Royal Air Freight is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 passenger

Passenger airline

A passenger airline is an airline dedicated to the transport of passengers. Cf. cargo airline. Passenger airlines usually operate a fleet of passenger aircraft which, rather than being owned outright, are usually leased from commercial aircraft sales and leasing companies such as GECAS and...

 and cargo airline

Cargo airline

Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...

 based in Waterford, Michigan, adjacent to the Oakland County International Airport

Oakland County International Airport

Oakland County International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located in Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The airport is five nautical miles west of the central business district of Pontiac....

.
The airline is licensed and certified to serve the US, Canada and Mexico with charter passenger and air cargo services.

Its main base is Oakland County International Airport

Oakland County International Airport

Oakland County International Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located in Waterford Township, Oakland County, Michigan, United States. The airport is five nautical miles west of the central business district of Pontiac....

 located 6 miles west of Pontiac, Michigan.

History

The airline started operations in 1961 and has 30 pilots. Kirt Kostich serves as president of Royal Air Freight Inc., and members of the Kostich family serve as the firm’s officers.

Fleet

The airlines fleet includes the following aircraft, among others (as of Jan 8 2010)

• 7 Cessna
  Cessna
  The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
  
   310R

• 6 Gates Learjet 25B

• 6 Dassault/SUD Fan Jet Falcon

• 4 Gates Learjet 35A

Accidents/Controversy

The airline has had some accidents and safety issues including:

• The pilot and co-pilot of a Royal Air Freight Learjet 35 A (registration N720RA) were killed when it crashed while attempting its final approach to land at Chicago Executive Airport on Jan 5 2010. The FAA is still investigating the incident. The plane was not carrying cargo at the time and was heading to the airport to pick up cargo.

• A twin engine Royal Air Freight twin-engine plane crashed while enroute from Maryland to Maine in March 2004. The pilot lost control in the accident, but no reason was determined.

• In 1999, the airline agreed to pay a $250,000 fine for maintenance and record keeping violations. According to the Chicago Tribune
  Chicago Tribune
  The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
  
  , “Federal prosecutors complained the company didn't conduct scheduled inspections of fleet engines, propellers and wing flaps.” .

External links

• Royal Air Freight website

• Oakland County International Airport website