Airline History Blog - YESTERDAY'S AIRLINES

Republic Airlines Pt2: 1984-1986 - Wolf to Northwest

14/9/2022

â€‹The first five years of Republic Airlines existence had not been kind. This was largely due to the disastrous Hughes Airwest takeover, but Republic had also been assaulted in its East-coast markets by deregulation startups and failed to innovate. That cost the existing CEO his job and would see the employment of Stephen Wolf who would take drastic measures to keep the airline afloat.

Republic Airlines Pt1: 1979-1984 Bigger Is Better?

13/9/2022

There have been few more torrid times in aviation in the USA than the 1980s. Deregulation had brought competition and this would inevitably lead to winners and losers. It was a time of eat or be eaten, and as merger mania reigned gaining critical mass and market share became important weapons. This strategy was evident at the new Republic Airlines, which for a time served more destinations in the USA than any other airline but almost killed itself with the consequences of that.

Czech Camels: CSA (and Alitalia) Tu-104s

29/8/2022

The Tupolev Tu-104 was an impressive achievement that made the West stand up and take notice of Soviet engineering capability, even if it wasn't quite the dream jet the Soviets made it out to be. Indeed, the type was a serious challenge and that is perhaps partly why outside of the Soviet Union it served only with the reliable CSA, although one aircraft did half-sneak into Alitalia colours briefly too!

Tapestry A320s: Air 2000 Airbuses

11/8/2022

The UK charter airline scene at the dawn of the 1990s was dominated by the BAC One-Eleven, Boeing 737-200 and 757-200. The 737-300 has seen a decent take-up by airlines, such as Dan Air, Monarch and Orion, but was quickly usurped by larger 757s or the new kid on the block the Airbus A320. When an airline needed lower capacity than the 757 it was the A320 they usually fell back on and Air 2000, one of the most successful UK charter carriers of the time, was no expection.

Unijet's Airline: Leisure International

2/8/2022

The UK charter market has always been volatile, with economic downturns and upticks providing opportunity and disaster. During the 1990s as the economy recovered several new carriers started up but many lasted only a short time as market consolidation of their tour operator owners took-off. One of these was Leisure International.

Mistakes On A Plane: B-HNO Goes PACIIC

22/6/2022

Cathay has had a torrid time of it in the past 5 years hit by storms on several fronts that have coalesced to make it a very different airline. One of the lighter moments however occurred in September 2018 when a standard paintjob took a wrong turn. A freak mistake or a symptom of a wider malaise?

Scots in Manchester: Loganair in the 1980s

17/5/2022

2022 marks the 60th anniversary of 'Scotland's Airline' Loganair. The 1980s would see its survival assured by new ownership and expansion south of the border that merited the acquisition of its first jets before its own brand disappeared behind the mask of franchise operations for quarter of a century.

Triskelion: Manx Airlines

3/5/2022

Islands have a unique need for strong air services and the islands surrounding Great Britain have historically had many regional airlines providing their connection with the mainland. During the 1980s the Isle of Man gained its own airline and one that would grow well beyond the scope of serving its home island.

Freeport Bound: Laker Airways Bahamas

25/4/2022

Sir Freddie Laker is of course renowned for Laker Airways and his low-cost Skytrain services, which were killed unfairly in 1982 by competitors. He is also known for his ill-fated 1996 return to Transatlantic services with Laker Airways Mk2 but is perhaps less well known for his other airline, Laker Airways Bahamas, which for over a decade served a niche market using 727s hopping mainly between Fort Lauderdale and Freeport.

Camelot: Excalibur Airways

12/4/2022

The charter airline industry has always been a turbulent one but that hasn’t stopped many from getting into it. The early 90s were a time of great change as older companies like Dan Air and Air Europe disappeared and new ones started up. Excalibur was one of the new breed using ultra-modern equipment and offering a great service, at least until an ill-thought out change of direction led to their downfall.

Taban Airlines & Iran's Only EP- 757

15/3/2022

I find Iran's aviation scene to be vibrant and interesting, the more so due to the sanctions the country's airlines have to operate under, or around. The 2000s have been a period of deregulation and continued liberalisation, which has led to the creation of a wide range of airlines often operating rather haphazard fleets. One of the larger and seemingly more siccessful recent entrants has been Taban Airlines.

Skyservice: First A330 In North America

18/12/2021

It is hard to imagine now but even during the 90s US airlines were not especially willing to acquire large numbers of Airbus products. Orders for A330s by TWA and A340s from Continental had fallen by the wayside and so it fell to a Canadian charter airline to operate the first ever A330 in North America.

Tabriz Feather: Eram Air

25/7/2021

Iranian aviation is famous for keeping elderly aircraft in the air, but that achievement shouldn't overshadow what is a vibrant civil airline scene, which has at least 16 jet operators in 2021. Even so, some Iranian carriers have fallen by the wayside including the operator Eram Air, an airline whose main claim to fame is probably that it has been represented in 400 scale with a model!

Shamrock 500s: Aer Lingus 737s Pt2

26/6/2021

The 737 had proved the foundation for Aer Lingus' growth in the 1970s and 80s so it was natural that the carrier would look favourably on the new generation of the type. Nonetheless despite acquiring all three new variants the 737-300/400/500s would serve for a much shorter period of time than the series 200s.

Shamrock 200s: Aer Lingus 737s Pt1

23/6/2021

The colourful fleet of green Shamrock jets of Aer Lingus has connected the Republic of Ireland to Europe for many years and no type was more important in doing so than Boeing's 737. The Baby Boeing was a type that the airline showed early faith in, a faith that was proven well founded with many years of service.