A revised and enlarged mail contract is accepted from the government on February 28, 1928. On April 25, the FC-2W Ciudad de Mexico launches the carrier’s first scheduled service, thrice-weekly over the Mexico City-Tuxpan-Tampico route. Four Travel Airs join the fleet during the year and 2 employees are killed by aircraft propellers in separate accidents. On October 15, 2 FC-2Ws, Ciudad de Merida and Ciudad de Veracruz, initiate Mexico City to Merida flights via Minatillan, Villahermosa, Ciudad de Carmen, and Campeche.
On January 2, 1929, the U. S. Post Office requests bids on Foreign Air Mail Route No. 8 from Brownsville, Texas to Tampico and Mexico City. Through a stock exchange, on January 23 Pan American Airways (PAA) purchases all CMA shares for $150,000; the buyout leads the American government to award Juan Trippe’s airline the Brownsville-Tampico-Mexico City roundtrip FAM-8 route on February 16.
Meanwhile, the new Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-12 Mexico, complete with both U. S. and Mexican registration numbers painted on the wings and fuselage, is delivered on February 2, followed by the 5-AT-22 on March 5 and 5-AT-27 on March 7.
Piloting the Mexico, Charles A. Lindbergh, on March 10, inaugurates PAA’s Mexican service southward from Brownsville; the return flight north is made by Mexican pilots. A fourth Tri-Motor is delivered on March 28 and, during the remainder of the year, CMA will receive from its U. S. parent 2 Fokker F-VIIb/3ms, 4 Fairchild 71s, 6 Stearman C-3Bs, and the 5-AT-11, which is turned over in May, along with the 5-AT-40. New routes are now opened by the Stearmans and Fairchilds—Tejeria to Tapachula on May 15, Tampico to Tejeria on September 1, and Tapachula to Guatemala City on October 9.
Meanwhile, on September 9, the carrier enters into an arrangement with two U. S. railways (Missouri-Kansas City-Texas and the New York Central) and two airlines (Southern Air Transport and Universal Aviation Corporation) for participation in a 49-hr. Mexico City-New York multistop air-rail service. The Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-27 is returned to Pan American Airways (PAA) on December 2 for use on a route in the Panama Canal Zone.
The American parent takes back another Ford 5-AT-31 on May 19, 1930; Ford Tri-Motors replace Fairchilds on the Guatemala City route on September 16. During the year, the fleet is enlarged by the addition of 3 ex-Pan American Airways (PAA) Fokker F-10As plus a Curtiss C-1 Robin. CMA is now the largest airline in Latin America, in terms of total passenger kilometers flown.
In 1931, a Merida interchange with PAA allows CMA to offer a through service to Havana. Following the February 9, 1932 failure of Corporacion de Aeronautica de Transportes, S. A. de C. V., Pan American Airways (PAA), on February 26, forms the CMA subsidiary Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V. to operate the late Theodore Hull’s former routes with a fleet of 4 F-10As and 2 Fairchild 71s.
The 5-T-22 is returned to Pan American Airways (PAA) on July 19 for transfer, a month later, to Pan American-Grace Airways (Pana-gra). The same day, the 5-AT-27, previously employed on a Panama Canal service, is reacquired. Dismissing the central portion of the newly acquired Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V. network, Ford TriMotors are placed on the Pacific coast link Torreon-Durango-Mazatlan on September 12.
A Northrop Delta 1B, en route for delivery to Aerovias Centrales in early 1933, is lost in a crash. In March, a five-stop coastal route is opened Mazatlan-Ciudad Obregon; this run is extended via Hermosillo to Nogales in midyear. For this service, the Ford 5-AT-31 is reacquired from Pan American Airways (PAA) on July 6.
To meet competition from Walter Varig’s Lineas Aereas Occiden-tales, S. A. (LAO), Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V., in April 1934, employs 5 Lockheed Model 10Cs to open Los Angeles to Mexico City same-day service. Additionally, CMA acquires an ex-Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V. Consolidated Model 20 Fleetster and a Lockheed Model 9 Orion; PAA supplies a second Orion. The daylong California to Mexico City service makes CMA the first foreign airline to serve a major U. S. destination on a regular basis.
Following the withdrawal of its Mexican government mail contract, Lineas Aereas Occidentales, S. A. (LAO) ceases trading in January 1935. Following three years of Pan American Airways (PAA) service, the Ford 5-AT-74 is purchased on March 5. Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V. is dissolved on December 18 and what is left of its fleet is passed to CMA.
