TOLAIR SERVICES: P. O. Box 37670, Airport Station, San Juan, Puerto Rico, 00937, United States; Phone (809) 791-5235; Fax (809) 791-8385; Http://www. tolair. com; Code TI; Year Founded 1983. Jore A. Toledo and Lisa L. Rossello found Tolair at San Juan in 1983 to provide regional and domestic scheduled all-cargo services. Revenue flights commence on May 16 with a single Cessna 182 between Borin-quen and Beef Island. A Beech 18 is acquired and later the same year service is initiated to St. Martin, St. Eustatius, and St. Kitts. After obtaining a contract with UPS (United Parcel Service), the company is able to grow with Beech 18s and Convair T-29s refurbished as civil CV-240 freighters. In 1988 , the company receives the first of three (later five) Douglas DC-3s. The first turboprop, a Fairchild-Swearingen SA-227 Metro, is acquired in 1992 and employed on new fast freight service between San Juan and the Dominican Republic.
Operations continue apace for the next 6 years. By 1999, Chairman Toledo and Executive Vice President Rossello oversee a workforce of 63 and fly 5 each DC-3s and Cessna 402Cs, 3 each CV-240s and Beech 18s, and 1 Metro. The company is now able to transport 100,000 pounds daily to 10 destinations in the Caribbean. In addition, Tolair offers 200,000 pounds of air cargo storage facilities to satisfy the needs of its clients, sells aviation fuel, and operates an avionics repair station.
In January 2000, a homepage is opened on the Internet’s World Wide Web.
TOMSK STATE AIR ENTERPRISE: Tomsk Airport, Tomsk, 634012, Russia; Phone 7 (3822) 443 575; Fax 7 (3822) 448 127; Code TKS; Year Founded 1992. TSAE, the Tomsk division of Aeroflot Soviet Airlines, is reformed at Tomsk Airport in 1992, retaining its previous mission of providing domestic passenger and cargo services. Under the direction of Comdr. Yuri Prokopiev, revenue flights are undertaken with 3 Tupolev Tu-154B-2s and an unspecified number of Let L-410UVPs, Antonov An-2s, An-24s, and An-26s.
Flights continue during the remainder of the decade, during which years the fleet is altered to include 9 (later 8) Lets, 17 An-2s (most of which are gradually withdrawn), 6 An-24s, 5 (later 4) An-26s, 1 Tu-154B-2, and 5 Yakovlev Yak-40s.
TONGA AIR, LTD. (TONGA AIR SERVICES, LTD.): Tonga (1978-1985). Equipped with two Britten-Norman BN-2 Islanders, Tonga Air begins operations on May 22, 1978, taking over the role of main domestic airline for the kingdom from the late Tonga Internal Air Service, Ltd. Interisland services are provided linking Tongapatu, Vav’u, Ha’apia, and ‘Eua.
During the early 1980s, one Islander is withdrawn in favor of a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo and a Piper PA-23 Aztec. The carrier is renamed Friendly Islands Airways, Ltd. in 1985.
World History
