KANAIR LUFTVERKEHRS, A. G.: Germany (1975-1995). Kanair is established at Dusseldorf in 1975 to offer cargo charters, primarily to the United States and South America. Operations continue apace with little fanfare over two decades.
By 1993-1994, Chairman Franz Kanehl and President Karl Werres oversee a workforce of 200 and a fleet comprising 4 B-707-320Cs and 2 Lockheed L-100 Hercules freighters.
Flights cease in 1995.
KANSAS CITY AVIATION CENTER: Johnson County Executive Airport, P. O. Box 1850, Olathe, Kansas 66063, United States; Phone (913) 782-0530; Fax (913) 782-6591; Year Founded 1969. KCAC is originally established as an FBO at Johnson County Airport in 1969. It also flies lightplane passenger charters as part of its operation.
By 2000, the company employs six pilots and offers executive and small group passenger charters throughout the U. S. and to Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. The fleet includes 1 each Cessna 500 Citation I executive jet, 1 C-425 Conquest I, and 1 C-421.
KARAIR O/Y: Finland (1957-1996). To foster a more modern marketing image, Karhumaki Airways, once known as Veljekset Karhu-maki (VKD), is reformed in 1957 and renamed. Scheduled and non-scheduled services are maintained with Convair CV-440 Metropolitans between the Finnish capital and outlying cities and towns. Finnair O/Y takes a 29% interest in the company during 1962, later increasing its shareholding to 35%. A significant portion of the company’s business now comprises passenger and cargo charters.
When the carrier encounters financial difficulties, the government instructs Finnair O/Y to take the airline over, leaving its name in place. G. Korhonen is named chairman with Tuomas Karhumaki, a cousin of the VKD founders, as managing director. A joint operating agreement is signed between the two airlines under which Finnair assumes Karair O/Y’s scheduled routes, leaving its new partner to concentrate on charters as a separate profit center under its previous identity. Karair is, however, allowed to retain one scheduled service linking Helsinki and Lappeenranta.
A Douglas DC-6B is purchased from Northwest Airlines on June 12, 1964. Nonscheduled operations are continued throughout the remainder of the decade and into the 1970s. The most interesting development during these years is the 1968 conversion of the former Northwest Airlines DC-6B into a swing-tail freighter; the modification is carried out by Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A. in April-July. The conversion is employed to fly relief missions to Biafra, Nigeria, late in the year and in 1969.
By 1978, the workforce totals 184 and operates a fleet made up of a Douglas DC-8-51 leased from Finnair, the Belgian-modified DC-6B, and a DC-3. Enplanements total 175,394.
Airline employment in 1979 stands at 190. Passenger boardings grow a very modest 0.3% to 175,921.
The workforce is reduced by 19.3% in 1980 to 142. The fleet, on the other hand, is increased by the addition of a de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter, an Embraer EMB-110 Bandeirante, and a pair of Fokker F.27s. The O/Y is deleted from the corporate marketing identity late in the year.
Customer bookings fall 28.1% to 126,428.
The employee population grows by 3.5% in 1981 to 147. A contract is let on October 12 for an Avions de Transport Regional ATR42 turboprop. Enplanements decline again, dropping a significant 27.1% to 92,220. Cargo, however, grows by 27.3% to 28,000 pounds.
The employee population is reduced by 1.4% in 1982 to 145. The famous DC-6B swing-tail freighter is sold out of service in June.
Passenger boardings are level, at 92,240, but freight advances handsomely, up 35.7% to 38,000 FTKs.
The number of workers grows a substantial 17.2% in 1983 to 170. Although 531,000 FTKs are operated, customer bookings drop 6.6% to 86,119.
In 1984, airline employment is 188 and the fleet comprises a DC-8-63 leased from Finnair along with a DC-8-51, plus an Embraer EMB-110P1 Bandeirante chartered from Finnaviation O/Y and an owned de Havil-land Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter. A Karair-Toivelomat/Dreamtours sales division is now established to handle inclusive-tour operations.
