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Founded | 28 May 1945 incorporated in Florida | ||||||
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Ceased operations | 1991 | ||||||
Operating bases | Miami, Florida | ||||||
Destinations | Puerto Rico, Chicago, New York and Detroit | ||||||
Headquarters | Miami, Florida United States | ||||||
Founder | John Paul Riddle |
Airlift International was an American cargo airline that operated from 1945 to 1991, initially under the name Riddle Airlines. It was certificated as a scheduled freight airline in 1951 by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the now-defunct federal agency that, at the time, tightly regulated almost all US commericial air transport. Airlift's headquarters were at Miami International Airport, Florida. [1]
John Paul Riddle incorporated Riddle Airlines in Florida on 28 May 1945 [2] in Miami, Florida. [3] The carrier was initially a nonscheduled or irregular air carrier, but in 1951 the CAB certificated it as a scheduled freight airline between New York and Miami on the one hand and Puerto Rico on the other. [4] In 1955, the CAB awarded Riddle further certification for a portion of the north-south domestic cargo routes previously awarded to defunct U. S. Airlines. [5]
In November 1963, Riddle Airlines shareholders voted to rename the company to Airlift International, [6] a measure approved in March 1964 by the CAB. [7] In 1966, Airlift acquired the assets of defunct Slick Airways to ensure continuity of charter operations for the military. [8] In 1968, Airlift acquired the scheduled route authority of Slick. [9]
The first flights were between Miami and Puerto Rico using Curtiss C-46 and Douglas DC-4 aircraft. In 1951 it expanded services to serve New York City. Then the route system was expanded to include Chicago and Detroit. In 1960 two Douglas DC-7 were added to the fleet and with those aircraft were used for charter flights to Europe, including charters for the military.
The next aircraft type to join the fleet was the Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy dedicated cargo aircraft, but those were replaced in 1963 by the Douglas DC-8. Further aircraft used were the L-1049 Super Constellation, the Canadair CL-44, the Lockheed L-100 Hercules, the Boeing 707, and the Boeing 727-100QC.
The freight schedule was augmented by charter flights to South America and the military but by 1981 Airlift International went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy for reorganization. Following the reorganization the DC-8-54, the Fairchild FH-227 and F-27 models were used.
Due to financial problems during 1990 and 1991, Airlift International ceased operations in June 1991. [10]
As of May 1968, Airlift operated: [11]
World Airline Fleets 1979 (copyright 1979) shows Airlift with: [1]
1987–88 World Airline Fleets (copyright 1987) shows Airlift with: [12]
Other aircraft Airlift/Riddle operated included:
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