Airline History Blog - Yesterday's Airlines

Crash Course: Egypt’s Soviet Adventure

4/10/2018

Since independence Egypt has had a volatile history, which included a period where ties with the Soviet Union grew stronger. It also however coincided with a time when you had to be brave to fly the national airline at all and the number of aircraft, both Soviet and Western that it crashed was quite staggering. Here I take a look at how Soviet types fared flying from Cairo.

Mexicana's Unique Liveries Pt2: 1993-1996

16/9/2018

The reimagination of Mexicana's image from 1991 onwards had been a great success but unfortunately in the highly competitive deregulated Mexican aviation market Mexicana couldn't really support the cost outlay of such a programme. As financial realities hit the new liveries were gradually scaled back, however there was still plenty of colour to come.

Mexicana's Unique Liveries Pt1: 1989-1993

13/9/2018

The deregulation of the Mexican domestic market in late 1988 was to provide both opportunities and pitfalls for Mexicana, which, as with its competitors, lurched from famine to feast as the Mexican economy likewise lurched from boom to bust. Nonetheless the period also provided huge amounts of interest for the aviation enthusiast as new competitors arose and Mexicana itself underwent a startling albeit short-lived metamorphosis.

Aviacsa Pt2: Pakal Falls

6/9/2018

Aviacsa entered into the 21st Century as Mexico’s leading private airline and a serious competitive force to the nationalised Mexicana and Aeroméxico. Unfortunately it was not able to establish itself as a permanent fixture due to its inability to finance fleet replacement and compete as a low cost rather than a low fares airline with the new breed of LCCs in Mexico such as Interjet and Volaris. Within 10 years Pakal would be dethroned.

Aviacsa Pt1: Pakal Expands

29/8/2018

Consorcio Aviacsa, S.A. de C.V. (commonly known as Aviacsa) grew from a struggling small regional airline into Mexico’s 3rd largest carrier during the first decade of deregulation, as competitors failed and Mexico’s economy see-sawed from feast to famine. Despite having regular issues with corruption and finances by 2000 it had survived and grown as a proud private Mexican airline still holding on to its Southern roots with King Pakal on its tails and a smile firmly on its face.

Cathay Cargo Pt2: 747-8Fs for the Future

18/8/2018

Cathay Pacific Cargo was in a strong position in 2007 and in November placed its largest ever direct order with Boeing. This incuded 7 extra Boeing 777-300ERs but more importantly a commitment to 10 747-8Fs with 14 further purchase rights. At the time CX Cargo still had 6 747-400ERFs and a pair of 747-400BCFs on order. The idea at the time was to use the 747-8Fs for growth and to replace the 747-200Fs but the global financial crisis changed all that and instead the 200s were replaced largely by the 400ERFs.

Vienna Longer Haul: Austrian A340s

3/8/2018

By the early 90s the A310s had proved their value and given Austrian the start they needed on long haul routes. In fact before the last A310 arrived Austrian had already ordered its next long haul product – the four engined A340. The first pair was ordered in September 1991 with a further pair optioned.

Vienna Long Haul: Austrian A310s

29/7/2018

Austrian Airlines was for many years purely a regional European national airline and although it had dabbled in long haul flights briefly during the 70s it wasn't until the mid-1980s that it finally gained aircraft with the capability to operate long haul routes effectively. These were operated by Airbuses stubby A310, which successfully enabled growth and the acquisition of higher capacity stablemates.

The Elegance Campaign: Braniff’s Ultra Look

21/7/2018

The rise and fall of Harding Lawrence’s Braniff International is so well known that in aviation it has become something of a byword for mismanagement and a case study for the impact of deregulation. In many ways it was a harbinger of the bloodbath that the 1980s would become for US carriers however in others it was unique. Nonetheless back in 1978 everything seemed rosy at Braniff and the airline would celebrate its Golden anniversary with the introduction of a new look.

Lunarejo’s Courier: Aero Continente

11/7/2018

There is a ‘fine’ tradition of dodgy airlines in Africa and Latin America but few have had the success that Peru’s Aero Continente managed. This is all the more impressive when it appears that the airline’s operations were strictly a secondary consideration, with its primary reason for existing being to act as a carrier for drug cartel Cocaine! From a fresh startup in 1992 it became Peru’s largest airline only for it all to come finally crashing down in 2004.

Panda Buses: Sichuan's A320s, the First in China

27/6/2018

Sichuan province is one of China's most important and diverse. Today its home airline has grown into as major carrier but it was the acquisition of new Airbuses that gave it the leg-up it needed to fend off Air China and others. Naturally to celebrate Sichuan looked to the province's most famous inhabitants - a certain big black and white bear.

Project Omaha: Piedmont’s Florida Shuttle

19/6/2018

After initially being against deregulation Piedmont grabbed the opportunity with both hands. They had already turned Charlotte into a major hub, built secondary hub operations at Dayton and Baltimore and begun to build partnerships with various regional airlines, but ever curious for new opportunities Piedmont looked towards Florida to try something new for the airline and the industry.

Stretching Australia’s Wings: Compass Mk1

13/6/2018

November 1990 marked the date that the Australian domestic airline market was finally fully deregulated, however unlike in other markets this did not signal a rollercoaster of new entrant airlines. The Australian market had always been hyper-regulated and even with deregulation the grandfathered airlines, Australian and Ansett, had major advantages. So much so in fact that only a single challenger appeared to compete with them. This was Compass Airlines.

Pork for Planes: Sichuan's TU-154s

1/6/2018

The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a proliferation of small Chinese airlines in addition to the major regional bueraus spawned from CAAC. Many of these smaller carriers were swallowed up in the great agglomeration of 2003 but some like Sichuan Airlines have gone from strength to strength. In Sichuan's case this is despite a formative period with obsolete equipment.

Minerve Magic: French Deregulation Pioneer

17/5/2018

Charter airlines have come and gone regularly and many barely merit a mention. Some however deserve recognition and Minerve definitely falls into that category. It was a pioneer in opening up the tightly regulated French market. Not only was it first in France to operate the MD-80, it was also the first French charter 747 operator, first to challenge Air France in the overseas territories and Air Inter domestically.