Customer bookings swell 39% to 119,686, while cargo increases an outstanding 221.8% to 1.7 million FTKs.
Enplanements rise a slight 0.9% in 1985 to 120,756, but freight continues to expand, rising 13.6% to 1.94 million FTKs.
Two Airbus Industrie A300B4-203s are requested on lease from Finnair in 1986 to replace the DC-8s; the first arrives in December.
Passenger traffic for the 200-employee Finnish airline falls 9.3% to 109,544 passengers flown; however, cargo continues to thrive, rising 6.6% to 2.07 million FTKs.
The workforce is increased by 19% in 1987 to 238. The first Airbus enters service in February; a second arrives in March and begins flying in late April. The main destination for both, flown as they are by Finnair flight crews, is the Canary Islands.
Passenger boardings revive, moving ahead by 15.1% to 126,124. Freight, on the other hand, falls by 3.1% to 2 million FTKs.
Airline employment is up another 1.5% in 1988 to 278 and the fleet now includes a pair of A300B4-203s and a Twin Otter, the EMB-110 having been returned. The de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 is employed for geological survey flights.
Passenger boardings advance 40.2% to 176,850, but freight declines 3.4% to 1.93 million FTKs.
The payroll is cut 5% in 1989 to 264 as Finnair O/Y, on February 3, assumes 95% shareholding and begins to operate the domestic airline as a subsidiary. The five ATR42s are turned over to the parent, along with responsibility for the flag carrier’s domestic routes. Managing Director Tuomas Karhumaki’s airline is allowed to operate its new services in its own livery and with its own staff. When Finnair takes delivery of five ATR72-201s, beginning in July, they are gradually shifted to Karair.
Customer bookings fall 12.2% to 155,252 and cargo slides 2% to 1.89 million FTKs. There are losses: $877,100 (operating) and $80,227 (net).
Company employment is increased by 28.8% in 1990 to 340. Pekka Valimaki becomes managing director and the fleet is significantly increased and services grow. In addition to the two Airbus Industrie A300B4-203s leased from Finnair, the last of five ATR72-201s is delivered in February. The company enters into a code-sharing agreement with its parent in preparation for the initiation of turboprop replacement services from Helsinki.
Daily Finnair replacement flights to Stockholm and Tallin are undertaken, in addition to new services to such domestic destinations as Turka, Maarlanhamina, Port, Vaasa, Kokkola, Oulu, Kittila, Jyvaskyla, Tampere, Kuopio, Varkaus, Joesuu, Savonlinna, and Lappenranta.
Passenger boardings not only recover but almost double, climbing to 347,000. Revenues jump 13% to $47.1 and allow an operating profit of $470,000. Net gain reaches $110,422.
The payroll is sliced by 11.8% in 1991 to 300 as the company’s ATR72-201 operations are separated from Finnair domestic services into an operationally and economically independent unit.
Customer bookings ascend another 26.6% to 398,846.
A sixth ATR72-201 is received in October 1992, replacing the two A300B4-203s; orders are placed for two more.
The workforce is cut 10% to 270 as enplanements decline an equal amount, 10%, to 359,179.
In 1993, Chairman Antti Potila and Managing Director Valimaki employ the same workforce and operate the same aircraft. Efforts are made by the parent, Finnair O/Y, to absorb the company. Passenger boardings jump 18.6% to 464,560 as freight rises 22.1% to 254,000 FTKs.
Twenty workers are released in 1994 and the fleet now includes the 6 ATR72-201s and 1 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300.
Customer bookings ascend 11.8% to 519,131 and revenues inch up 0.7% to $61.1 million. There is no change in the employment base in 1995 as traffic suffers a downturn; enplanements are off 8.7% to 473,839 while freight drops 24.9% to 229,000 FTKs.
During the first quarter of 1995, the company, together with Finnavi-ation, move into the former Finnair maintenance hangar at Helsinki’s Vantaa Airport.
In October 1996, the company is finally merged into Finnair. Through the first 9 months of the year, a total of 337,336 passengers are transported, a 7.1% decline.
World History
