MALINAIR, LTD.: United Kingdom (1985-1987). During the spring and summer of 1985, Managing Director Frank Cannon and seven shareholders incorporate this carrier at Edinburgh on total capital of ?128,000 provided by Cannon and six other investors. Loganair, Ltd. founder and former chairman Duncan McIntosh is named chairman and two Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders are purchased with which to begin charter operations in September. With Civil Aeronautics Authority (CAA) approval in hand, scheduled services begin in December over a Glasgow-Carrickfergus and Belfast route. Although financial information will be forthcoming, traffic figures will not.
A $16.5-million order is placed at the Farnborough Air Show in July 1986 for six new Dornier 228-100s, the first two of which are delivered in October.
Revenues total $339,700 and a loss of $152,000 is suffered.
In 1987, Managing Director Cannon’s fleet comprises 1 Dornier 228100 and 2 Islanders. Destinations now visited include Glasgow, Belfast, and Carrickfergus. Financial problems continue to mount as revenues rise to $2.3 million. Expenses increase, however, and cause a $1.37-million loss. The company cannot sustain these negative figures and voluntarily places itself into liquidation.
MALITAS (MALI-TOMBOUTOU AIR SERVICE, S. A.): Bamako, Mali; Year Founded 1989. Malitas is set up at Bamako by Moussa B. Coulibaly in 1989 to provide regional passenger and cargo flights. Revenue services commence with 1 each Antonov An-24RV and Letov Let L-410 UVP.
A report that the company has ceased operations in 1994 proves unfounded.
By 1998-1999 , the fleet retains the same aircraft types.
MALL AIRWAYS: United States (1973-1989). Richard X. Knipe organizes Mall at Albany, New York, in 1973 to provide on-demand Piper PA-23 Aztec charter services to local Empire State destinations. The decision is taken in 1980 to offer frequent daily roundtrip commuter services to Birmingham, Elmira, and Ithaca. A fleet of 2 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains, 1 Beech 99, and the original Piper Aztec is utilized; orders are placed for a pair of British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31s.
Two additional Beech 99s and another Chieftain are purchased in 1981-1982 and the Jetstream order is cancelled in 1983. During these years, routes are opened to New Bedford, Hartford, Buffalo, Newark, Rochester, Syracuse, and White Plains as the inaugural services to Elmira and Ithaca are abandoned. In addition, international flights are initiated to Montreal and Toronto. Enplanements in the latter year total 48,000.
The fleet in 1984 includes 6 Beech 99s, 3 Chieftains, and 1 King Air. Bookings figures are henceforth kept confidential. Inexact traffic figures are “leaked” in 1985 and are reported to be slightly above level. The fleet is increased by the addition of a seventh Beech 99 as one Chieftain is retired. Plans are made to acquire one or two Grumman Gulfstream G-1Cs.
Service is started to New York (LGA) in 1986-1987 and the fleet is increased by the addition of two Beech 99s. Two PA-31-350s are removed and replaced by a Piper King Air 90.
Another Beech 99 is purchased in 1988 as the last Navajo Chieftain is sold. During the fall, the Albany-based regional is subjected to a FAA inspection that raises numerous management and record-keeping questions. Making certain to protect his routes by wet-leasing two Beech 99s and a Beech 1900 from East Hampton Aire, President Knipe shuts his airline down in mid-November.
Airline employees then make certain that all of the government concerns are addressed, including the rewriting of all company manuals. Most top officials are changed, including the CEO. Knipe becomes chairman and appoints George Nemeth to succeed him as president.
Partial service is resumed on January 10, 1989 with 7 Beech 99s, plus the leased East Hampton aircraft. On September 1, the carrier is purchased by Business Express Airlines; the East Hampton Beeches are returned.
MALMO AVIATION SCHEDULE, A. B. (CITY AIR SCANDINAVIA): Sweden (1993-1999). Following bankruptcy and a boardroom conflict over continuation of the single international route from Stockholm’s Bromma Airport to London (LCY) in the early spring, City Air Scandinavia, A. B. is purchased on April 16, 1993 by Viklund Crafoord, owner of Viklund Inter Trade. The company is provided with a new corporate identity, livery, logo, uniforms, etc. under the new Malmo Aviation Schedule name.
Stefan Wiklund becomes chairman/managing director, succeeding founding Chairman Bosco Janzon, and places an order for 5 Avro (BAe) RJ-85s with which to supplement the fleet of 5 leased British Aerospace BAe 146-200s, 1 BAe 146-200QT, 1 BAe 146-300QT, and 1 Fairchild Hiller FH-227. The BAe QTs continue their contract with TNT International Aviation Services, operating cargo flights between Cologne and eight Scandinavian cities.
