Airborne Express

Last updated

Airborne Express
Airborne Express Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
GBABXABEX
Founded1946;78 years ago (1946)
Ceased operations
  • Air operations: August 15, 2003;21 years ago (August 15, 2003)
  • Ground logistics: November 10, 2008;15 years ago (November 10, 2008)
Hubs Wilmington, Ohio
Headquarters Seattle, Washington
Key peopleCarl Donaway (president)
Airborne Express 767 Airborne Express 767-200.jpg
Airborne Express 767

Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers from Hawaii to the US mainland. Airborne Express was acquired by DHL in 2003. Prior to the acquisition, it rose to be the third largest private express delivery company in the United States, behind Federal Express (FedEx Express) and United Parcel Service (UPS).

Contents

History

Growth during Airborne's first 22 years was slow, but in 1968, the airline known as Airbourne Freight Company, [1] started going through some changes. The company Air Cargo Equipment Corporation developed and patented a special narrow container, known in the industry later as the "C" container (referring to its C shape), which allowed the more efficient use of space within large jet aircraft. [2] The containers also eliminated the need to modify the cargo doors, thus saving any air-freight company that used them substantial sums of money. It does appear that around this time, early on, that Airborne began using the more efficient containers. Known at that time as Airborne of California, the company merged with Pacific Air Freight of Seattle. The newly formed airline moved its headquarters north to Seattle and changed its name to Airborne Freight Corporation. This was the name they kept until 1980.

Growth from 1980 to 2003

Incidents and accidents

Airborne Express has experienced seven accidents, with six of them being hull losses, and two resulting in fatalities. [9]

See also

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References

  1. "Airbourne Freight Company". Airline History. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
  2. Rau, Blase C. "Patent" (PDF). U.S. Patent Office.
  3. "Midwest Air Charter". ABX Air. Archived from the original on February 24, 2019. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  4. Skochins, Kerry. "ABX buys Ohio airport". fundinguniverse.com. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  5. Speed, Jeff (May 5, 2004). "One of thousands of identical vans". flickr. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  6. Gaston, Michael. "Airborne Service Through the Years". slideplayer. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  7. "Airborne Express". Wilmington News-Journal. March 23, 1989. p. 7A. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  8. Vickers, Pat. "ABX Express Pack". twitter. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  9. Ranter, Harro. "Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Operator index > United States of America > Airborne Express". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  10. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Carstedt Jet Liner 600F N906MW Saint Louis-Lambert International Airport, MO (STL)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  11. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle VI-R N905MW Atlanta Municipal Airport, GA (ATL)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  12. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 N926AX Philadelphia International Airport, PA (PHL)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  13. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 N908AX Newburgh-Stewart Airport, NY (SWF)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  14. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Cessna 208B Grand Caravan N4688B Burlington International Airport, VT (BTV)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  15. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident NAMC YS-11A-205 N918AX Wilmington-Airborne Airpark, OH (ILN)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  16. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63F N827AX Narrows, VA". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  17. "Uncontrolled Flight into Terrain, ABX Air (Airborne Express) Douglas DC-8-63, N827AX, Narrows, Virginia, December 22, 1996" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. July 15, 1997. NTSB/AAR-97/05. Retrieved September 5, 2019.