Minerve (IATA: IW, ICAO: MIN, call sign: Minerve) was a French airline, headquartered in the 1st arrondissement of Paris,[1] that operated from 1975 until it merged with AOM to form AOM French Airlines in 1992.
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| Founded | 1975 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1992 (merged with Air Outre Mer to form AOM French Airlines) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Paris, France | ||||||
History
editMinerve began operations in 1975 using Sud Aviation Caravelle aircraft on charter flights from Paris-Le Bourget airport. Permission was granted for charter flights to the United States in 1983 and those were operated first with Douglas DC-8 jets and later on with a Boeing 747-200 wide body jetliner.
For charter flights to the Mediterranean and North Africa the Caravelles were used until replaced in 1987 by McDonnell Douglas MD-83. Minerve wanted to expand into North America and created a subsidiary in Canada called Minerve Canada, but that venture did not last long and it had a negative effect on the parent company. Other investments in Jet Alsace and Jet Fret created more financial burdens which led to the sale of 50% of the stock to the tour operator Club Méditerranée. To expand operations, three McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 wide body jetliners were acquired for long-range services.
In 1991 Minerve was operating scheduled passenger services between Paris and Bangkok, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nice, San Francisco and Tahiti with DC-10-30 jets being primarily operated on the international routes.[2] The same year, the airline published a joint timetable with French air carrier Air Liberte.[3]
In 1992 Minerve merged with Air Outre Mer to form AOM French Airlines.[4]
Fleet details
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- 5 – Sud SE-210 Caravelle
- 3 – Douglas DC-8-53
- 3 – Douglas DC-8-61
- 1 – Douglas DC-8-62
- 2 – Douglas DC-8-73
- 1 – Boeing 747-200
- 3 – McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
- 4 – McDonnell Douglas MD-83
References
edit- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 14–20 March 1990. 11. "Head Office: 4 rue Cambon, F-75001, Paris, France."
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, 1991 Minerve timetables
- ^ http://www.timetableimages.com, June 1, 1991 Air Liberte/Minerve combined timetable
- ^ Hengi, page 127
- Hengi, B.I. (2000). Airlines Remembered: Over 200 Airlines of the Past, Described and Illustrated in Colour. Midland. ISBN 9781857800913.
External links
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Media related to Minerve (airline) at Wikimedia Commons- Fleet and code information[permanent dead link]