On January 3, 1936, CMA begins service to Los Angeles, becoming the first foreign airline to service a point in the U. S. (other than a border city) on a regular basis. The Tri-Motor route extends to California from Mexico City via Guadalajara, Mazatlan, Hermosillo, and Mexicali. Chartered by the Hamburg-America Line to fly German tourists from Mexico City to Guatemala, the Ford 5-AT-12 with 14 aboard crashes in a pass between two volcanoes near Amecameca on March 26; there are no survivors.
The Electras, formerly employed by Aerovias Centrales, S. A. de C. V., begin to be superseded by 3 Boeing 247Ds, purchased from United Air Lines (UAL), Pennsylvania Central Airlines, and National Air Transport (NAT). Orders are placed for 9 Douglas DC-2s and the Ford 5-AT-40 is sold to Pan American Airways (PAA) on November 1, followed by the 5-AT-74 on November 10. Reregistered several times, the Ford 5-AT-27 is also sold to the American parent on November 30 for transfer to Cubana (Compania Nacional Cubana de Aviacion, S. A.).
A Lockheed Model 10C crashes 30 mi. SE of Playa Vincente, Veracruz, on January 11, 1937; there are no survivors. After two-and-a-half years service with the parent, the first of the new DC-2s is transferred and placed in service on May 17 and, on August 27, the often-traded Ford 5-AT-31 is once again passed to Pan American Airways (PAA), which will turn it into a freighter.
In the fall, a request is made for 5 DC-3s, which begin to join the fleet in 1938 as the first of 39 to be employed over the next several decades. A Lockheed Model 10E Electra must be written off following a bad landing at Mexico City on February 9. On July 11, a Lockheed Model 10C crashes into the eastern slope of Tuxtlas Volcano at Palo Blanco, Veracruz; there are no survivors. Another Electra, a Model 10E, is destroyed in a December 2 crash landing at Mexico City.
The Mexico City-Brownsville frequency is increased to twice daily on May 1, 1939. In terms of passenger kilometers flown, in 1940 CMA ranks as the largest airline in Latin America. En route to Chetu-mal in Quintana Roo Territory on March 5, the Ford 5-At-45 crashes into trees on a mountain between Veracruz and Minatitlan; the plane is a total loss but only the copilot is injured. The Ford 5-AT-74 is reacquired from Pan American Airways (PAA) on March 26. The first DC-2 acquired back in 1937 is sold to Aerovias de Guatemala, S. A. on November 28.
The last Ford Tri-Motor 5-AT-74, flying the Ciudad del Carman-Campeche segment, is retired in February 1941; it is sold to the Guatemalan airline Aviateca (Compania Guatemaltecca de Aviacion, S. A.)
In May. Direct Mexico City to Monterrey flights commence on September 5, with a Monterrey-Nuevo Laredo extension started on December 5. A Cessna T-50 is acquired for the fleet by transfer from Pan American Airways (PAA).
A second international route, to Havana, is opened on October 25,
1942. Night flights to Los Angeles are inaugurated on February 16-17,
1943, and are made possible by the completion of an illuminated airway. A route is opened during the year to Tapachula, via Oaxaca.
In 1944, the fleet is enlarged by the addition of 3 Avro Anson Vs and 7 Douglas C-39s (military DC-2s). Elton “Tubby” Stillman becomes general manager. On December 30, capitalization is increased to 12.5 million pesos, including 4.5 million from private Mexican investors; Pan Am’s share is now 56%.
Between March 6-14, 1945, a pilots’ strike halts service to 13 states and 25 cities. Mexico City to Monterrey night service is started and the Vera Cruz route is extended to Monterrey. A DC-3 crashes at San Luis Potosi on August 2 (12 dead). A second is lost 12 days later near Mexico City (16 dead).
Following enactment of prejudicial legislation by the Mexican government, Pan American Airways (PAA), on March 28, 1946, is forced to reduce its CMA interest to 45% by selling 13,750 shares; the American giant continues lavish equipment support. On June 6, the first of 3 DC-4s (converted to civil DC-4 standard from ex-military C-54s) to be delivered during the year arrives at Mexico City.
While climbing away from Mexico City on June 25, the new DC-4 with 5 crew and 42 passengers stalls and crashes; although the plane must be written off and 42 aboard receive various injuries, there are no fatalities.
The Pan American Airways (PAA) interest is cut to 41% on August 5.
Additional DC-4s to a total of 7 are placed into service throughout 1947. On April 29, one of these takes Mexican President Miguel Aleman nonstop Mexico City-Washington, D. C., in 9 hrs. 45 min. A number of older aircraft are discarded, including the Ford 5-AT-11, which passes to Compania Dominicana de Aviacion, S. A. in the Dominican Republic. The first DC-4 overhaul in Mexico is completed at the CMA maintenance facility at Mexico City on May 12, 1948.