The passenger services from Stockholm to London and Malmo begun the previous year are continued, at least briefly. In May, the route to London becomes a political issue between the governments of Sweden and the U. K. and service over it is suspended. The first RJ85 arrives in late fall.
Enplanements for the first full year reach 350,342 and a total of 12.5 million FTKs of freight are flown.
Airline employment stands at 220 in 1994, as the London route remains dormant. The remaining four RJ85s arrive and passenger services continue to be offered to Bromma, Goteborg, Landvetter, and Malmo/Sturup. The TNT contract is halted during the summer.
Passenger boardings increase 53.4% to 531,000.
There is no change in the workforce during 1995. The company acquires another RJ85 and the 10 jetliners transport a total of 726,306 passengers, a 36.4% increase over the previous year.
A 11th aircraft, a BAe 146-200, is leased from Asset Management Organization in April 1996. It enters service from Bromma to Brussels via Malmo and also to Helsinki. Hans Kallenius becomes the new managing director and in September flights also commence to London (LCY) from Malmo.
In December, the Irish carrier CityJet, Ltd. is put into examinership (an equivalent of the U. S. Chapter XI bankruptcy) with accumulated losses of Ir?13 million and debts of Ir?2.4 million.
The carrier now enters into survival discussions with Malmo Aviation Schedule, A. B. while also seeking a capital injection from Irish financiers. The Swedish carrier agrees to assist, providing as part of its Ir?1.75 million ($6.6 million) rescue plan a BAe 146-200 that it has recently purchased from USAirways, as well as leasing and maintenance services valued at Ir?650,000.
Enplanements reach 741,000 on 12,594 scheduled departures.
In January 1997, a code-sharing agreement is signed with Air U. K., Ltd. and dual designator flights commence from Sweden to Edinburgh, Rotterdam, and Amsterdam. Also during the month, the company signs a long-term contract with BAe AMJ concerning the company’s fleet of BAe 146-200s. One aircraft is purchased outright while the leases of the remainder are extended through January 2002.
The Malmo rescue plan is approved by the U. K. courts in February, giving the Swedish airline a 43% stake in CityJet, Ltd.
In August, Malmo launches services from Angelhom to domestic locations. Plans are made to open service from Malmo to Denmark three years hence. Meanwhile, the majority of passengers continue to board company flights from Malmo to Stockholm and Goteborg.
Given that it does not share the same strategy for the future of the company, Malmo sells its 43% stake in CityJet, Ltd. on December 16.
Customer bookings this year fall to 772,000 on 12,894 scheduled departures. Pretax profits total SKr 400 million ($48.8 million).
Airline employment stands at 450 at the beginning of 1998 and the fleet operates 11 BAe 146-200s. Malmo is able to generate extra income during the spring by allowing certain of its aircraft to be painted in honor of non-airline concerns. Among the firms so honored is the Karlskrona-based cellular telephone company Europolitan, whose image appears on the fuselage of a BAe 146-200. A SKr 31-million profit is earned on operations during the first half-year.
The summer is taken up with corporate matters of major importance. Following several months of negotiation, it is announced on August 17, that the Crafoord-Wiklund family, which owns Malmo, has sold its shares to Braathens, A. S. for SKr 600 million ($73.2 million), effective in September. The Norwegian carrier offers to purchase the shares of the remaining minority stakeholders, which includes board members and employees of Malmo.
Braathens Executive Vice President Geir Olsen is placed in charge when, upon implementation of the sale, Malmo Chairman Wiklund steps down. Malmo continues operations, now as a member of the KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) alliance that includes Braathens as a major partner. Indeed, it will be revealed that the Dutch flag carrier has contributed $19.5 million of the Malmo purchase price.
Passenger boardings during the company’s final year under this name increase by 7.3% to 818,000.
During the first quarter of 1999, the carrier is renamed Braathens Malmo Aviation, A. B. Its 11 BAe 146-200s are now repainted to reflect the new identity.
MALMO AVIATION, A. B.: P. O. Box 37, Malmo-Sturup, S-20120, Sweden; Phone 040 (660) 29 00; Fax 040 (660) 28 49; Http://www. maviation. se; Year Founded 2000. Braathen’s Malmo Aviation, A. B.
Is renamed on September 22, 2000. On November 15, Malmo begins to accept delivery of the first of nine Avro RJ100s previously operated by SAM Colombian Airlines, S. A. It wears the airline’s bright orange-trimmed color scheme.
As they come off lease, nine of Malmo’s current BAe 146-200s will be returned to BAe Systems’ Asset Management arm. There is considerable speculation at year’s end that Braathens, A. S. will soon sell the loss-making regional.
World History
