Airline History Blog - Yesterday's Airlines

Xcintillating PhoeniX: The X Factor at AirAsia X

28/5/2015

Whether long haul low cost operations were viable was an open question for many years. Without many of the benefits available to LCCs on short haul routes widebody flights over long distances appeared far more challenging. This was proven by the failure of start-ups like Oasis Hong Kong, however when Jetstar started long haul services in 2006 it was the beginning of a change, which is rapidly overtaking Asian airline ops. By 2015 we have Jetstar, Scoot, NokScoot, Cebu Pacific but most of all there is AirAsia X and its affiliates in Indonesia and Thailand.

Pacific Coast Prop-Jets Pt2: Air West F-27s

27/5/2015

By the mid-1960s it was becoming increasingly clear that the three western local service airlines needed to consolidate to help fend off competition from intra-state airlines like PSA, wean themselves off of state subsidies and expand their networks to more profitable routes. The result was the creation of Air West in April 1968.

Pacific Coast Prop-Jets Pt1: Tri-merger F-27s

26/5/2015

The thirteen local service airlines got their permanent licenses in 1955 and having proven themselves were keen to expand away from their DC-3 dominated fleets. Each had its own CAB allotted area of operation so there was no competition and many transitioned to prop-jets only via second-hand piston liners no longer needed by the Trunk airlines (mainly Martin 4-0-4s and Convair 240s). The three operators covering the west coast did not go down this route however and were instead early and enthusiastic operators of Fairchild's new license built F-27. In time they would all come together to form the 'Airline that just had to happen'.

Sharklet 320s Pt2: China Eastern

23/5/2015

For many years China looked as though it would tempt foreign airframe manufacturers with suggestions of co-production only to pull back at the last minute. Certainly McDonnell Douglas found out the hard way how difficult it was creating a lasting partnership. Airbus however has had much greater success and nowadays Chinese assembled A320s make up an increasing portion of the domestic fleet.

Sharklet 320s Pt1: Air China

21/5/2015

Until recently China has rigidly enforced aircraft buying, through centralised purchasing, which has made sure the fleet is modern. Benefits of this include a revolution in the safety image of Chinese airlines, as well as offsetting China's pilot shortage (by forbidding the import of 3 man cockpit types). In addition money has been saved by purchasing huge bulk discounted orders from Airbus and Boeing which in turn have led to simplified spares purchasing and maintenance costs. The fleet is so modern that nowadays older aircraft are exported to the USA for Delta and United to use! All of this means that the narrowbody fleets of the majors are rapidly filling up with sharklet and blended winglet equipped ultra-modern types.

TAA's Prop-jet Dominance Pt2: ANA - Ansett

19/5/2015

If the Convair 240 ensured TAA was able to survive its formative years the Vickers Viscount proved more than capable of finally allowing it to consistently return a profit and outcompete its longtime opponent ANA. Indeed ANA's failure to also buy Viscounts would prove to be terminal and lead indirectly to TAA facing a stronger competitive force in that of Reginald Ansett's Ansett Airways.

TAA's Prop-jet Dominance Pt1: Viscounts vs DC-6s

18/5/2015

Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) had from its creation been the trendsetter in the Australian market introducing Convair 240s which enabled it to survive its formative rocky years. It was no surprise then that it took an early interest in turboprops and in particular the new Vickers Viscount. In 1949 TAA personnel had visited the annual display and exhibition of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors and identified the Viscount as 'considerably superior to anything else in its class'.

Yesterday's Airlines - 6 Months In

16/5/2015

Today marks 6 months since my first blogpost was published and both the blog and the site in general have come a long way since then. Whether I can keep up the almost daily postings is questionable, but I am enjoying myself which is the main reason to carry on. Plus the site has given me the opportunity to get published in Airliner World and Nathan Bennett's new Airline Model Collector magazine. Here's a review of my efforts so far and a few things I've learnt - like "not many people care about props :( "...

Hope & Despair: Air Congo's Struggle

15/5/2015

European colonialism has left a bitter legacy in many African nations, but probably none has been so disgraceful and damaging as the Belgian influence in what has become the Democratic Republic of Congo. Independence did not bring the new chapter the Congolese wanted and instead the next 50 years have been as bad or worse than what went before. Nevertheless throughout this period a veneer of normalcy was provided by the national carrier Air Congo (later Air Zaire).

SABENA: Brussels to the Congo and New York

14/5/2015

The Societé Anonyme Belge d'Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne (SABENA) can trace its history back to 1923. The airline built up a a typical European route network before the Second World War but also was instrumental in Belgian's Congo colony pioneering long over jungle flying and in 1935 connecting the colony with Europe. These strong ties to Africa continued after the end of the war and even after Congolese independence would define the airline for the rest of its history.

4 Engines 4 Long Haul Pt2: Chinese 747-400s

13/5/2015

CAAC’s fleet during the 1980s was a hotchpotch of modern and ancient, Western and Soviet, jet and turboprop. The international fleet was however fairly modern. By 1988 it included ten Boeing 707-320s, 3 late build 747-200 Combis, 4 747SPs, 5 Airbus A310s and 4 767-200s. As the primary international airline, Beijing based Air China took over the rump of the old CAAC widebody fleet and looked to expand its pool of 747s.

4 Engines 4 Long Haul Pt1: Chinese A340-300s

12/5/2015

China has purchased most of the major widebody airliners over the past 30 years including Airbuses' groundbreaking quad - the A340-300. Eleven of the type were spread across 3 operators and got in over a decade of service.

Nighthawks to CBS Eyes: Capital Airlines

12/5/2015

Capital Airlines operated for 34 years between 1927 and 1961 and through the 1950s was the 5th biggest airline in the United States in terms of revenue passenger miles. That made it bigger than Delta, Braniff, Continental and Northwest yet today it is largely forgotten. That is despite the fact that the airline introduced coach services and pioneered turboprop operations with the superb Vickers Viscount. Sadly the Viscounts would in the end be one of the factors that brought the airline to its knees and by the 1960 it was on borrowed time.

Candid About the Camber: Aeroflot's IL-86 Airbus

8/5/2015

The Ilyushin IL-86 'Camber' encapsulates a big chunk of what was wrong with the Soviet Union, but also some of the things they did well. As with all Soviet civil aircraft well into the 90s its engines were obsolescent, its performance anaemic, its development protracted, its service entry late and its production far too prolonged and slow. However despite this it had many unique features which adapted it to Russian operations well, was solid, strong, reliable and very safe.

Yunnan Feathers Pt2: China Eastern 767-300s

6/5/2015

China Yunnan Airlines fleet was built around the 737-300 however a trio of Rolls-Royce powered 767s were delivered from July 1996 to January 1997, no doubt for trunk services like Kunming-Beijing. They looked very nice in the green and gold of China Yunnan however they weren't to last as six years later, in 2003, China Yunan was swallowed by China Eastern and the 767s would find themselves trading the feather for the swallow.