to Havana, thrice weekly to Cancun, four times a week to Orlando, and weekly to Bonaire. Charters are also offered to Aruba and Cura9ao.
Thrice-weekly B-767-31AER return flights to Ciego de Avila, Cuba, start on November 2, the same day B-767-31AER service is inaugurated to San Jose, Costa Rica, four times a week (thrice weekly via Miami and weekly via Orlando). When Air Holland Charter, B. V. declares bankruptcy on November 4, one of the B-757-27Bs that Martinair has been leasing for the past four years is formally acquired.
Weekly B-767-31AER Saturday roundtrips begin to Penang on November 6, followed by weekly return flights the next day to Holguin, Cuba.
Passenger boardings this year rise 2.5% to 2,121,000 while freight jumps 13.3% to 2.06 billion FTKs. Revenues climb 4.8% to $730.08 million, while expenses jump 9.2% to $695.32 million. The operating profit falls to $34.76 million, while net gain slides to $13.34 million.
Airline employment at the beginning of 2000 stands at 3,070, a 6.6% increase over the previous 12 months. Among the world’s top 25 airlines, Martinair ranks 18th in FTKs.
An emergency service begins with MK Airlines, Ltd. on March 20 in a collaborative effort to get badly needed relief supplies from Europe to flood-ravaged Mozambique. Supplies arrive at Nairobi aboard one of the Dutch line’s MD-11Fs, where they are put aboard MK Airlines DC-8-55F services for Beira and Maputo.
A B-747-306C is leased from KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) for a six-month period that begins on April 30. The summer service from Amsterdam to the New York area that begins with the KLM Jum-bojet on May 10, is routed to New York (JFK) instead of Newark International as in the past. The twice-weekly return flights will cease on September 24.
Weekly B-767-31AER roundtrips are inaugurated on July 4 from Amsterdam to the Brazilian city of Fortaleza.
To save money, the carrier announces on September 11 that, with the introduction of the 2001 summer schedule on April 1, service will be discontinued to Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Penang, and Ciego de Avila. Unlike before, B-747s will no longer be converted from cargo to passenger configuration for the summer season. The next day, the company announces that, as a cost-cutting measure, it will stop flying its routes from Amsterdam to Los Angeles and San Francisco in April. The KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V) B-747-306C is returned on October 31.
The company’s winter schedule to the Caribbean begins on November 1. Frequencies via Miami to San Juan are increased this year from two to three weekday roundtrips, with a fourth operated on Saturdays via Orlando. Additionally, seven weekly direct return services are flown to Miami, three to Orlando, and four to Havana. Frequencies to Cancun are boosted from two to three every week. The schedules previously operated to Aruba, Bonaire, Cura9ao, Puerto Plata, and Punta Cans are unchanged; however, flights to Jamaica end.
The Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur route, previously operated four times a week, becomes daily on November 1. On November 13, a memorandum of understanding is signed with Kenya Airways, Ltd. and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) for the establishment of a joint sales and service organization in Nairobi. When the organization comes into being in 2001, it will employ Nairobi Airport as a hub from which to fly leased freighters on intra-African services. Sales and services in the Kenyan and African cargo markets will also be handled.
The November 28 issue of Flight International reveals that, beginning on April 1, the carrier will also drop its long-haul service to Cuba, Puerto Rico, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. Flights to Orlando and San Jose, Costa Rica, will become thrice weekly while those to Cancun and Aruba will be operated twice weekly.
MARTINAIRE: 8030 Aviation Place, Suite 2000, Dallas, Texas 75235, United States; Phone (214) 358-5858; Fax (214) 350-7979; Http://users. aol. com/dispatcher/private/mra. htm; Code MRA; Year Founded 1991. Bruce A. Martin sets up the all-cargo charter operation Martinaire East at Dallas in 1991, initiating unscheduled executive and contract service flights that primarily feed the big overnight express carriers. The fleet consists of 3 Piper PA-31 Navajos, 2 Dornier 228-212s, 1 Piper T-1040, 1 Beech King Air 100, 1 Gates Learjet 35, 1 Dassault Falcon 20, and 29 Cessna 208 Caravan Is. Traffic and financial data is not released.
Hubs are opened at New York and Oklahoma City in 1992 and airline employment in 1993 totals 11. The company is purchased in December by Air Assets, a holding company headed by Atlantic Coast Airlines Chairman C. Edward Acker. In May 1994, Acker’s concern purchases three Cessna 208B Caravans for its new subsidiary, which is now named Martinaire, Inc.
While on approach to Ardmore, Oklahoma, on March 2, 1995, a Cessna 208B is unable to slow its rate of descent. The pilot elects to make a forced landing in an open field 2 mi. short of the runway. Although the aircraft is badly damaged, the flyer receives only minor injuries.
In 1996-1999, the fleet is increased to include 29 Cessna Caravans, 8 Fairchild Dornier 228-212s, 4 Fairchild Metros, and 1 Cessna 210. Additional contracts are accepted from United Parcel Service (UPS), DHL Worldwide Express, and Airborne Express.
On February 16, 2000, Flight 633, a Cessna 208B is climbing away from the airport at McAlester, Oklahoma, on an all-cargo service to Hugo, Oklahoma. At approximately 1,000 ft., it is hit by a private Cessna 182 Skylane that is preparing to land after having diverted to McAlester from its scheduled flight plan due to weather. The Cessna 182 crashes into the ground, killing its pilot. The Caravan, though damaged, is able to make a safe emergency landing.
World History
