Lögberg-Heimskringla - 09.10.1992, Blaðsíða 2
2 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 9. október 1992
lceland’s first airline: a nation takes to the air
Continuod ftom hmt itauo
Loftleiðir built a large headquarters
and hotel in Reykjavík during this peri-
od, and began offering stopovers in
Iceland which were welcomed by many
of its passengers.
Competition on U.S.-Luxembourg
routes emerged in 1968 from Inter-
national Air Bahama, which Loftleiðir
eventually bought up and began jet ser-
vices between Luxembourg and Nassau.
Loftleiðir introduced DC-8 jets on
the North Atlantic in 1970, and they
soon replaced it’s CL-44s. Shortly after-
wards Loftleiðir took part in founding
the Luxembourg-based Cargolux carrier,
which then bought the CL-44s for
freight services. Loftleiðir also invested
in the Hotel Aerogolf in Luxembourg.
At the beginning of the seventies.
Loftleiðir operations took a downswing,
IPWHH
mainly because other
airlines began offering
low transatlantic fares,
in some cases lower
than the low-fare pio-
neer Loftleiðir itself
could offer. Services to
the UK and Scandi-
navia also proved
highly unprofitable. Most airlines in the
world recorded heavy losses during
these years.
Flugfélag íslands developed along
somewhat different lines from Loftleiðir.
It’s operations reached a turning-point
in 1946 with the purchase of three long
serving Douglas Dakota DC-3s, which
offered far greater capacity than its earli-
ef fleet and were to boost its domestic
operations significantly. In 1948, the air-
line purchased a Skymaster DC-4,
Members of the Jón Sigurösson Chapter IODE at their Annual Tea — Back row (L-R):
Kristine Stephenson, Dee Dee Westdal, Norma Russell, Gunnþóra Gísladóttir, Valdine
Johnson, Rose Clyde, Gloria Meadows. Middle row: Kendra Jonasson, Hildur Guttormson,
Bea Sharpe. Pourers in front: Margaret Groff, Josie Burgoyne.
ión Sigurðsson Chapter Tea
The Jón Sigurðsson Chapter
IODE held their Annual Tea on
Saturday, September 19 at the
Eaton’s Assembly Hall. Tea conven-
ers were Norma Russell, Hildur
Guttormson and Valdine Johnson.
Receiving the guests were Bea
Sharpe, Regent, Gloria Meadows,
IODE Provincial President and
Thelma Wilson, the Chapter’s newly-
named Honorary Member.
The Chapter has recently pub-
lished “Veterans of Icelandic
Descent, World War II” which also
includes yeterans of Korea and
Vietnam. The Book Committee is
now preparing a supplement to the
book and readers are encouraged to
send information on veterans not
previously included. This informa-
tion should be sent to Johanna
Wilson, Secretary Veterans Book
Committee, 802-188 Roslyn Road,
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3L OG8
Submitted by Dcanna Islicfson
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which was given the name Gullfaxi and
made it’s maiden flight to Iceland on
July 8 that year. It was used by Flugfélag
Islands on intemational services for sev-
eral years, while the Scottish carrier dis-
continued it’s charters to Iceland. Flug-
félag Islands stepped up it’s intemational
frequency after purchasing a second
Skymaster in 1954, besides undertaking
various charter projects. Among them
were charters to Greenland which were
to become an important part of the air-
line’s operations for more than a decade.
In 1957, Flugfélag íslands re-equip-
ped its intemational fleet with the pur-
chase of two Vickers Viscounts, which
offered both more spced and better com-
fort than the planes they replaced. The
cost of this investment, however, proved
difficult for the airline to meet, and vari-
ous measures were taken to improve its
weak financial position, including a pre-
mium bonds issue. Once the airiine had
sailed through this tough period, better
times ensued. It bought it’s first
Cloudmaster DC-6B in 1961, and anoth-
er in the years to follow.
A decision on the choice of aircraft
for re-equipping the domesticfleet was
reached in 1961 when Fiugfélag íslands
purchased it’s first Fokker
Friendships. The first was
delivered from the Nether-
lands on May 14, 1965 since
which time Fokker
Friendships have been used
on domestic schedules in
Iceland with excellent
results.
On July 15,1966, Flugfélag íslands
concluded an agreement for the pur-
chase of the first jetliner for its fleet. It
was a B727, purchased new from the
Boeing factory in Seattle, and made its
maiden voyage to Iceland to land at
Reykjavík Airport on June 24, 1967.
Since Reykjavík Airport proved unsuit-
able for scheduled jet traffic, Flugfélag
Islands transferred its intemational ser-
vices to Keflavík. The new Boeing went
straight into international service for
Flugfélag Islands, which soon ceased to
employ its older propeller aircraft on
these routes.
A good operating performance was
recorded by Flugfélag íslands after the
arrival of the new jet, but Iosscs were
suffered in 1968 and 1969. In 1971
another B727-100C was purchased.
Heavy competition prevailed between
Flugfélag íslands and Loftleiðir on sev-
eral routes. Eventually, talks were insti-
gated by the Icelandic government
bctween Loftleiðir and Flugfélag
Islands on the possibility of a merger, to
prevent foreseeable difficultics which
both airlines would have encountercd
under the status quo.
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