 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1970 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1970 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 1990 | ||||||
| Operating bases | Atlanta, Smyrna | ||||||
| Key people | Alvin L. Pittman, Orien L. Dickerson | ||||||
Independent Air was an airline based in the United States, that was founded in 1970. [1] The airline ceased operations in 1990.
Independent Air originated with Atlanta Skylarks, a travel club that was based in Atlanta. The travel club was organized through Skylarks Enterprises, Inc., a managing company that was founded in 1966 and initially operated all flights for the travel club with a single Douglas DC-7. In 1970, Independent Air Inc. was formed and purchased all of the outstanding stock of Skylarks Enterprises Inc. and the DC-7. Until 1981, Independent Air continued the relationship with Skylarks, managed the travel club and dry-leased its aircraft to it on an exclusive basis. [1] Atlanta Skylarks and Independent Air were founded by Harry R. Maugans and James H. Vason. [1]
In 1981, Independent Air requested and was issued Part 125 operating authority, acquired a second Boeing 720 and began employing its own flight crews. With the new operating authority and expanded capacity, Independent Air provided air transportation not only for Skylark but also for other private charterers. They included casino hotels, companies sponsoring employee incentive trips or participating in conventions and religious and athletic organizations. In 1983, Independent Air was granted to engage in charter air transportation. [2]
The company purchased two Boeing 707s (N7232X and N7231T) from Trans World Airlines. The company's permission to operate these aircraft was withdrawn in 1984 following new noise regulations. The company was exempted from the permission withdrawal following a successful lawsuit. In 1985, the aircraft were fitted with hush kits, allowing the aircraft to meet Stage 3 noise levels.
In 1985, the company and its subsidiaries were taken over by Alvin L. Pittman and Orien L. Dickerson, who were previously employed by Capitol Air. Pittman, Dickerson and two silent partners formed a parent company, Independent Air Holdings Company Inc., in April 1985 for the purpose of acquiring Independent Air Inc. from Maugans and Vason for $213,590. The new owners then completed a public offering of 46% of the company's stock and netted about $2,8 million. The owners retained 54% of the stock. The fresh working capital was needed to modify a Boeing 707 to meet federal engine noise regulations as well as to buy a second airplane, a Boeing 727-100. [3] The company changed its headquarters from Hapeville, Georgia to Smyrna, Tennessee in 1986. [4]
Following the crash of Independent Air Flight 1851 in 1989, Independent Air received bad press in Italian newspapers, primarily about the age of its aircraft. Also, some passengers who boarded one of its earlier flights into the Dominican Republic and Jamaica complained about the state of its aircraft and the interior citing faulty air-conditioning and broken seat(back)s. Two days after the crash, the Italian minister for transport, Giorgio Santuz, banned Independent Air from the Italian skies. Azores Express terminated the contract for the flights between Ponta Delgada and Boston by the end of February.
