Air Kathia

Air Kathia (Kathic: Kaþeras) is the of Kathia. Founded in 1921, it is one of the oldest airlines still in business. A memeber of Air Kathia Group

History
Air Kathia was founded on 15 September, 1920 by the Kathic Government to provide air services to throughout Kathia. Its first flight from Corava to Vydau in 1921 marked the beginning of services for the airline. The aircraft, a Fourszau Fz.3300 registered K1771KT carried 3 passengers and mail.

Inter War Period and Second World War
Service continue to expand up until the Second World War, with numerous aircraft types flown and more rotes added in the following years after its founding. Service rapidly expanded following the introduction of the Douglas DC-2 and DC-3. Following the break out of the Second World War, Air Kathia's aircraft were requisitioned by the Royal Kathic Air Force for air transports and the airline was subsequently put on hiatus by the government. A sizable amount of aircraft were captured by invading Thracian forces while many escaped to the North Diharan colonies controlled by the Allies

Post-War
Air Kathia resumed limited service in August 1944, and full service by 1946. A majority of its pre-war DC-2s and DC-3s were returned. The DC-2s were quickly retired and replaced with DC-3s built during the war. Air Kathia soon added to its fleet for long-haul routes. By 1949 the airline had rebuilt its route network and services to Dihara, Taizi, and Vehoaria had resumed.

Jet Age
The airline formally entered the jet age in 1959 with the introduction the Iszada IA-101, for which it was the launch customer. The airline also introduced turboprop to its fleet. By 1967, the airline had retired its last Constellation and became and all-jet fleet, the first airline in the world to do so (though L-188s continued to serve, and would later be transferred to Air Kathia Shuttle in 1973).

In 1964 the airline announced its intention to buy 5 Concorde aircraft, and would end up being one of the few operators of the type when it introduced the aircraft in 1976, eventually operating 7 total. Air Kathia also ordered the Boeing 747, which was introduced in January 1970 between Monitava and Vydau. To date, Air Kathia has operated over 50 747s since 1970 since the latest iteration, the 747-8I was introduced in 2014. In 1972, Air Kathia launched the Iszada IA-131 and a few years later the Airbus A300 entered service. Air Kathia would go on to operate large fleets of both aircraft until both were retired in the early 2000s.

1980s and 1990s


In 1982, Air Kathia became an early customer of the A310 to serve routes too large for the IA-131, 747, and A300. It later took deliveries of the A310-300 with its increased range which were used to replace early IA-131s. In 1988, the A320 entered service, and air Kathia would soon amass a large fleet of the type and its derivatives.

The 1989 economic recession hit Kathia quite hard, and as such the government privatized several companies, including Air Kathia. The airline was enlarged by the government's forced merger of Kathic Air Transport and InterKathic into Air Kathia to make the airline more stable. For years, Kathic Air Transport and Air Kathia had competed on international routes, which, in the end, was not advantageous to either airline. Air Kathia subsequently moved its headquarters into Building 7 of the Imperial Center in Monitava, Caliszava.

InterKathic continued to operate as a subsidy for Air Kathia, forming the backbone of its regional and inter-Auroran network. However, the airline took on massive debt and declared bankruptcy in 1990. The airline emerged from bankruptcy in 1991, however several routes were shed from the network and older aircraft were sold off. In 1992, a new paint livery was adopted and it soon became an iconic scheme for the carrier. By 1999, Air Kathia had maintained a strong position in the international and inter-Auroran markets, aided with the addition of new A330s to replace the old IA-131s which were retired by 2002.

Developments Since 2000
Air Kathia entered the new millennium in a strong position. The IA-131 was finally retired in 2002; the A300 was originally slated for retirement by 2006 however the 2005 bankruptcy prolonged the A300's service as the airline differed new A330 deliveries until it was financially stable. The A300 and A310 were both retired in 2008, having been replaced by the now ubiquitous A330 which forms a large chunk of the Katheras international fleet.

In 2011 Katheras became a launch customer of the A320neo and also ordered the A350. That same year it took its first delivery of the 747-8I. Vydau was declared a secondary hub in 2015, after having been a focus city since 1977. In 2012, InterKathic was fully integrated into Air Kathia, with a majority of its fleet ending up with Katheras Express, but the 717s were transferred into Air Kathia's fleet.

Fleet
Air Kathia operates a primarily Airbus fleet, with a few Boeing types. As of September 2019 it consisted of 343 aircraft.

Retired Fleet

 * Air Kathia was one of the few Concorde operators.