| |||||||
| Founded | 1958 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1980 | ||||||
| Focus cities | Milan Malpensa, Rome Fiumicino | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | primarily to the Continent of North America | ||||||
| Headquarters | Roma via Cardinal Ginnasi, 12 | ||||||
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Aeral (contraction of AERonautica ALessandrina) is a defunct private Italian airline, which used ex-Alitalia Douglas DC-8s.
History
It was founded in March 1958 at Alessandria in southern Piedmont by entrepreneur Maria Luisa Bottanelli. At the beginning the company only dealt with private aero-taxi and panoramic flights. In its nascent years, it operated a fleet primarily composed of AL-60 and Cessna 421 aircraft. The company subsequently transferred its main operational base to Milan Malpensa airport.
However, in 1978, in the 20th anniversary of its existence, Aeral turned to a new line of business: international cargo charters. To carry out this activity, the airline bought an ex-Alitalia four-engined Douglas DC-8/54 jetliner converted to freight transportation. Scheduled cargo flights officially commenced on 17 February 1979. A second freighter DC-8, leased from Overseas National Airways, was introduced in December 1979.
Headquarters were moved in Ostia village (Rome province) while operational bases were set up in both Milan-Malpensa and Turin-Caselle airports. Most of flight activity were charters.
Despite its expansion into long-haul market, Aeral faced financial difficulties. These economic challenges ultimately compelled the carrier to discontinue all flight operations, a cessation which became final on 31 August 1980.
Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aermacchi AL-60 | 1 | n/a | n/a | I-SATT[1] |
| Douglas DC-8-50 | 3 | 1978 | 1980 | I-ALEC, N9110V, OY-KDM[citation needed] |
| Cessna 421 Golden Eagle | 1 | n/a | n/a | I-MARS[2] |
See also
References
- ^ "Aeromobile I-SATT". RACI Web. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
- ^ "I-MARS Data". Airport-Data. Retrieved 23 July 2019.
External links
- Photo of an Aeral DC-8
- Aeral DC at Malpensa International Airport in 1980
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