Martinair

Martin's Air Charter (MAC) was founded on May 24, 1958 by entrepreneurs Martin Schroeder and John Block. Initially, the carrier’s fleet consisted of one de Havilland Dove aircraft, and the company employed five people ^[2] . In 1963, Schroeder sold 49% of the MAC's property in equal shares to four shareholders of the Dutch shipping company Nedlloyd (12.25% each). Subsequently, the country's flagship airline KLM Dutch Airlines purchased more than 50% of the ownership of the carrier, previously owned by Schroeder. In 1966, the company’s official name was changed to Martinair Holland , and the next year the airline opened flights to the United States . In 1971, only jet aircraft remained in the carrier’s air fleet ^[3] .

In 1991, Martinair Holland received its first cargo plane, in the same year the word "Holland" was excluded from the liveries of all airline liners. In 1996, Martinair bought a 40% stake in Colombian freight carrier TAMPA Cargo , whose headquarters were in Medellin , and in 2003 increased its stake to 58%. All ownership of TAMPA Cargo in February 2008 was sold to Colombian flagship airline Avianca .

In 1998, Martinair president and CEO Martin Schroeder, who received the prestigious Tony Jannus Award in 1995, resigned.

In the same year, the European Commission refused KLM Dutch Airlines to authorize the acquisition of Martinair shares owned by Nedlloyd . In June 2007, the company's management announced the desired outcome of the transfer of Martinair into the ownership of one company, making a bet on KLM, and the next year, when the application was reconsidered, the European Commission approved a deal to sell the shares of the carrier, owned by Nedlloyd, the Dutch airline KLM Dutch Airlines . The deal was completely closed on December 31 of that year ^[4] .

In November 2007, the airline stopped all short-haul operations and concentrated its operations on long-haul cargo routes. In September 2010, Martinair management announced the completion of all passenger services from November 2011, which will be transferred to KLM Dutch Airlines ^[5] .

In November 2010, the European Commission fined Martinair for EUR 29.5 million following an investigation into the carrier’s tariff policy ^[6] .

On October 31, 2011, the airline completed its last passenger flight and became a fully cargo carrier. All Martinair passenger destinations were transferred to KLM.

The Martinair Cargo cargo division operates using the Boeing 747-400BCF , a converted cargo variant.

In 2014, it was announced that the company would decommission the MD 11 aircraft within the next two years. The last cargo MD 11 made its final flight and was decommissioned on July 8, 2016, and therefore Martinair ’s air fleet was only one cargo aircraft Boeing 747-400F.

As of July 9, 2016, the average age of Martinair aircraft is 26.2 years ^[7] .

• December 4, 1974, flight 138 of Martinair Holland Airlines, Douglas DC-8 aircraft (registration number PH-MHB). When embarking on a boarding course at Colombo International Airport ( Sri Lanka ), the liner dropped below a safe altitude and collided with a mountain. Killed 191 people - everyone on board the plane. ^[8] .
• December 21, 1992, Martinair Holland flight 495 Amsterdam-Faro, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft (registration PH-MBN). When landing at the Portuguese airport of Faro in bad weather and extreme crosswind, the airliner got into a strong wind shear caused by micro-discharge in the atmosphere, touched the runway with its wing and left the runway, which led to the explosion of one of the fuel tanks and the subsequent fire . Of the 340 people on board, 56 people died ^[9]

• The official website of Martinair
• Official website of the Martinair Cargo freight division
• Martinair Flight School