Fallout from the Azores accident led to contracts with tour operators being canceled and flights were suspended in November 1990. [5]
The airline operated for the travel club, operated holiday charters for tour operators and flew charters for the US military. In 1988 and 1989 the company operated routes between Florida and Jamaica, also dubbed the "Jamaica Shuttle". At the time of the crash of Independent Air Flight 1851, the company was operating flights between Boston and Ponta Delgada (for Azores Express), from Montego Bay to Fort Lauderdale, Denver and Milan/Malpensa and from Bergamo to Punta Cana and Puerto Plata. By 1990, Independent Air was planning to start scheduled flights between New York and Puerto Rico but those plans were not realized. [5]
Destinations included:
On 8 February 1989, Independent Air Flight 1851 crashed on approach to Santa Maria island in the Azores, Portugal, killing all 144 people on board. [6]
During 1990, Orien Dickerson, then Vice-President of the company, was penalised by the United States Department of Transportation because he withdrew funds from escrow accounts for charter flights that still had to be carried out. In the charter airline business, it is common practice that prepayments from customers (e.g. travel agencies) to airlines are put on an escrow account until the flight is operated. This reduces the risk for the travel agency that the flight cannot be carried out due to insufficient funds. Orien Dickerson was fined in 1992 for $20,000. In addition, he was ordered to refrain from gainful involvement with air carriers, travel agencies or public charter companies for 18 months. [7]
Independent Air operated the following aircraft during its existence:
Independent Air first aircraft was a DC-7B (N4889C), that was taken over from Skylarks Enterprises Inc.. In 1970, the DC-7 was replaced by a Boeing 720-022 (N7228U) later accompanied by N7229L in 1981. [8] In 1976, Atlanta Skylarks purchased two Sud SE-210 Caravelle VI-R aircraft (N555SL and N777VV) from Transavia. [8] After the name change from Atlanta Skylarks to Independent Air, the company acquired two Boeing 707-331Bs from TWA (N7232X and N7231T). Initially, the company was not granted permission to use the 707s in the US since their engines were not fitted with hush kits. In 1986, Independent Air added a Boeing 727-100 (N154FN) to their fleet but this aircraft was returned to the lessor before the end of that year. Independent Air also leased a Boeing 707 from Skystar International (N728Q) in 1987. The fleet's mainstays (N7231T and N7232X) were sold to International Air Leases Inc. in 1988 and leased back. The Boeing 707 N7231T that was lost in the Azores was replaced in 1989 by a 707 from Denver Ports of Call (N457PC). Both aircraft were returned to International Air Leases in 1990, when Independent Air ceased operations.
Independent Air used different liveries on its aircraft and sometimes creatively used previous liveries of aircraft it leased or purchased. All of its liveries featured a white globe pictured in a blue frame with a red bird encircling the globe. In 1987, Independent Air applied a common and fresh livery to all of its aircraft until its demise in 1990.
North American Airlines, Inc., was an American airline with its headquarters at the HLH Building in Peachtree City, Georgia in Greater Atlanta, United States. Prior to May 2008, it operated scheduled international services from the U.S. to Africa and Guyana. Later it operated domestic and international charter services and wet lease services. Its main aircraft and maintenance base was Tampa International Airport.
China Airlines is the state-owned flag carrier of the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is one of Taiwan's two major airlines, along with EVA Air. It is headquartered in Taoyuan International Airport and operates over 1,400 flights weekly – including 91 pure cargo flights – to 102 cities across Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Carrying nearly 20 million passengers and 5700 tons of cargo in 2017, the carrier was the 33rd largest airline in the world in terms of revenue passenger kilometers and 10th largest in terms of freight revenue ton kilometers.
Atlas Air, Inc. is a major American cargo airline, passenger charter airline, and aircraft lessor based in White Plains, New York. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings. Atlas Air is the world's largest operator of the Boeing 747, with 65 of the type. In 2021, the airline had 4,056 employees and operated to more than 300 global destinations.
ATA Airlines, Inc., formerly known as American Trans Air and commonly referred to as ATA, was an American low-cost and charter airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana. ATA operated scheduled passenger flights throughout the U.S. mainland and Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Portugal as well as military and commercial charter flights around the world.
Air Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and ACMI airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI and wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and cargo capacity. It also operates charter services. The company operates in different countries and has bases worldwide.
Monarch Airlines, simply known as Monarch, was a British charter and scheduled airline founded by Bill Hodgson and Don Peacock and financed by the Swiss Sergio Mantegazza family. The company later became a low-cost airline in 2004 before abandoning charter flying completely. The airline's headquarters were based at London–Luton, and it had operating bases at Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford, London–Gatwick and Manchester.
Azores Airlines, previously known as SATA Internacional, is a Portuguese airline based in the municipality of Ponta Delgada, on the island of São Miguel in the autonomous archipelago of the Azores. A subsidiary of SATA Air Açores, the airline operates as the international arm of the regional network, connecting the archipelago intercontinentally from its hub at João Paulo II Airport. The company operate flights as well from its base in Lisbon.