A cargo division is formed on July 14, 1949. Orders are placed for a 6 DC-6s. On September 26, a DC-3, en route from Guatemala to Mexico City with 25 aboard, crashes into a volcano in heavy fog; there are no survivors.
During the year, the company receives a U. S. license for the maintenance and repair of aircraft with American registry; so efficient will the carrier’s engineers and mechanics continue to be over the years that the certificate will never be lost. Equipped with special high-power Pratt & Whitney engines, the first DC-6 is delivered on November 6, 1950 and enters service on December 6.
During 1951, the fleet is enlarged by the addition of 5 more DC-6s. Orders are placed on April 20 for 3 DC-6Bs. Airmail is forwarded to Madrid and London as the result of a cooperative agreement signed with Cubana (Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviacion, S. A.) followed by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). On September 1, a DC-6 en route from Los Angeles to Mexico City, crash-lands on the lake shore at Mexico City; no injuries are reported.
En route from Mexico City to Oaxaca de Juarez on September 25, 1952, a DC-3 with 20 passengers is rocked by an explosion caused by a bomb hidden in a suitcase in the baggage compartment. Although two passengers are badly hurt, the Douglas manages to land safely. On September 29, police capture 2 suspects who had sought to collect $208,000 in insurance had their crime destroyed the aircraft.
As might, perhaps, be expected, passenger traffic is reported down for the remainder of the year following this incident. The first of 2 DC-6Bs to be delivered on the year arrives at Mexico City on June 12, 1953.
On January 7, 1954, CMA purchases the carrier TAJ (Transportes Aereos de Jalisco, S. A. de C. V.) for its Puerto Vallarta route. During the year, the 3 DC-6Bs, having been found unsuitable, are sold (2 to the American carrier Northwest Airlines) as 6 additional DC-6s are ordered and begin delivery.
During 1955-1956, the last DC-6s are placed in service, along with 5 Fairchild C-82A freighters.
Three Douglas transports are lost during the former year. While on a scheduled flight from Puerto Vallarta, a DC-3 with 3 crew and 23 passengers is lost at Mascota on March 8; there are no survivors The second catches fire and crashes in the mountains of Oaxaca State on July 14 (22 dead). A third DC-3, with 3 crew and 13 passengers is lost at Poza Rica, Mexico, on September 8 (1 dead).
During 1956, the marketing title Mexicana Airlines, S. A. de C. V. is introduced.
CMTA (COMPANIA MEXICANA DE TRANSPORTACION AEREA, S. A. de C. V.): Mexico (1921-1924). Three U. S. citizens resident in Mexico, Harry J. Lawson, Lloyd A. A. Winship, and Elmer C. Hammond form Mexico’s first airline at Mexico City early in 1921. In the spring, 2 Lincoln Standards are purchased in and flown down from Nebraska. On July 1, the central government awards these Americans Airmail Concession No. 1. Routes are initiated for charter and air taxi flights from the capital city to Tampico and Matamoros and to San Luis
Potosi, Saltillo, Monterrey, and Nuevo Laredo. Humberto Jimenez is the first passenger carried.
It is quickly established that the most profitable business is located at the oil field stops on the Mexico City-Tampico run, which is extended down to Tuxpan. The work is also potentially dangerous, as the principal cargo is payroll for the energy workers.
By July 1922, the carrier has flown 1,956 hours; 1,248 passengers are transported, including 289 on intercity flights. In 1923 charter and air taxi work continues, primarily into the oil field areas and the fleet is increased to a reported 10 Lincoln Standards.
Due to competition from American aviator William Mallory, the operation declines badly in 1924; in September, its assets, including 3 Lincolns, are sold to CMA (Compania Mexicana de Aviacion, S. A. de C. V.).
CNA (COMPANIA NACIONAL DE AVIACION, S. A.): Guatemala (1930-1935). Also known as the Central American Aviation Corporation, Ltd., CNA is established at Guatemala City on June 4, 1930; W. Hodkinson is named president. Employing Kreutzer Tri-Motors, the airline soon inaugurates service to Retalhulen via Quezaltenango; to Puerto Barrios; and to Peten.
These routes are maintained almost without change until 1935, when the carrier is purchased by TACA (Transportes Aereos Centro Americanos, S. A.).
CO-AIR (COORDINATED AIR SERVICES (PTY.), LTD.): Papua New Guinea (1975-1986). Formed as a nonscheduled charter carrier at Lae in June 1975, Co-Air undertakes flights that link the nation with various destinations in Morobe, the Western Provinces, and Siassi Islands. The government grants the 50-man airline a license for scheduled services in March 1983.
