Airlift International

Last updated
Airlift International
AirliftInt.jpg
IATA ICAO Callsign
RDAIRAIRLIFT
Founded1945 in Miami, Florida
Ceased operations1991
Destinations Puerto Rico, Chicago, New York and Detroit
Headquarters Miami International Airport

Airlift International was an American airline that operated from 1945 to 1991. Airlift's headquarters were on the grounds of Miami International Airport in unincorporated Dade County, Florida. [1]

Contents

History

Riddle Airlines Douglas DC-7 at JFK International Airport (July 1962) Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas, Riddle Airlines JP7357286.jpg
Riddle Airlines Douglas DC-7 at JFK International Airport (July 1962)

Airlift International was founded as Riddle Airlines by John Paul Riddle in 1945 in Miami, Florida as a charter and freight airline. [2] In 1965, Riddle Airlines was renamed to Airlift International. [3] In 1968, Airlift expanded and acquired Slick Airways. [3]

Airlift International Fairchild-Hiller FH-227C in 1989 Fairchild FH.227C N374RD Airlift FLL 13.11.89 edited-2.jpg
Airlift International Fairchild-Hiller FH-227C in 1989

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-382 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. [3]

Fleet

See also

Related Research Articles

Air Florida was an American low-cost carrier that operated from 1971 to 1984. In 1975 it was headquartered in the Dadeland Towers in what is now Kendall, Florida in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano</span> Former flag carrier and principal airline of Bolivia

Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano S.A.M., was the flag carrier and principal airline of Bolivia from 1925 until it ceased operations in 2010. Before its demise it was headquartered in Cochabamba and had its main hubs at Jorge Wilstermann International Airport and Viru Viru International Airport. Founded in September 1925, it was the second oldest airline in South America after Avianca and one of the oldest airlines in the world.

Bahamasair Holdings Limited is an airline headquartered in Nassau. It is the national airline of The Bahamas and operates scheduled services to 32 domestic and regional destinations in the Caribbean and the United States from its base at Lynden Pindling International Airport.

Compañía Dominicana de Aviación, usually shortened to Dominicana, was an airline based in the Dominican Republic and served as the flag carrier for the country.

SAM was a Colombian airline. With its main hub at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, SAM operated domestic and international routes and was a subsidiary of Avianca. In 2004, its headquarters were in the Avianca headquarters in Bogotá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Pacific Air Lines</span> Defunct airline of Canada (1942—1987)

Canadian Pacific Air Lines was a Canadian airline that operated from 1942 to 1987. It operated under the name CP Air from 1968 to 1986. Headquartered at Vancouver International Airport in Richmond, British Columbia, it served domestic Canadian as well as international routes until it was purchased by Pacific Western Airlines and absorbed into Canadian Airlines International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ALM Antillean Airlines</span> Defunct Netherlands Antillean airline

ALM Antillean Airlines, and later Air ALM, was the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. It was based at Hato International Airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Las Américas International Airport</span> Airport in the Dominican Republic

Las Américas International Airport is an international airport located in Punta Caucedo, near Santo Domingo and Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic. The airport is run by Aeropuertos Dominicanos Siglo XXI (AERODOM), a private corporation based in the Dominican Republic, under a 25-year concession to build, operate, and transfer (BOT) six of the country's airports. Las Américas usually receives a wide variety of long-, mid-, and short-haul aircraft. Santo Domingo's other airport, La Isabela, is much smaller and used by smaller aircraft only.

Pacific Western Airlines Ltd (PWA) was an airline that operated scheduled flights throughout western Canada and charter services around the world from the 1950s through the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flying Tiger Line</span> American cargo airline (1945-88)

Flying Tiger Line, also known as Flying Tigers, was the first scheduled cargo airline in the United States and a major military charter operator during the Cold War era for both cargo and personnel. The airline was bought by Federal Express in 1988.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combi aircraft</span> Aircraft that can carry passengers and/or cargo

Combi aircraft in commercial aviation are aircraft that can be used to carry either passengers as an airliner, or cargo as a freighter, and may have a partition in the aircraft cabin to allow both uses at the same time in a mixed passenger/freight combination. The name combi comes from the word combination. The concept previously existed in railroading, as a passenger car that contained a separate compartment for mail and/or baggage.

Quebecair was a Canadian airline that operated from 1947 until 1986. Quebecair was headquartered in Saint-Laurent, Quebec, now a part of Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northeast Airlines</span> United States airline from 1940 to 1972

Northeast Airlines was an American airline based in Boston, Massachusetts that chiefly operated in the northeastern United States, and later to Canada, Florida, the Bahamas, Los Angeles and other cities. It was acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines in August 1972.

A government contract flight is a type of charter airline operation contracted with a government agency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Piedmont Airlines (1948–1989)</span> Defunct airline of the United States (1948—1989)

Piedmont Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated from 1948 to 1989, when it was acquired by and merged into USAir. Its headquarters were at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building that is now part of Wake Forest University.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transair Sweden</span> Former Swedish airline, 1950–1981

Transair Sweden AB was a Swedish charter airline that operated until 1981.

Everts Air is an American airline based in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. It operates scheduled and charter airline cargo as well as passenger services within Alaska and Canada. Its main base is Fairbanks International Airport with its major hub at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. The company slogan is Legendary Aircraft. Extraordinary Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas</span>

Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas S.A.S is a cargo airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operates scheduled and chartered cargo flights to Latinoamerica and the Caribbean. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intrastate airline</span> Carrier operating within one US state

Intrastate airlines in the U.S. are defined as air carriers operating inside of one individual state and thus not flying across state lines. Larger intrastate airlines in the U.S. that operated mainline turboprop and/or jet aircraft were created as a result of former federal airline regulations, as passenger air carriers that only flew intrastate service were not regulated by the federal government but were instead primarily regulated by the respective state governments in their home states. For example, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) and Air California were both regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) prior to the federal Airline Deregulation Act of 1978. Although intrastate airlines in some states used only turboprop aircraft, scheduled passenger service on jet aircraft was operated by intrastate air carriers in California, Florida, Hawaii and Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aerotal</span> Defunct Colombian airline, 1975–1983

AeroTal was a Colombian airline based in the La Vanguardia Airport of Villavicencio. The airline specialized in both regional, domestic and international flights. It was founded in 1970 and completed its entire operations by 1983.

References

  1. "World Airline Directory." Flight International . 14–20 March 1990 "Airlift International" 57.
  2. "Aerofiles: Airlines of North America N-Z".
  3. 1 2 3 "Aerofiles: Airlines of North America A-M".