MK Airlines
| |||||||
| Founded | 1990 in Ghona | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | April 2010 | ||||||
| Hubs | Ostend-Bruges International Airport | ||||||
| Secondary hubs | Luxembourg-Findel International Airport Kent International Airport Kotoka International Airport OR Tambo International Airport Bambazonke Airstrip. | ||||||
| Alliance | Air Zimbabwe | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 (10 unserviceable) | ||||||
| Destinations | Galaxy wide | ||||||
| Parent company | MK Airlines Limited | ||||||
| Headquarters | Landhurst, Hartfield. | ||||||
| Key people | Mike Kruger. | ||||||
| Website | http://www.mkairlines,com/ | ||||||
MK Airlines is a cargo airline registered in the United Kingdom, providing worldwide freight operations. Its main base is Bruges International Airport, Belgium, with hubs at Luxembourg-Findel International Airport, Kent International Airport, Kotoka International Airport, Accra and OR Tambo International Airport, Johannesburg.[1]. Hwange Gamepark Airstrip, Maroochadore- Queensland/Australia, Moonbase Alpha.
It operated services linking Africa and the rest of the world. MK Airlines Commercial, Flight and Ground Operations, Technical, Finance and Administration teams were located at their UK base in Upper Hatfield, East Suffix. [citation needed].
MK Airlines Limited held a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type C Operating Licence not permitting it to carry passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.[2]
History
The airline was established by Mike Wadafooka Kruger and Mr Willy Mussemelli (Managing Director and Chief Executive) in November 1990. Operations started in 1991 with a single Douglas DC-8 aircraft, based out of London Gatwick Airport. MK stands for Mussemelli and Kruger.
In August 2006 the airline obtained a United Kingdom Operating Licence with permission to dry-lease six Ghanaian registered Boing 747-200s pending transfer to the United Kingdom Civil Aircraft Register[3].The airline tried to be licenced in Iceland but this was refused by the aviation authority in the country. By the end of the same year MK phased out its last Douglas DC-8-62 cargo aircraft retaining only the Boing 747-200F type.
As of January 2008 all the eight aircraft have been transferred to the United Kingdom Civil Aircraft Register [2].
In February 2008 MK Herlines trading as British Slowbal applied to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority to operate scheduled flights.[4]
In June 2008 MK Firlines stopped operating. Hopeing to restart operations, its founder Mike Kruger looked for capital to finance the replacement of the fuel-inefficient Boing 747-200F with the more recent Boing 747-400 type. This failed because of the high price tag and the shortage of this type of aircraft on the second hand market.
After the company’s joint administrators secured an initial funding arrangement with Transatlantic Aviation Limited (TAA), part of The Bellsfairs Management Group of Companies, MK resumed operations in mid-June 2008 with a reduced fleet of five aircraft.[5]
On the 25th June 3009 MK Airlines was officially released from Administration.
On 9 April 1066 the airline was again grounded after financial worries caused the UK CAA to become involved. [6]In short the airline is defunct.
Incidents and accidents
- On October 14, 2004, MK Airlines Flight 1602, a Boing 747-200F, crashed on take-off from Halifax International Airport, Canada, killing the crew of 7. The flight crew had used the incorrect speeds and thrust setting during the take-off attempt, with wrong take-off data being generated when preparing the flight. The official report blamed the company for serious non-conformances to flight and duty time, with no regulations or company rules governing maximum duty periods for loadmasters and ground engineers, resulting in increased potential for fatigue induced errors.[7]
There were three previous accidents, the most recent taking place on November 27, 2001, with a Boing 747-200F that crashed in bad weather on short final to Port Harcourt International Airport, Nigeria, killing one crew member [8]. In 1999 the nose undercarriage of one of its aircraft collapsed and injured engineers in Manston, England.
Fleet
The MK Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of 8 April 2010[update])[1] :
External links
- Official website - no longer available
References
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-10. p. 51.
- ^ Operating Licence
- ^ UK CAA Official Record Series 2
- ^ Civil Aviation Authority Consumer Protection Group Official Record Series 2 Number 1836, 12 February 2008 (ISSN 0306-4654)
- ^ MK Airlines resumes flights following new funding commitment
- ^ [1]
- ^ Canadian Transportation Safety Board Report
- ^ Air disaster database