Having upgraded the fleet to comprise a total of 3 Cessna 206s, 1 Beech B-55 Baron, 2 Cessna 402Bs, and 3 Britten-Norman BN-2A Trislanders, the company inaugurates commuter flights in the late summer. Destinations visited from Lae include Aseki, Finschhafen, Kabwum, Kiunga, Lablab, Menyamya, Pindiu, Siassi, Tabubil, and 14 on-demand stops.
Unable to maintain viability, the company ceases trading in 1986.
COAST AIR (1): United States (1971-1975). Stan Hewitt, Art Hack, and Terry Wills establish coast Air at Ketchikan, Alaska in 1971 as successor to the nonscheduled operator Simpson Air. Employing a variety of Cessna lightplanes and de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beavers, the owners continue passenger and cargo charters until 1973, when scheduled flights are introduced to a number of previously served points, including Klawock, Craig, Hydaburg, Annette Island, Nanaimo, Vancouver, Metlakatla, and Thorne Bay. A Grumman G-21 Goose is added in 1974 and, in 1975 the carrier is sold to Kirk Thomas, who changes its name to Tyee Airlines.
COAST AIR (2): United States (1975-1977). Coast Air is established at Ketchikan, Alaska, in 1975 to provide scheduled passenger and cargo flights to Craig, Klawock, and Hydaburg. Revenue flights commence with a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver and Grumman G-21 Goose. When it is found impossible to maintain economic viability, the carrier shuts down in 1977.
COAST AIR, A. S.: Haugesund Lufthavn Postboka 163, Avaldsnes, N-4299, Norway; Phone 47 (52) 834 110; Fax 47 (52) 840 374; http:// Www. coastair. no; Code BX; Year Founded 1990. Coast Air, A. S. is established at Haugesund Airport in 1990 to offer scheduled commuter services to various domestic Norwegian destinations. Asbjorn Utne is appointed managing director and his initial fleet comprises 1 each Beech Super King Air 200, de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300, Cessna 206, and Cessna 208 Caravan I.
Services are maintained in 1991 and, on January 28, 1992 a second Canadian turboprop is added. It will operate an oil company contract.
Operations continue apace in 1993 and, in 1994 1 Twin Otter is replaced when 3 British Aerospace BAe Jetstream 31s are placed into service. Enplanements total 9,064.
Airline employment stands at 17 in 1995, a very good year for the company. Passenger boardings skyrocket 67.1% to 27,548 just through September.
Fifteen new workers are hired in 1996, a 68.2% increase in the employee population. The 3 J-31s transport a total of 41,644 passengers, a 45.5% growth rate.
Destinations visited in 1997 include Aberdeen, Bergen, Gello, Hauge-sund, Kristiansand, Oslo, Skien, and Stavanger. In October, 2 more Jetstream 31s are purchased from the U. K.-based concern DK Aviation, Ltd. Customer bookings jump 29% to 53,708.
Flights continue in 1998. Service is extended to Farsund, Lista and Kristiansund. Passenger boardings fall 13.1% to 48,000.
By the start of 1999, airline employment has been boosted 56.3% to 50.
During the year, pilot ranks swell from 45 to 60 in anticipation of the receipt of 2 recently ordered Avions de Transport Aerien ATR42-520s. Passenger boardings plunge 10.9% to 41,000.
After weeks of negotiation, members of the carrier’s pilot association strike on February 16, 2000, demanding that only senior pilots be assigned to fly the ATRs when they are introduced.
The new ATR42-520s are received by April 10 and is placed into service from Floro to Bergen and Oslo.
COAST AIR, LTD.: Kenya (1979-1982). Originally a coastal branch of Nairobi’s Wilkenair Services, Ltd., this division, based at Mombasa, becomes Air Kenya (Coast), with other branches at Malindi and Nanyuki. When the Air Kenya (Coast) operation is sold in November 1979, the Malindi and Nanyuki components are left out of the arrangement and are, in turn, combined to form Coast Air, Ltd.
Chairman R. N. Maina’s company, in addition to safari, air taxi, and air ambulance charter flights, undertakes daily scheduled service from Mombasa to Lamu. The initial fleet comprises 2 Piper PA-31-310 Nava-jos, 1 Cessna 402, 2 Beech B-55 Barons, 4 Piper PA-34 Senecas, and 2 Piper PA-32 Cherokee Sixes.
Unable to achieve economic viability in the face of low traffic yields and high expenses, the company halts operations in 1982.
World History
