Which Member of the ‘Big Four’ Was Forsaken When Times Got Tough? — #TBT Week of January 18

In the spirit of #TBT (“Throwback Thursday,” not Brazil’s Tabatinga Airport) FlyerTalk takes a look back at the events that helped shape modern aviation. Here are just a few moments from history that changed the face of the industry during the week of January 18.

January 18, 2005

Setting the standard for luxury in commercial aircraft, Airbus debuted the first A380 during a lavish affair at their Tolouse, France headquarters. Dubbed the “Green Giant,” Airbus touted the double-decker superjumbo as a solution to combating emissions and airport congestion.

January 19, 1991

After years of financial turbulence, Eastern Air Lines officially went out of business at the stroke of midnight. Once the debut customer of the Boeing 727 and 757, the airline experienced a number of setbacks leading up to its closing, including labor disputes and rising fuel costs. Although no other airlines opted to purchase the bankrupt member of the ‘Big Four’, many of the routes it once controlled would go to American Airlines.

It’s possible that Eastern could someday return to its former glory. An investor group purchased the intellectual properties of the airline in 2011 and is working on a relaunch. The first newly branded aircraft was delivered at the end of 2014.

January 20, 1994

Operating a single Boeing 767 leased from Kuwait Airways, Qatar Airways launched as a regional air carrier serving the Middle East. A far cry from the luxury carrier they would ultimately become, the airline would be relaunched in 1997 under edict of the Emir of Qatar as a luxury carrier with global vision. Since then, Qatar Airways has gone on to win the Skytrax Airline of the Year honors twice. The airline recently became the debut customer of the Airbus A350-XWB.

January 21, 1976

In coordinated flights, Air France and British Airways opened the supersonic era as both airlines operated the first commercial flights of the Concorde. The advanced commercial jet, developed jointly by Aérospatiale in France and British Aircraft Corporation in the U.K., would serve customers on both sides of the Atlantic for 27 years. British Airways’ first Concorde flight flew from London to Baharain, while the first Air France Concorde flight departed Paris for Rio de Janeiro, via Dakar.

January 22, 1998

The smallest aircraft of the next-generation Boeing 737 family took to the air for it’s first flight, paving the way for future innovations of the popular commercial aircraft. The 737-600, piloted by two Boeing test pilots, successfully took off at 10:16 a.m. PT and was immediately hailed as a success. The 737-600 would go on to launch with SAS, while future variants of the next-generation 737 would prove popular with airlines in the U.S and around the world.

January 23, 1951

Revered as one of the world’s greatest commercial pilots, Captain Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger celebrates his 63rd birthday. Sullenberger is best remembered for being the pilot in command of US Airways Flight 1549, forever known as The “Miracle on the Hudson.” Since retiring from US Airways in 2010, Sullenberger has remained active in the aviation community, authoring two books about his experiences and serving as a News Aviation and Safety Expert for CBS.

January 24, 2003

After the formation was approved in the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Department of Homeland Security became operational with the installment of the first Secretary of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge. Just over a month later, the Transportation Security Administration would shift its administration from the Department of Transportation into Homeland Security, placing the new department in charge of airport security standards across the U.S.

 

[Photo: Eastern Air Lines Group]