Tower Air

John F. Kennedy International Airport

Tower Air was an American airline based in New York City and based at the city's John F. Kennedy International Airport. The company introduced alongside tourist and military charter flights by scheduled flights. Addition, the Company operate their aircraft on wet lease to other airlines.

History

1980

Tower Air was founded in August 1982 as a subsidiary of the tour operator Tower Travel Corporation Morris K. Nachtomi to market air travel to Europe and Israel. In the first year, the company did not have its own aircraft, but let the charter services of the airline Metro International Airways Boeing 747-100 with a run. In November 1983, Tower Air purchased this aircraft and put it on charter flights and on a line at the same time opened route from New York to Brussels to Tel Aviv.

After 1984 and 1985, each one more Boeing acquired 747-100, Tower Air opened an outbound from New York national scheduled flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami, where the company with very low prices against the established airlines as well as against the low cost airline People Express took. To reduce costs, the machine was equipped with a tight seating for passengers and 480 has been reduced to a minimum the size of the on-board service. Even after the extension of scheduled flights charter flights remained the main business of the company.

As of 1987, Tower Air also operated on wet lease area and put a Boeing 747 on behalf of Air Jamaica. In 1989, a similar lease with the British Air Europe was closed.

1990

As of August 1990 led by Tower Air during the Second Gulf War, more than 300 charter flights for the U.S. Defense Department to move troops from the U.S. and Europe to the Persian Gulf. As a result of these orders, the company was able to expand and expand its fleet by March 1991 to seven Boeing 747. More military charter flights were made, among others, as part of the U.S. mission in Somalia as well as during the Kosovo War.

Tower Air was awarded in July 1993 her first cargo aircraft of type Boeing 747 and put it around the world for various logistics companies a. Two further freight aircraft supplemented the fleet in 1995. In the same year, the Company made for the first time by Hajj flights for pilgrims to Mecca on behalf of Saudi Arabian Airlines, Air India and Garuda Indonesia.

End of the 1990s, Tower Air was criticized because of frequent delays and flight cancellations for technical reasons. The age of the aircraft used and the limited service reinforced the negative impression in public. On 29 February 2000 Air Tower filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The following month, negotiations with the Israeli airline El Al on a stake in the company were held. These talks were unsuccessful. In the absence of an investor Tower Air ceased flight operations on 1 May 2000 and on 28 November 2000 gave back their approval.

Objectives

Tower Air led mainly charter flights to Europe, South America (especially Brazil), the Caribbean, and from the mid- 1990s, also to Asia. The company offered at the time of cessation of New York outgoing line connections to Miami, San Juan and Tel Aviv. Previously, the following cities were providing scheduled air transport: Athens, Berlin, Brussels, Fort Lauderdale, Cologne, Copenhagen, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Paris, San Francisco and Santo Domingo. Some of these destinations were served only once a week.

Fleet

At the time of the air services for the fleet of Air Tower consisted of 16 machines of the Boeing 747-100 and Boeing 747-200.

Incidents

• On 20 December 1995, a set with 468 people crashed Boeing 747-100 ( N605FF ) Tower Air startup at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. At a speed of about 80 knots, the machine started on the snow-covered runway 4L break to the left. The crew decided to a take-off. Since the brakes and steering of the nose wheel on the slippery slope did not respond and the crew failed thrust reverser of engine use, the aircraft left the runway, crashed into a transformer house and came out with torn chassis to a halt. A flight attendant was difficult, 24 passengers slightly injured. The aircraft was written off as a total loss.