MK Airlines

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MK Airlines
IATA ICAO Call sign
7G
7G
MKA
BGB
KRUGER AIR
BRITISH GLOBAL
Founded1990
Ceased operations2010
Hubs
Alliance None
Headquarters Ghana (1990-1995 and 1996-2006)
Nigeria (1995-1996)
United Kingdom (2006-2010)
Key peopleMichael Kruger (founder and CEO)
Websitewww.mkairlines.com (defunct)

MK Airlines Ltd. was a cargo airline from Ghana (registered in the United Kingdom from 2006 onwards, [1] with its headquarters in Hartfield, East Sussex), [2] which was operational between 1990 and 2010, concentrating on freight services to and from Africa. The airline routed most of its transported freight via its European bases at Gatwick Airport, Kent International Airport, Ostend–Bruges International Airport or Luxembourg-Findel International Airport. [1] The African hub was located at OR Tambo International Airport, serving Johannesburg. [3]

Contents

History

An MK Airlines Boeing 747-200 at Filton Airfield (2004). Four days after this picture was taken, the aircraft was destroyed in the crash of Flight 1602. Mk.airlines.b747-200.9g-mkj.arp.jpg
An MK Airlines Boeing 747-200 at Filton Airfield (2004). Four days after this picture was taken, the aircraft was destroyed in the crash of Flight 1602.
An MK Airlines Douglas DC-8 shortly after take-off at Prague Airport in 2004 MK Airlines Douglas DC-8-55(F) Lebeda-2.jpg
An MK Airlines Douglas DC-8 shortly after take-off at Prague Airport in 2004

The airline was founded by Michael C. Kruger as MK Air Cargo d'Or in 1990 [1] (MK stands for its founder's initials). Headquartered and registered in Ghana, a network of cargo flights with hubs at Kotoka International Airport and Gatwick Airport was set up, which was served with only one aircraft, a Douglas DC-8.[ citation needed ] In 1993, the MK Airlines branding was adopted. [1]

Between 1995 and 1996, the headquarters of the airline were located in Nigeria. [1] From 1999 onwards, MK Airlines expanded its fleet with cargo configured Boeing 747-200 airliners. [4] The last of its DC-8s was put out of service in 2006.[ citation needed ]

In September 2006, MK Airlines was issued a new airline licence by the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. In November 2007, plans for a rebranding of the airline as British Global were announced. [1] The company had its airline code changed to BGB accordingly, [5] but in March 2008, the rebranding was postponed indefinitely. [1]

Due to financial problems, MK Airlines had to suspend all flight operations on 10 June 2008, and went into administration. [1] After an investment had been received from Trans Atlantic Aviation, a subsidiary of the Belfairs Group, a limited extent of operations could resume on 20 June of that year. [1] Following a reorganization of the airline's funding, bankruptcy administration could be left on 24 June 2009. [1] Plans for an acquisition of more fuel-efficient aircraft of the Boeing 747-400 type could not be realized.[ citation needed ]

The financial burdens of the company could not be alleviated in the short term. On 9 April 2010, all operations ceased with surrender of the Air Operators Certificate to the UK CAA on the same day. [1] [6] [7] An attempt was made to secure a company voluntary arrangement in order to be in a position to apply for a relaunch of operations. The CVA was successfully challenged by creditors as having been irregularly conducted and was rejected by the High Court of Justice on 5 October 2010. [8]

Fleet

Over the years of its existence, MK Airlines operated the following aircraft types: [9]

AircraftIntroducedRetired
Douglas DC-8
1994
2006
Boeing 747-200
1999
2010

Accidents and incidents

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "ATDB.aero aerotransport.org AeroTransport Data Bank". aerotransport.org.
  2. "Preserved airline website at web.archive.org" MK Airlines. Retrieved on 9 September 2010.
  3. "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International . 10 April 2007. p. 51.
  4. "MK Airlines Fleet - Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net.
  5. Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Protection Group Official Record Series 2 Number 1836, 12 February 2008 (ISSN 0306-4654)
  6. GmbH, DVV Media Group (8 April 2010). "MK Airlines forced from the sky ǀ Air Cargo News". www.aircargonews.net.
  7. "Lloyd's Loading List - Freight Forwarding and Logistics News with Freight Trade Route Search". www.ifw-net.com.
  8. "Insolvency law legal advice and CVAs". Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  9. "Login required".
  10. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-8-54F 9G-MKB Kano International Airport (KAN)". aviation-safety.net.
  11. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-8-55F 9G-MKD Port Harcourt Airport (PHC)". aviation-safety.net.
  12. "2001 accident at the Air Disaster Database". Archived from the original on 1 March 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  13. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-244BSF 9G-MKJ Halifax International Airport, NS (YHZ)". aviation-safety.net.
  14. Canada, Government of Canada, Transportation Safety Board of (6 April 2006). "Aviation Investigation Report A04H0004". www.tsb.gc.ca.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)