Airborne Express
| Airborne Express | |
|---|---|
|
|
|
|
| IATA code : | |
| ICAO code : | |
| Call sign : | |
| Founding: | 1946 |
| Operation stopped: | 2004 |
| Seat: | |
| Fleet size: | |
| Aims: | |
| Airborne Express ceased operations in 2004. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation. | |
Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline based in Seattle , Washington . It also had a secondary office in Wilmington , Ohio .
history
Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to bring flowers to the state of Hawaii .
Airborne's first 22 years were pretty lackluster. Progress was slow and competition was virtually non-existent. But in 1968 the airline began to grow. Airborne was the first to partner with Pacific Air Freight of Seattle . Then the company headquarters went to Seattle. Next, it was renamed Airborne Freight Corporation .
Eleven years passed and in 1980 the company changed its name again to Airborne Express and bought Midwest Air Charter . Airborne Express made history when it became the first airline to operate its own airport: Clinton County Air Force Base in Wilmington.
In 1988 the company began offering daily delivery after purchasing Sky Courier .
In 1991 Airborne received three major orders, one of which was from Volvo and in 1992 they founded Flight-Ready SM , a prepaid express mail and parcel system.
In 1993, Airborne introduced the Airborne Logistics System (ALS) inventory control and distribution service .
In 1994 Airborne opened the Ocean Services Division , the first new film distribution program for Hollywood since 1944. It also forged ties with Vietnam .
In 1995 Airborne created the Airborne Alliance Group , which took care of many departments of the company. Airborne opened a second runway in Wilmington and Boeing-767 jets were added to the aircraft fleet.
In 1996 the share price tripled, resulting in a 1 to 2 split in February 1998 . Airborne Brokerage Services was founded in the same year .
In 1998 Airborne first entered the Fortune 500 list. Airborne's first of 30 Boeing 767s on order were delivered to Wilmington and the airline won an award from The Business Consumer Guide .
In 1999 Airborne formed an alliance with the US Postal Service , Airborne @ Home .
2000 was the year of many changes:
- Carl Donaway became the company's new president. He implemented changes in management.
- Start of the first ground delivery service since the company was founded.
In 2001 Airborne Express launched a “Ground Delivery Service” and a “10:30 AM Delivery Service” ( delivery the next day before half past ten ). Airborne.com launched its own services such as the Small Business Center and Airborne eCourier .
On August 14, 2003, shareholders approved the merger of Airborne and DHL . DHL is headquartered in Brussels , Belgium . DHL is wholly owned by Deutsche Post World Net .
The merger became final in 2004. DHL took over Airborne's ground operations and outsourced its air operations to ABX Air , Inc.
Incidents
- On December 22, 1996, an Airborne Express (N827AX) Douglas DC-8-63F crashed on a test flight. A stall was to be simulated along with a number of other maneuvers. The machine suffered an actual stall from which the crew could no longer intercept it. The DC-8 hit the ground near Narrows, Virginia . All six people on board the machine died (see also Airborne Express flight 827 ) .
