Overseas National Airways
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
, formed in June 1950 as a supplemental carrier. It ceased operations on September 14, 1978. A second related company, took the name in 1978, later renaming to National Airlines
National Airlines (1983)
The second airline to be named National Airlines was owned by United Air Carriers.- History :The airline was created when officials of supplemental airline Overseas National Airways formed a FAR Part 129 leasing company known as United Air Carriers on July 21, 1977...
, going bankrupt in 1986.
History - First ONA
Douglas DC-6
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
aircraft in the fleet. Its main function was to carry US military personnel to and from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
from the east coast of the USA. ONA also had a dedicated Douglas DC-7F for freight operations.
For a brief period from 1964 to 1965, ONA went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize and flights resumed in October 1965, this time operating Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
aircraft. Operations expanded to have flights to the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and even to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In 1968 and the following years, ONA received a fleet of 11 Lockheed L-188 Electra
Lockheed L-188 Electra
The Lockheed Model 188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flying in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes which prompted an expensive modification program to fix a design...
used in freight operations. In the meantime, the DC-8s were servicing the trans Atlantic routes. The next aircraft to be put into operations was the Douglas DC-9, which replaced the Electras and then in 1973 two Douglas DC-10 were received.
In 1978 when airline deregulation went into effect, the board of directors of ONA decided to liquidate the the airline which, due to the value of the company's DC-10 aircraft, was a successful liquidation. The board decided not to try to compete in the newly deregulated environment and as a result ONA ceased flying in October 1978.
History - Second ONA
The second airline to be named Overseas National Airways was created when officials of Overseas National Airways formed a FAR Part 129Federal Aviation Regulations
The Federal Aviation Regulations, or FARs, are rules prescribed by the Federal Aviation Administration governing all aviation activities in the United States. The FARs are part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations...
leasing company known as United Air Carriers on July 21, 1977. When the Overseas National Airways folded in 1978, the company was renamed to Overseas National Airways and was certified in 1980 under FAR 121 as a cargo and passenger charter company.
In 1982 the company gained approval for scheduled service, leading to the company purchasing the name National Airlines from Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
in anticipation of scheduled New York to Paris service. The scheduled service never materialized, although flights on the route were flown as charters.
The company, faced financial problems and by December 1985 it ceased operations, filing for bankruptcy in May 1986.
Incidents
- On 2 May 1970, ALM Flight 980ALM Flight 980ALM Flight 980 was a flight scheduled to fly from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, New York to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, on 2 May 1970. After several unsuccessful landing attempts, the aircraft's fuel was exhausted and it made a...
operated by ONA with a DC-9 named the Caribbean Queen, en route from John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in New York to the tropical island of St. Maarten. A few attempts to land in bad weather forced the crew to ditch the Queen. The Caribbean Queen is still at the bottom of the sea. http://www.35milesfromshore.com/
- On 12 November 1975, an ONA DC-10 ferry flightDeadheading (aviation)In aviation, deadheading is a term used when members of an airline's flight staff are carried free of charge but not working. This most often happens when airline crew are located in the wrong place and need to travel to take up their duties...
suffered a bird strikeBird strikeA bird strike—sometimes called birdstrike, avian ingestion , bird hit, or BASH —is a collision between an airborne animal and a man-made vehicle, especially aircraft...
while on take-off roll from John F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International AirportJohn F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in New York. The aircraft was destroyed. All passengers survived. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19751112-1
- On 2 January 1976, an ONA DC-10 suffered an engine problem just before landing in Istanbul, Turkey. The aircraft made an emergency landing and was destroyed. All passengers survived. http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19760102-0
- On 13 September 1982, a DC-10-30 EC-DEG which was leased to SpantaxSpantaxSpantax S.A. was a Spanish airline that operated from 1959 to 1988. Its head office was located in Madrid.-Formative years:Spanish Air Taxi Líneas Aéreas S.A. was founded on 6 October 1959 by ex-Iberia pilot Rodolfo Bay Wright and ex-Iberia flight attendant Marta Estades Sáez...
, was destroyed by fire after a burst nose-wheel caused the captain to abort take-off in MalagaMálagaMálaga is a city and a municipality in the Autonomous Community of Andalusia, Spain. With a population of 568,507 in 2010, it is the second most populous city of Andalusia and the sixth largest in Spain. This is the southernmost large city in Europe...
, SpainSpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. 51 individuals were killed, with 352 surviving.
Historical fleet
- Douglas DC-6Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
- Douglas DC-8Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
{see fleet breakdown in next section) - Lockheed L-188 ElectraLockheed L-188 ElectraThe Lockheed Model 188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flying in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes which prompted an expensive modification program to fix a design...
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9McDonnell Douglas DC-9The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10McDonnell Douglas DC-10The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
Douglas DC-8 fleet
- 2 - Douglas DC-8-21Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 2 - Douglas DC-8-31Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 4 - Douglas DC-8-33Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 1 - Douglas DC-8-33FDouglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 1 - Douglas DC-8-52Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 5 - Douglas DC-8-55Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 1 - Douglas DC-8-55FDouglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 7 - Douglas DC-8-61Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- 2 - Douglas DC-8-61CFDouglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
(CF stands for convertible passenger/freighters) - 10 - Douglas DC-8-63CFDouglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...