Airline History Blog - YESTERDAY'S AIRLINES

Talofa: The Rise, Fall & Rise of Polynesian Airlines

16/11/2019

The Pacific islands have a proud history of colourful flag carriers, however the majority of the region’s airlines have struggled with their remoteness, the limited investment capability of their home nations and competition from Australia and New Zealand. Polynesian Airlines’ history illustrates all three aspects during its history.

Eastern Bloc Boeings Pt2: Hungarian & Bulgarian 767s

19/8/2019

As we saw in part 1 LOT, the Polish flag carrier, chose Boeing 767s when it was finally able to access Western aircraft. Interflug chose the competing A310 which still left the flag carriers of Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania to play for. The split would in the end be effectively even between the Boeing and Airbus products.

Eastern Bloc Boeings Pt1: Polish 767s

10/8/2019

The gradual, and then sudden, changes that Gorbachev’s policy of Glasnost brought to Eastern Europe provided both a series of challenges and opportunities to the airlines of the Warsaw Pact nations in Eastern Europe. In the long term some of the airlines would not survive the experience, however one of the first challenges was modernisation of their inefficient Soviet-era fleets.

767s in Russia Pt1: Transaero

17/6/2016

Transaero's operation of DC-10s was most probably a short term fix to enable the startup of long-haul routes, the type's choice assisted by the aircraft having come from a US operator (no doubt helpful in getting permission for the flights at a time when Russian airlines were not held in high regard). Though more efficient than the IL-86 the DC-10s were showing their age by the late 90s and given Transaero's affinity for Boeing products it was no surprise that the 767 would be chosen as the airline's medium widebody type into the 2000s.

Hainan Goes Intercontinental Pt1: Europe

24/11/2015

Hainan Airlines, headquartered at Haikou on the island of Hainan but with a major hub at Beijing Capital also, has grown from one of many small 1990s startup joint venture airlines to spearhead the HNA Group's airline divisions and be the largest Chinese airline grouping not part of the government's big three. Today it operates a large and growing widebody fleet but it wasn't until late 2002 that the first big jet joined the fleet...

Project 767: The Spirit of Delta

5/10/2015

Delta is and airline still in touch with its heritage and the heritage of the component airlines that it has swallowed up on the way to being one of the few survivors of deregulation. This connection with its past is highlighted by the impressive Delta Flight Museum, an independent not for profit corporation, but nonetheless strongly allied to the airline. Delta was well known as a family airline and the Delta Flight Museum has the most obvious expression of that togetherness that the airline had with its employees - 'The Spirit of Delta'.

Shanghai Airlines Pt1: Pearl of the Orient

10/8/2015

Shanghai is the largest city proper in the world, with over 24 million residents. It has a rich history including a marked western influence which saw it become the financial hub of the Asia Pacific region by the 1930s. In recent years it has regained its status and it is not surprising that this cosmopolitan destination was a major focus in the liberalisation of the Chinese civil aviation sector in the 1980s. Nicknamed the "Pearl of the Orient" and "Paris of the East" Shanghai nowadays has multiple airlines based there but first there was Shanghai Airlines.

China Southern in the 90s Pt2: Widebodies

11/7/2015

China Southern received its first widebody aircraft in October 1992 when the first of six leased 767s was delivered. Three years later the airline graduated to the Boeing 777. The 777s in particular have given sterling service and have only recently begun to give way to a new generation of more numerous widebody aircraft.

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.

All Nippon's 767 Stalwarts: From 281s to 381F(ER)s

4/3/2015

All Nippon began its long association with the Boeing 767 when it ordered 25 of the series 200 in July 1979. The first aircraft, JA8479, was delivered in April 1983 with the last 767-281 arriving in April 1987. The 767s allowed All Nippon to right-size some of its operations and replaced 10 of the 21 L-1011 Tristars. The 767 would go on to be probably the most important member of the fleet for the next 30 years with 101 aircraft being used at one stage or another. In 2015 the fleet of the type still numbers 52 aircraft.

Aussie 767-200s Pt2: Kangaroo Mini-hubbers

15/1/2015

By 1980 Qantas had retired its last Boeing 707s and was unique in having a fleet made entirely of Boeing 747s. This however only lasted until June 1985 when the first of seven 767-200ERs arrived. As with everything in the heavily regulated Australian aviation scene though, getting the aircraft was a bit of a fight...

Aussie 767-200s Pt1: Ansett's 3 Man Crew Boeings

14/1/2015

After many years of solid profits and year-on-year traffic growth the airlines of Australia were hit hard in 1981-82 by a storm of troubles that afflicted air travel worldwide: increased fuel prices, an economic recession and a slump in passenger numbers. This was made worse for Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) and Ansett by the timing, which matched their introduction of widebody airlines and strike action by engineers.

Ansett was able to delay the introduction of its 767s from December 1982 to May 1983 however TAA already had several A300s in service. Even so the introduction of Ansett's 767s wasn't without its quirks!

Delta's Depression: The Ron Allen Years and Livery

10/1/2015

On May 12 1997 Delta Air Lines CEO Ron Allen announced his resignation after ten years at the helm and 34 years at the airline. At the time the news seems to have been met with some shock especially as the airline refused to say why exactly he decided to leave.

The surprise was partly because the airline was firmly in the black by 1997 recording profits of around $900 million for the year which itself followed a record $662 million profit in 1996, whilst its stock was up 17% within a year. In retrospect however Allen's departure seems less of a surprise.