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Maersk Air was a Danish airline which operated between 1969 and 2005. Owned by the eponymous A. P. Møller–Mærsk Group, it operated a mix of scheduled and chartered passenger and cargo services. Headquartered at Dragør, its main operating bases were Copenhagen Airport, Billund Airport and Esbjerg Airport. The airline had offshore helicopter operations from 1975 to 1999 and had three airline subsidiaries: Maersk Air UK, Maersk Commuter and Star Air. The airline was founded on the foundations on the purchase of Falck Air on 21 February 1969. Fokker F27s were bought and domestic services from Copenhagen to Odense and Stauning. From 1971 to 1995 Maersk participated in Danair, which held a monopoly on all domestic services. Maersk Air was heavily involved in the inclusive tours market during the 1970s, operating the Boeing 720 and 737-200. From 1981 Maersk started international flights, first out of Billund and from the 1990s out of Copenhagen. Maersk Air gradually invested in new aircraft, including the Fokker 50, Boeing 737 Classic and later the 737-700. During the 1990s the number of international services increased, often codesharing with foreign airlines. With the Danish airlines deregulated in 1995, Maersk first sought to compete with Scandinavian Airlines. The then created a cartel. After being exposed, the airline fell into a decline after 2001, posting large deficits from which it never recovered. The airline was bought by the FL Group and merged with Sterling Airlines in 2005. ==Establishment== The A. P. Moller-Maersk Group's first invested in aviation in 1937, when it bought a stake in Danish Air Lines, Denmark's contemporary flag carrier. Work on starting their own airline started to take shape in 1967, when the executive management decided to purchase a corporate jet. They opted for a Hawker Siddeley HS 125-3B.〔Ellemose: 42〕 Named ''Jette Mersk'', it was used both to fly executives and to fly critical spare parts and mechanics around the globe to service mechanical error on board ships.〔Ellemose: 43〕 At the time there were few business opportunities for Danish airlines. The charter market was dominated by Speis Rejser and Tjæreborgs Rejser, each with their own airlines—Conair and Sterling, respectively. Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) was the flag carrier and held the sole right to conduct international scheduled services. Freight charters could only be carried out by other airlines if the entire load had a single shipper and recipient.〔Ellemose: 49〕 Bjarne Hansen, who was administratively responsible for the corporate jet, made several propositions for the Maersk Group to establish an airline.〔Ellemose: 46〕 After several iterations, the plans were approved by CEO Arnold Mærsk Mc-Kinney Møller in 1969.〔Ellemose: 47〕 The airline therefore aimed at ad-hoc charter with aircraft in the 50-seat market, and perhaps securing the rights to fly regional scheduled flights to smaller domestic airports.〔 To secure a running organization, Maersk bought Falck Air on 21 February 1969. There was internal disagreement about the airline's future strategy amongst its owner, the Falck Group. They therefore sold it as a discounted rate to Maersk. At the time Falck Air operated a fleet of two de Havilland Herons and two Hawker Siddeley HS 748 aircraft and a hangar at Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup.〔Ellemose: 50〕 The airline had ordered three Fokker F27 Friendships, the first which was delivered on 9 December.〔Ellemose: 51〕 The second was delivered on 17 December, but was written off ten days later when it crashed after failing to became airborne after a touch and go at Rønne Airport.〔Ellemose: 52〕 As part of the establishment, Maersk entered the travel agency industry. Originally named Maersk Air Rejsebureau, it was later anglicized to Maersk Travel. It gradually built up a nationwide network of travel agency outlets, in Ålborg, Århus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Herning, Horsens, Odense and Skive.〔Ellemose: 111〕 Maersk Air also bought a share of Copenhagen Airport's ground handling company, Copenhagen Air Services, in 1972, which they owned along with SAS, Conair and Sterling.〔Ellemose: 230〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Maersk Air」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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