With financial backing from R. Barnett and R. N. Norris of the trucking firm Mainland Market Deliveries, John Fisher forms “JF Airlines” at Portsmouth Airport in January 1971. A Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer is delivered in February, followed by a second in April. With an ATLB permit in hand, scheduled service is inaugurated from Portsmouth to Jersey and Guernsey on May 20. A de Havilland DH 114 Heron 1B is briefly acquired for the last month of the summer tourist season, which ends on October 15.
Enplanements since start-up total 7,500.
The Channel Islands services resume in April 1972 and in May a second Heron 1B is purchased; christened Spirit of Enterprise, the DH 114 begins revenue operations on May 22. Bookings during the summer climb three times over 1971 boardings. In September, the company is purchased by Portsmouth businessman Reginald P. Slack, who sells the Twin Pioneers in October and places orders with Fairoaks Aviation Services for Britten-Norman equipment.
The Spirit of Enterprise maintains the Channel Islands service during the winter. On February 13, 1973, a BN-2 and a BN-2A are delivered and are placed on the Jersey and Guernsey route in March. On May 8, the Islander opens a service from the Channel Islands to Shoreham, which had been briefly flown in early 1972. On December 31, the Islander lands at Portsmouth Airport from Jersey, at which point, that airport is closed.
Company officials are unable to find a suitable replacement airport and flight operations thus end. The Heron 1B is sold to Fairflight (Charters), Ltd. while the Islander and Trislander are disposed of at Blackbushe. The carrier’s books are officially closed in June 1974.
JERUSALEM WINGS (KANFEI JERUSALEM), LTD.: P. O. Box 27261, Atarot Airport, Jerusalem, 91271, Israel; Phone 972 (2) 5831444; Fax 972 (2) 583-1880; Http://www. jerwings. co. il; Year Founded 1995. Jerusalem Wings is set up at Atarot Airport in 1995 to provide flight-seeing and other passenger charters to scenic and historic points, as well as such regional destinations as Jordan, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey, and Egypt.
Haviv Matzliach is managing director and he begins, and continues, revenue flights with a group of small Cessnas. In addition to passenger service, the company also operates air taxi and aerial photography flights.
JES AIR: Bulgaria (1992-1993). Privately funded JA, with 25% backing from the Jupiter Electronic Systems of Singapore, is established at Sofia in 1992. Two Airbus Industrie aircraft are acquired, one each A310-222 and A310-324, the latter leased from Air Niugini (Pty.), Ltd. Scheduled services are inaugurated to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Ottawa, and Singapore. The company also provides charters on behalf of Vietnam Airlines.
Unable to achieve economic viability during a time of international airline recession, the carrier goes out of business in 1993.
World History
