Kalitta Air is an American cargo airline headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. It operates international scheduled and ad-hoc cargo charter services. Its main base is Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti.
In 1967 Conrad "Connie" Kalitta began a business carrying car parts using a twin engine Cessna 310 that he piloted. It became American International Airways. AIA started flying in 1984 using Boeing 747, Lockheed L-1011, Douglas DC-8, Twin Beech and Learjet aircraft, for air freight, air ambulance and charter passenger operations.
During the late 1980s, the Kalitta brand name continued to appear on many of the company's cargo aircraft. In 1990 and 1991, AIA flew 600 missions in support of Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
In 1997, AIA merged with Kitty Hawk Inc. and Conrad Kalitta resigned to start Kalitta Leasing for buying, selling and leasing large aircraft. In April 2000 Kitty Hawk International (the former AIA) ceased operations. Kalitta decided to rescue it and the new airline, Kalitta Air, began operations in November 2000, using the operating certificate and assets of the former airline.
Kalitta Air operates a large repair facility at Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Iosco County, Michigan, United States.
The airline provides domestic and international scheduled or on-demand cargo service and support for the requirements of the Department of Defense Air Mobility Command.
In January 2003, Kalitta Air announced the start of scheduled cargo flights from the United States to Europe. The freighters on this service operated from JFK (John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, USA) EWR (Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey, USA) and ORD (O’Hare, Chicago, USA) to AMS (Schiphol, Amsterdam, the Netherlands) and EMA (East Midlands Airport, England). The airline flies scheduled cargo operations between the U.S. and Hong Kong, U.S. and Germany (Leipzig/Halle Airport), U.S. and Korea (for Asiana), Los Angeles and Honolulu. Additionally, the airline operates ACMI charters for other airlines. Liège Airport is also used as a regular refueling stop on New York City – Middle East routes, and in the Caribbean Norman Manley International Airport.
As of December 2012, Kalitta Air served the following destinations on a regular, scheduled basis:
AfghanistanBagram - Bagram AirbaseKandahar - Kandahar International AirportArgentinaBuenos Aires - Ministro Pistarini International Airport BahrainBahrain International AirportBelgiumBrussels - Brussels AirportLiège - Liège AirportColombiaMedellín - José María Córdova AirportEgyptCairo - Cairo International AirportGermanyLeipzig - Leipzig/Halle AirportHong KongHong Kong International AirportIsraelTel Aviv - Ben Gurion International AirportIndiaDelhi - Indira Gandhi International AirportItalyBari - Bari Karol Wojtyła AirportLatviaRiga - Riga International AirportNetherlandsAmsterdam - Amsterdam Airport SchipholPakistanKarachi - Jinnah International AirportRussiaKhabarovsk - Khabarovsk Novy AirportUkraineKiev - Boryspil International AirportUnited Arab EmiratesFujairah - Fujairah International Airport Sharjah - Sharjah International AirportUnited StatesAnchorage - Ted Stevens Anchorage International AirportBoston - Logan International Airport Chicago - O'Hare International AirportCincinnati - Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International AirportColumbus - Rickenbacker International AirportHonolulu - Honolulu International AirportHouston - George Bush Intercontinental AirportIndianapolis - Indianapolis International AirportLos Angeles - Los Angeles International AirportKailua-Kona - Kona International Airport at KeāholeMiami - Miami International AirportNew York City - John F. Kennedy International AirportOscoda - Wurtsmith AirportPanamaPanamá - Tocumen International AirportUnited KingdomEast Midlands AirportRAF MildenhallThe Kalitta Air fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of January 2017):
Fleet in 1997:
2 – Boeing 727-100F13 – Boeing 727-200F8 – Douglas DC-8-50F5 – Douglas DC-8-61F4 – Douglas DC-8-62F2 – Douglas DC-8-63F2 – Lockheed L-1011-200 TriStar in all coach passenger configuration seating 3546 – Lockheed L-1011-200F TriStar2 – Boeing 747–100 in all coach passenger configuration seating 4763 – Boeing 747-100F3 – Boeing 747-200FIncidents and accidents
On August 18, 1993, an American International Airways, Inc. Douglas DC-8-61 (N814CK), with three crew members on board struck level terrain 1,400 feet west of the approach end of the runway while landing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The aircraft approached from the south and was making a right turn for runway 10 with an increasing angle of bank in order to align with the runway. At 200–300 feet AGL the wings started to rock towards wings level and the nose pitched up. The right wing appeared to stall, the aircraft rolled to 90-degree angle of bank and the nose pitched down. Probable cause of the accident attributed primarily to the impaired judgment, decision-making, and flying abilities of the captain and flight crew due to the effects of fatigue resulting from extended flight/duty hours.On October 20, 2004, a Kalitta Air Boeing 747 (N709CK), with five crew members on board, experienced mechanical difficulties with one of the four engines and diverted to land safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. No one was injured. It was discovered after landing that the number 1 engine had separated from the airplane as it climbed through 16,000 feet over Lake Michigan. The engine was later recovered for inspection.During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict (2nd Lebanon war) Kalitta Air made weapon resupply flights from the United States to Israel, via Prestwick Airport in Scotland for refueling, without authority from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. Scotland's Crown Office considered, but eventually decided against, prosecuting Kalitta Air for two July 2006 flights carrying laser-guided bombs.On May 25, 2008, a Boeing 747-209F/SCD (N704CK serial number 22299/462) from the company's fleet overran runway 20 at Brussels Airport. The aircraft broke in three and came to a complete stop in a field bordering the runway. There were four crew members and one passenger on board, and no injuries were reported. The aircraft destined for Bahrain International Airport was loaded with 76 tons of goods, half of which was diplomatic mail. Belgian investigators announced that the accident was caused by the decision to Reject the Take-Off 12 knots after passing V1 speed. The Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) of the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport had investigated the accident.On July 7, 2008, a Boeing 747-209B (N714CK serial number 22446/519), crashed shortly after departing from El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá at 3:55 a.m. The aircraft was en route to Miami, Florida, with a shipment of flowers. After reporting a fire in the number 4 engine, the crew attempted the return to the airport. However, after engine number 1 failed as well, the aircraft could not maintain altitude and crashed near the village of Madrid, Colombia. The aircraft's empennage hit a ranch house, killing a 50-year-old man and his 13-year-old son who lived there (a report of this crash on Airdisaster.com indicated a third fatality on the ground). The flight deck separated from the remainder of the aircraft, and the crew of eight survived with light to serious injuries while the rest of the airframe was consumed by fire.For the 1997 film Air Force One, the producers rented one of Kalitta's Boeing 747-212B aircraft, N703CK and repainted it to replicate the iconic Air Force One livery.The TV program MythBusters featured one of Kalitta's Boeing 747s (tail number N700CK) in Episode 90: "Supersized Myths”, that originally aired on November 14, 2007. In this myth the build team revisited the myth of "Jet Taxi", the story of a taxi that got stuck behind a jet taking off resulting in the taxi flipping over due to the jet blast. This myth was found to be confirmed, in that a jet could flip a taxi as well as a school bus and a light aircraft. MythBusters featured another Kalitta Air 747 in the Episode "Storm Chasing Myths" that originally aired on October 13, 2010.A Kalitta Air 747 was used to transport prestigious and exotic cars used on the 2014 Gumball 3000 rally from JFK Airport in New York to Prestwick Airport in Glasgow for the European leg of the rally.The 2015 World Rallycross Championship broadcasts feature a Kalitta 747-222B (tail number N793CK) carrying the competitors' cars for GAC, logistics provider for that championship.
