North American Airlines' was founded in the late 1980s before kicking off operations in January 1990. Headquartered in Peachtree City, Georgia, with a base in Tampa, Florida, the went on to become a respected charter and wet lease provider during the 1990s and much of the 2000s before closing down.

Covering ground

The carrier had strong backing from the beginning, with the head of the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), Dan McKinnon founding the firm. It prided itself on providing its passengers with a high level of flexibility and attentive account management in the charter field.

North American highlighted its record of conducting safe operations with its fleet of Boeing 737-800, 757-200, and 767-300 aircraft. These jets helped transport millions of passengers in the corporate, entertainment, government, defense, and sports sectors.

Notably, the company partnered with several other tour operators to provide the flight section of a travel package. In the US, regular trips were conducted to Baltimore, Miami, New York JFK, and Tampa. Across the continents, the airline headed several hotspots, including Santa Cruz, Bolivia; Accra, Ghana; Georgetown, Guyana; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Lagos, Nigeria; and Port of Spain, Trinidad.

North American did well to operate on behalf of other companies. For instance, the trips between Miami and Santa Cruz were operated on behalf of Bolivian airline AeroSur.

North American Airlines 757
Making the most of a codeshare agreement, the airline operated a service between New York JFK and Los Angeles International to complement El Al's operations from Tel Aviv. Photo: Aero Icarus via Flickr

New ownership

World Air Holdings, which was also the parent of World Airways and ATA Airlines, acquired North American Airlines in the mid-2000s. However, what became known as Global Aviation Holdings took over World Air in April 2007.

ATA Airlines ceased operations during the year after the takeover. This move would naturally allow Global Aviation Holdings to focus on North American Airlines and World Airways.

North_American_Airlines_Boeing_737-86N;_N802NA@MIA,_January_2000_DUC_(5163692767)
The airline's Boeing 737s exited the fleet by February 2003. Photo: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons

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Troubles with the parent

In November 2013, Global Aviation Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection just after coming out of it earlier that year. The company was, however, optimistic that it could overcome the difficulties.

“During our reorganization, Global Aviation Holdings intends to operate our business and the Company remains committed to safety, compliance and reliable customer service,” Global Aviation Holdings shared in a company statement during the time of its filing.

“We intend to use the reorganization process to help implement our plan to lower costs, stabilize our businesses, grow revenue and diversify our product lines. Additional information regarding the reorganization process is available at the tabs to the left.

Nonetheless, the challenges continued into the new year. As a result, in the spring of 2014, both World Airways and North American Airlines ceased operations. North American Airlines'  remaining five 767-300s all made their way to other airlines by the summer of that year.

What are your thoughts about North American Airlines and its story What do you make of the carrier’s operations over the years? Let us know what you think of the operator’s services during its lifetime in the comment section.