Never Flying Again

That’s right!  These airlines are never flying again.

Yes, these carriers once served a purpose, be it skidding off of runways, or skidding back onto runways. Occasionally, they took to the air. Now, their memories for me last only in the form of years-old digital photos taken back when I was a more jittery flier…which, in the case of at least one of these airlines, was a reasonable reaction.

Let’s start in chronological order of when I flew these (now) defunct jetliners.

Jet Airways: BOM Mumbai, India – DEL New Delhi, India, June 2006

First Flight: May 5, 1993
Ceased Flights: April 17, 2019

When I was flying these defunct airlines back in 2006, Indian airports were much less tolerant places (at least for foreigners?) for taking photos. That’s my excuse as to why some of these photos are blurry.

Anyway, at their peak, Jet Airways had hubs in Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Amsterdam. They covered a mix of domestic Indian routes, and key flights to New York City, Toronto, and throughout Asia and Europe.

And no, Jet Airways is never flying again. Or, are they? No.

Air Sahara: New Delhi (DEL) – (Patna PAT) – Varanasi (VNS), June 2006

First Flight: 1993
Last Flight: Purchased by Jet Airways in 2007

 

Air Sahara started off as Sahara Airlines, commencing flights on December 3, 1993. They most flew domestic Indian routes, though added some regional flights, as well as one to London by the mid-2000s. After Jet Airways took them over in April 2007, Air Sahara became JetLite, and then JetKonnect in 2012.

The word sahaara in Hindi (सहारा) means “help;” perhaps its owners should have thought of the repercussions of that name, since at the time of their purchase by Jet Airways, they had a mere 12% market share in India, as compared to Jet’s 43%.

Indian Airlines: New Delhi (DEL) – Jaipur (JAI), June 2006

First Flight: 1953
Ceased Flights: February 26, 2011 (Merged with Air India)

In 1953, just six years after gaining independence, the Indian government decided to nationalize its airlines. To simplify the process, Air India was strictly for international flights, and Indian Airlines – formed out of a number of domestic carriers – handled flights entirely within India.

Since they were the main event for decades for flying domestically in India, Indian Airlines also saw the introduction of the first Airbus A300, the Airbus A320, and shuttle flights (between New Delhi and Mumbai). With the liberalization of the domestic airline industry in the 1980s, Indian Airlines dominance over local traffic was conspicuously diminished.

In spite of a series of crashes and hijackings in the 1980s and 1990s, they were generally profitable; it didn’t hurt that they were owned 51% by the Indian government. Air India absorbed them in early 2011.

Adam Air: Bali DPS – Jakarta CGK, February 2008

First Flight: December 2003
Ceased Flights: June 18, 2008

Named for the son of one of the airline’s founders, and notable for its…unique livery (color scheme), Adam Air had a brief and rocky existence, reduced to dregs consequent to inexperience and cutting corners.

Adam Air’s stand-out orange and green colors, low-fares and in-flight meals regardless of the stage length of a flight were a huge hit with Indonesians looking for cheaper alternatives to the standard two carriers, Garuda Indonesia and Lion Air. However, its explosive growth in popularity was masking a fatal issue.

As all Indonesian airlines were prohibited from flying to the EU between 2007 and 2018, due to grave concerns about safety and working standards, it may not have been as shocking to learn that maintenance staff were rushing repairs to Adam Air’s Boeing 737 fleet. With back-to-back crashes happening in January and February 2007, the writing was on the wall; Adam Air, along with other LCCs (low-cost carriers) were told by the Indonesian government to shape up. They greatly reduced their  number of daily flights, but public confidence in Indonesian aviation was obviously quite shaken. As losses piled and aircraft were seized, the carpet was pulled out from under them in June 2008.

On a personal note, the only one of these airline trips that I vividly remember is Adam Air. I had a crazy Friday trying to get to Bali from Jakarta; at one point, I was walking waist-high in flooded fertilizer and cobwebs along the Jakarta (CGK) airport highway. It was pitch black, and I was alone.

After making to Bali (with the intent to fly to Timor Leste), my papers were rejected, but because of the severe flooding in Jakarta, I had a hell of a time getting back. Luckily, I befriended some folks at the Merpati Nusantara airline office of Bali Airport, giving them free English lessons. After eight hours of hanging out with them, one of them finally found a ticket back to Jakarta, only it was with Adam Air. You know, the one where in-flight safety cards were more decorative than anything else.

To speak candidly, I was a bit nervous, but it was my only practical option.  My seat had some horribly bright colors, and parts of the cabin were held together with duct tape, including by the window and oxygen masks. It was the only flight I’ve ever taken where I held my breath.  Upon returning to Jakarta, traffic took about four hours to get downtown(usually, it was 45 minutes). Fun times, they weren’t.

Merpati Nusantara Airlines: Dili (DIL) – Bali (DPS), March 2008

First Flight: Late 1962
Ceased Flights: February 2014

Merpati Nusantara, which means “dove archipelago” in Indonesian, took over for the Dutch De Kroonduif carrier of Netherlands New Guinea (present-day Irian Jaya province) in 1963. The merpati, or dove, aspect of the nomenclature might be related to the kroonduif, which means “crown dove” in Dutch, named after the once common bird found in Irian Jaya. Also, with Indonesia consisting of thousands of islands stretching thousands of miles, the nusantara, or archipelago, was intended to evoke the airline’s breadth.

After being bought and divested from Garuda in 1978 and 1997, respectively, Merpati Nusantara also had its fair share of incidents. With rising debt and oil prices at the time, the airline went bus in early 2014, though it seems some investors are hoping to form a Merpati Version 2.0.

Air Bagan: Bagan NYU – Yangon RGN, Spring 2009

First Flight: Late 2004
Ceased Flights: In 2015 (as Air Bagan), then lost their license in 2018

Air Bagan holds a number of “firsts” for Burma aka Myanmar: the first private airline 100% owned by a Burmese citizen, the first to use jets, the first to have female pilots, the first to introduce a frequent flyer program, and among others, the first private airline 100% owned by a Burmese citizen to go bankrupt. It is named for one of the country’s most famous attractions, the stupa and temples of Bagan (Nyaung U).

Their first flights were in 2004, primarily to serve tourists. Then, after the devastating Cyclone Nargis in 2008, Air Bagan was recruited to provide humanitarian services to the hard-hit southern portion of the Burma. In spite of these efforts, the US government authorized sanctions on the airline, which contributed to their eventual downfall. They first stopped flying in 2015, although ultimately lost their operating license in 2018.

Sun Air Express: Lancaster, Pennsylvania (LNS) – Washington Dulles (IAD) – Hagerstown, Maryland (HGR), 2015

First Flight: 2012
Ceased Flights: Bought by Southern Airways Express in 2016

Formed years earlier as Sun Air International, Sun Air Express first flew in in 2008 between Florida and the Bahamas. In 2012, with assistance from the Essential Air Service program – i.e. federal subsidies for rural/remote communities – they began flights out of Houston, and Washington Dulles to regional airports…because when you think of sunny days, suburban D.C. comes to mind. Then, in 2014, they received more EAS support for flights out of Pittsburgh.

Sun Air Express was purchased in 2016 by Southern Airways Express, which is partners with the Hawai’i-based Mokulele Express carrier. Sun Air Express’s routes were mostly continued, though their Piper Chieftain fleet was forsaken in favor of Cessna Caravans.

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Though this list isn’t exhaustive, these are the defunct airlines for which I have photos. How about you? Do you have any photos, or unusual memories of former airlines?