Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations
Encyclopedia
Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations (T.A.E.) was a Greek
airline formed in 1935 by Stephanos Zotos. It flew domestic routes until the German
invasion of Greece in April, 1941 destroyed the fleet. T.A.E. resumed service after the end of World War II
and flew DC-3 Dakotas until 1951 when the Greek government forced the consolidation of three extant airlines into one new nationalized airline which was called TAE Greek National Airlines
.
DH 87 Hornet Moth
, registered as SX-AAI, and a de Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth
, with registration SX-AAK. Operating from a base at Tatoi Airport
north of Athens
.
Due to the relatively small number of passengers traveling around Greece in the 1930s, T.A.E. primarily flew routes not covered by E.E.E.Σ. and used its aircraft and pilots as a training school. With the outbreak of World War II, and the Italian invasion of October 1940, most civilian pilots were mustered into the Royal Hellenic Air Force. However, it was not until the German invasion in April 1941, that the aircraft of T.A.E. were destroyed by the Luftwaffe
and the airline ceased operations for the duration of the war.
, establishing his company's offices in his home. Through this partnership, Zotos secured for T.A.E. three ex-US Army Air Force C-47 Dakotas, which were converted into Douglas DC-3
s in Egypt
during the summer of 1946. These aircraft, registered as SX-BAA, SX-BAB and SX-BAC began service on July 30, 1946, from the newly-established Athens Hellenikon Airport
south-east of the city on the Saronic Gulf. These T.A.E. aircraft represented the first post-war civil aviation in Greece with scheduled service to Thessaloniki
and Chania
. The airline's passengers waited for their flights in a large tent, until a proper terminal could be built, but the first year of operations the airline carried 11,000 passengers. The airline also operated as the sole Greek-flagged carrier in this period, and as such, it flew the Greek delegation to the Paris Peace talks on October 4, 1946.
In the summer of 1947, T.A.E. secured three additional DC-3s (2 from the United States military and one from the British Royal Air Force
(RAF). The aircraft, registered as SX-BAG, SX-BAH, and SX-BAI respectively, were christened at a celebration on August 31, 1947, attended by the new King, Paul
. Tragedy struck a few days later when on September 3, 1947, SX-BAB crashed near Voula
while on final approach at Hellenikon Airport. The Greek Parliament determined in 1947 to charter three additional airlines: G.A.T./ΕΛΛ.Α.Σ. (Greek Air Transport--Hellenic Airlines
Greek: ΕΛΛηνικαί Αεροπορικαί Συγκοινωνίαι), Α.Μ.Ε./Air Transport of Greece (Greek: Αεροπορικαί Μεταφοραί Ελλάδος) and Daedalus Airlines Greek: Δαίδαλος. Despite the new competition, T.A.E. managed to carry about 66,000 passengers in 1947 and over 184,000 in 1948. However, there were limits to the numbers of domestic passengers that the still-shaky Greek market could produce and all of the airlines were constantly in jeopardy of failing. Nevertheless, T.A.E. purchased an additional 5 DC-3s from the RAF in Tehran
, registered as SX-BAD, SX-BAE, SX-BAF, SX-BAL, SX-BAK.
In 1948, T.A.E. saw another development, when on September 12, 1948, the first aircraft hijacking
in Greece occurred. On a scheduled flight from Athens - Thessaloniki, with 21 passengers aboard, SX-BAH was hijacked over the island of Euboea
. The three hijackers demanded to be flown to Yugoslavia
. The pilots were able to land 60 kilometers southeast of the town of Skopje
and after disembarking the hijackers, the aircraft landed in Thessaloniki 4 and a half hours late.
1949 proved to be a challenging year for the fledgling airline as it suffered two air crashes. The first was on April 23, 1949, when SX-BAF crashed on landing at Hellenikon Airport. Fortunately, no one was injured but the aircraft was a total loss. A month and a half later on June 6, while flying from Kavala - Athens, SX-BAI crashed on the north slope of Mount Parnitha
killing all 18 passengers aboard. Due to economic recession and improved road and shipping infrastructure, the number of passengers flown by all three airlines reached a plateau at 324,000 in 1949.