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 1989.
Ryan International Airlines, Inc. was an American FAR 121 airline with domestic, flag, and supplemental authority.
SATA Air Açores is a Portuguese airline based in São Sebastião, Ponta Delgada in the Azores, Portugal. It operates scheduled passenger, cargo and mail services around the Azores. It provides its own maintenance and handling services and manages four regional airports. Its main base is at João Paulo II Airport, Ponta Delgada. It also maintains a subsidiary for mid- and long-haul flights, Azores Airlines, the former SATA International.
Northeast Airlines was an American trunk carrier, a scheduled airline based in Boston, Massachusetts, originally founded as Boston-Maine Airways that chiefly operated in the northeastern United States, and later to Canada, Florida, the Bahamas, Bermuda and other cities. It was notably small and unprofitable relative to other trunk carriers, being less than half the size, by revenue, than the next biggest trunk in 1971. Northeast was acquired by and merged into Delta Air Lines in August 1972.
Ponta Delgada–João Paulo II Airport, named after Pope John Paul II, is an international airport located on the island of São Miguel, in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. Situated 2 kilometres west of the city centre of Ponta Delgada, it is the primary airport in the Azores, as well as the fifth largest infrastructure managed by ANA Aeroportos de Portugal. The terminal was finished in 1995; by 2024 the airport served a total of nearly 3,3 million passengers. It has scheduled domestic flights to all islands of the Azores, plus Madeira and the mainland, namely. João Paulo II Airport also accommodates international flights to and from Europe and North America. The airport is the major hub for the SATA Group of airlines, which includes both inter-island SATA Air Açores and international Azores Airlines, and since April 2015 as a base for Ryanair.
British Eagle International Airlines was a major British independent airline that operated from 1948 until it went into liquidation in 1968. It operated scheduled and charter services on a domestic, international and transatlantic basis over the years.
Santa Maria Airport is an international airport located 5 km (3.1 mi) west northwest of the urbanized area of Vila do Porto on the island of Santa Maria, in the Portuguese autonomous region of the Azores. A principal hub in transatlantic travel until the end of the 20th century, it was constructed at the start of the Second World War to protect convoys by American troops who were ceded authority until its end. From this period on, the airfield took on a commercial role, reinforced by inter-island travel and connections to Europe, resulting in its obtaining the communication duties for the North Atlantic sector of the airspace corridor.
Horta Airport is an airport located in the parish of Castelo Branco, 9.5 km (5.9 mi) southwest of the center of Horta, on Faial Island in the archipelago of the Azores. The airport was remodeled and reinaugurated in December 2001, in order to serve the islands of the Central Group, as well as expanded to support domestic connectivity to Lisbon.
On 8 February 1989, Independent Air Flight 1851, a Boeing 707 on an American charter flight from Bergamo, Italy, to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, struck Pico Alto while on approach to Santa Maria Airport in the Azores for a scheduled stopover. The aircraft was destroyed, with the loss of all 144 people on board, resulting in the deadliest plane crash in Portugal's history. All of the passengers on board were Italian and all of the crew were Americans. The crash is also known as "The disaster of the Azores".
Aeroamerica, Inc. was founded as an uncertificated carrier. It was headquartered at Seattle Boeing Field, Washington. In 1975 the airline established an overseas base at Tegel Airport in what used to be West Berlin prior to German reunification. Berlin Tegel was the main operating base from 1975 until 1979. Aeroamerica ceased operations in 1982.
German Cargo Services GmbH, operating as German Cargo, was an airline from (West) Germany that operated cargo flights on behalf of Lufthansa, of which it was a wholly owned subsidiary.
Primera Air Scandinavia A/S, was a Danish airline owned by Primera Travel Group. It provided scheduled and charter passenger services from Northern Europe to more than 40 destinations in the Mediterranean, Middle East and North America. It ceased operations on 1 October 2018.