In 1950, Daedalus Airlines ceased operations as the number of passengers for all Greek airlines declined precipitously. Due to the financial difficulties of all three carriers and to ensure that Greece maintained a Greek-flagged carrier, in 1951, the Greek government forced the merger of all three companies into TAE Greek National Airlines, and Zotos' airline was absorbed even as the name survived.
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
airline formed in 1935 by Stephanos Zotos. It flew domestic routes until the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invasion of Greece in April, 1941 destroyed the fleet. T.A.E. resumed service after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and flew DC-3 Dakotas until 1951 when the Greek government forced the consolidation of three extant airlines into one new nationalized airline which was called TAE Greek National Airlines
TAE Greek National Airlines
TAE Greek National Airlines , originally branded in English as TAE National Greek Airlines, was formed by the Greek government in 1951 to be the national airline of Greece. The airline operated without competition on domestic routes in Greece and served a small number of European and Middle Eastern...
.
Before the war (1935-1941)
Prior to 1935, there was one nationally operated Greek airline, Greek Company for Air Transportation , when Stephanos Zotos formed Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations A.E. Its first aircraft were a de HavillandDe Havilland
The de Havilland Aircraft Company was a British aviation manufacturer founded in 1920 when Airco, of which Geoffrey de Havilland had been chief designer, was sold to BSA by the owner George Holt Thomas. De Havilland then set up a company under his name in September of that year at Stag Lane...
DH 87 Hornet Moth
Hornet Moth
The Hornet Moth or Hornet Clearwing, , is a large bulky moth which is a brilliant natural imitation of a hornet. Despite this, however, the moth is perfectly harmless.-Identification:...
, registered as SX-AAI, and a de Havilland DH 82A Tiger Moth
Tiger moth
Tiger moths are moths of the family Arctiidae.Tiger moth may also refer to:*de Havilland Tiger Moth, an aircraft; an aerobatic and trainer tailwheel biplane*de Havilland DH.71 Tiger Moth, an earlier monoplane produced by de Havilland...
, with registration SX-AAK. Operating from a base at Tatoi Airport
Tatoi Airport
Tatoi Airport is an airport located north of Athens, in Decelea. It started operating in 1918 and now it has a single runway of 1764m . The airport is used by the Hellenic Air Force and is the base of Dekeleia Aeroclub. It has also been usen used from many other aeroclubs of Attica...
north of Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
.
Due to the relatively small number of passengers traveling around Greece in the 1930s, T.A.E. primarily flew routes not covered by E.E.E.Σ. and used its aircraft and pilots as a training school. With the outbreak of World War II, and the Italian invasion of October 1940, most civilian pilots were mustered into the Royal Hellenic Air Force. However, it was not until the German invasion in April 1941, that the aircraft of T.A.E. were destroyed by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
and the airline ceased operations for the duration of the war.
After the war (1946-1951)
As soon as Greece began re-building its infrastructure after the end of World War II, Zotos, freshly out of service in the Air Force, looked to re-establish the airline. He worked with the American airline Trans World AirlinesTrans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
, establishing his company's offices in his home. Through this partnership, Zotos secured for T.A.E. three ex-US Army Air Force C-47 Dakotas, which were converted into Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
s in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
during the summer of 1946. These aircraft, registered as SX-BAA, SX-BAB and SX-BAC began service on July 30, 1946, from the newly-established Athens Hellenikon Airport
Ellinikon International Airport
Ellinikon International Airport , sometimes spelled Hellinikon was the international airport of Athens, Greece for sixty years up until 2001 when it was replaced by the new Athens International Airport. It is located south of Athens, and just west of Glyfada...
south-east of the city on the Saronic Gulf. These T.A.E. aircraft represented the first post-war civil aviation in Greece with scheduled service to Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
and Chania
Chania
Chaniá , , also transliterated Chania, Hania, and Xania, older form Chanea and Venetian Canea, Ottoman Turkish خانيه Hanya) is the second largest city of Crete and the capital of the Chania peripheral unit...
. The airline's passengers waited for their flights in a large tent, until a proper terminal could be built, but the first year of operations the airline carried 11,000 passengers. The airline also operated as the sole Greek-flagged carrier in this period, and as such, it flew the Greek delegation to the Paris Peace talks on October 4, 1946.
In the summer of 1947, T.A.E. secured three additional DC-3s (2 from the United States military and one from the British Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
(RAF). The aircraft, registered as SX-BAG, SX-BAH, and SX-BAI respectively, were christened at a celebration on August 31, 1947, attended by the new King, Paul
Paul of Greece
Paul reigned as King of Greece from 1947 to 1964.-Family and early life:Paul was born in Athens, the third son of King Constantine I of Greece and his wife, Princess Sophia of Prussia. He was trained as a naval officer....
. Tragedy struck a few days later when on September 3, 1947, SX-BAB crashed near Voula
Voula
Voula is a town and former municipality in East Attica, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni, of which it is the seat and a municipal unit.Voula is a southern suburb of Athens...
while on final approach at Hellenikon Airport. The Greek Parliament determined in 1947 to charter three additional airlines: G.A.T./ΕΛΛ.Α.Σ. (Greek Air Transport--Hellenic Airlines
Hellenic Airlines
Hellenic Airlines , often abbreviated ΕΛΛ.Α.Σ. in Greek and sometimes also known as Hellas in English, was a Greek-flagged airline that operated domestic and international airline service from 1947 to 1951...
Greek: ΕΛΛηνικαί Αεροπορικαί Συγκοινωνίαι), Α.Μ.Ε./Air Transport of Greece (Greek: Αεροπορικαί Μεταφοραί Ελλάδος) and Daedalus Airlines Greek: Δαίδαλος. Despite the new competition, T.A.E. managed to carry about 66,000 passengers in 1947 and over 184,000 in 1948. However, there were limits to the numbers of domestic passengers that the still-shaky Greek market could produce and all of the airlines were constantly in jeopardy of failing. Nevertheless, T.A.E. purchased an additional 5 DC-3s from the RAF in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, registered as SX-BAD, SX-BAE, SX-BAF, SX-BAL, SX-BAK.
In 1948, T.A.E. saw another development, when on September 12, 1948, the first aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
in Greece occurred. On a scheduled flight from Athens - Thessaloniki, with 21 passengers aboard, SX-BAH was hijacked over the island of Euboea
Euboea
Euboea is the second largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. The narrow Euripus Strait separates it from Boeotia in mainland Greece. In general outline it is a long and narrow, seahorse-shaped island; it is about long, and varies in breadth from to...
. The three hijackers demanded to be flown to Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. The pilots were able to land 60 kilometers southeast of the town of Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
and after disembarking the hijackers, the aircraft landed in Thessaloniki 4 and a half hours late.
1949 proved to be a challenging year for the fledgling airline as it suffered two air crashes. The first was on April 23, 1949, when SX-BAF crashed on landing at Hellenikon Airport. Fortunately, no one was injured but the aircraft was a total loss. A month and a half later on June 6, while flying from Kavala - Athens, SX-BAI crashed on the north slope of Mount Parnitha
Parnitha
Mount Parnitha is a densely forested mountain range north of Athens, the highest on the peninsula of Attica, with an elevation of 1,413 m and a summit known as Karavola...
killing all 18 passengers aboard. Due to economic recession and improved road and shipping infrastructure, the number of passengers flown by all three airlines reached a plateau at 324,000 in 1949.
In 1950, Daedalus Airlines ceased operations as the number of passengers for all Greek airlines declined precipitously. Due to the financial difficulties of all three carriers and to ensure that Greece maintained a Greek-flagged carrier, in 1951, the Greek government forced the merger of all three companies into TAE Greek National Airlines, and Zotos' airline was absorbed even as the name survived.
Destinations
Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations served a number of domestic destinations in Greece on an irregular basis in the period 1935-1941. After the airline was re-established in 1946, it began regular scheduled services.Scheduled Service 1946-1951
- Agrinion
- Athens
- Chania
- Ioannina
- Kavala
- Kerkyra
- Heraklion
- Thessaloniki
Fleet 1946-1951
| Aircraft | Total | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Douglas DC-3 Douglas DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made... |
11 | Propeller aircraft |