History of Arcacian Airlines

It all started in 1929. A petition was presented to the Senate signed by 500 residents of the Northern Islands that called for the foundation of a regular transport service to connect the islands to the main districts. At the time, a twice daily paddlesteamer was the only way to get from the outer islands to Redding, Yorke and Providence. It was also the only way to cross the Redding Strait to Australia. Arcacia, despite it's proximity to Australia, was largely isolated.

The Senate then put forth a referendum to start a national airline service. It passed unanimously. An envoy was then sent to the United States to find suitable aircraft. Months later, an ocean liner pulled into Sydney Harbour with the Arcacian envoy escorting the first Arcacian Airlines fleet. Two Ford Trimotors were unloaded and taken by railway to Kingsford-Smith Aerodrome. From there they were flown North to Arcacia, touching down in Providence Aerodrome, which is now the site of the Providence suburb of Sorrento.


Arcacian Airlines started as an inter-island service using the Ford Trimotor.

One of the planes was used solely as an inter-island service, hopping between Providence, Brooklyn, Paradise, Tasman and Amblin Islands before heading to Redding and then back to Providence via Yorke. A round trip took less than an hour. The service began in 1931 and was an enormous success.

The other plane was used to fly passengers between Redding Aerodrome, now the site of SeaWorld, and Brisbane via Ballina. From there, passengers could get flights to Sydney and other destinations.

15 years later, Arcacian Airlines purchased 3 Douglas DC-3s to compliment it's trusty Trimotors. After the conclusion of World War II, the skies over the Pacific once again became safe and the advances in military aircraft had spawned a successful passenger variant. Arcacian Airlines embraced the new technology which allowed direct flights to Sydney for the first time. It also meant that Saint Vincent, an isolated territory of Arcacia, was able to be connected by air to the mainland for the first time.


From 1946, the Douglas DC-3 allowed flights to Saint Vincent for the first time.

In 1946, the regular good ship service pulled into Saint Vincent Harbour with a very important message. It was from Providence, instructing the territory government to build an aerodrome. They got to it right away and soon after the very first flight from Providence to Saint Vincent arrived via Sydney, Albury, Melbourne and Hobart. The DC-3 was so reliable and thrifty that it remained in service with Arcacian Airlines for several decades.

In 1949 the airline was looking for a suitable vehicle to expand its operations even further. They found it in the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. The most luxurious aircraft of its time, and the biggest, Arcacian Airlines began operating a single Stratocruiser in 1950, flying to New Zealand and Singapore.


The Stratocruiser was Arcacian Airlines' flagship from 1950 to 1961.

In 1952 they purchased a second Stratocruiser. One was sent on a monthly jaunt, island hopping across the Pacific and the other ventured into Asia and on to Europe. It was first class all the way and only the very wealthy could afford to fly on these adventurous routes.

For a decade, these three aircraft were the mainstay of the airline. Arcacian Airlines was reluctant to join the jet age after the disasters that plagued the early jetliners. However, with the release of the de Havilland Comet 4C, Arcacian Airlines decided to take the plunge. Redding International Airport had been opened with a runway capable of handling the new-fangled jets.


The de Havilland Comet 4C was Arcacian Airlines' first jetliner.

In 1961 Arcacian Airlines bought 4 Comets, in a turning point for the airline and for transport in Arcacia in general. They replaced the Stratocruiser, which was now seen as lumbering and slow compared with the new technology. The old paddlesteamer ferries were replaced with diesel, which enabled hourly trips between the islands. The Arcacian National Railway was also expanded. 30 years after they started service, giving birth to the airline, the Ford Trimotors were finally retired.

The Comets took over the Pacific and European routes, as well as the flights to Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart and Saint Vincent. The DC-3 was still used for the shorter flights to Brisbane and Lycanthia for another decade. The new jets were cheaper to run, had room for more passengers and were the fastest thing any Arcacian had ever seen.

In 1971 Arcacian Airlines has fallen in love with a new jet called the Boeing 737. In another watershed moment, the airlines bought enough 737s to replace its entire fleet. The DC-3 was the next plane to be retired, though the Comet continued in service until 1979.


The Boeing 737-400 is now the only aircraft used by the airline.

From the late 1980s until 2001 Arcacian set about replacing its entire fleet with the 737-400 model which was perfect for short hops as well as trans-Tasman routes. Arcacian Airlines abandoned it's long-haul flights in favour of short-haul flights which allowed passengers to connect with larger airlines that serviced the wider world.

In 2010, in order to boost profits and increase market share, Arcacian Airlines bought Australian Airlines, East-West Airlines and Air Lycanth. It also spawned a subsidiary in SouthAir, based in Saint Vincent, which took over direct flights between Saint Vincent and Providence and connecting Saint Vincent with Australia and New Zealand.


SouthAir is a subsidiary of Arcacian Airlines based in Saint Vincent.

Throughout its 79 year history, Arcacian Airlines has never had a major incident. Its sterling reputation for safety and service is the envy of many airlines and has seen Arcacian Airlines become the most trusted brand in the country.

danspaceman wrote:Throughout its 79 year history, Arcacian Airlines has never had a major incident. Its sterling reputation for safety and service is the envy of many airlines and has seen Arcacian Airlines become the most trusted brand in the country.

Not even a minor accident? That's kinda impossible

One word for you: Qantas. And I did say "major" incidents. There have been minor ones, but no major injuries and no fatalities.

Qantas did have quite bad incidents like Qantas 72 and Qantas 30.

Those are minor incidents. They weren't crashes and no-one was killed. The only time Qantas has ever suffered a hull-loss was when a Qantas airliner was shot down by the Japanese during WWII. That was hardly the airline's fault.

Basically stretch the definition a bit and it still holds true. If a "major" incident is defined as loss of life, then Arcacian Airlines never had a major incident.

Do you have a list of minor Arcacian incidents?

1936 - Ford Trimotor taking off from Providence suffered engine failure and landed safely in Broadalbin.

1938 - Ford Trimotor en route from Amblin Island to Redding suffered bird-strike. Drag from downed engine caused wing-stall and plane was forced to ditch in Byron Bay. One person was injured, but all 7 people on board escaped.

1949 - DC-3 en route to Brisbane suffered loss of altitude. 3 passengers were injured, plane landed safely in Coolangatta.

1957 - Stratocruier abandoned take-off from Auckland airport. No injuries.

1969 - A Comet landing in Redding had its nose-gear collapse. No injuries.

1978 - Boeing 737-100 suffered engine failure after taking off from Sydney. Returned to airport, no injuries.

1984 - Boeing 737-200 suffered decompression at 21,000 feet. Plane landed safely in Coffs Harbour. Several people were hospitalised, no fatalities.

1985 - Boeing 737-200 being refuelled on tarmac at Providence caught fire. There was no-one aboard the plane and ground crew were safely evacuated. The aircraft was a total loss.

Since the fleet was changed over to the Boeing 737-400, there have been no incidents. This is due in part to the newer aircraft, but also to vast improvements in Arcacian Airlines' safety and maintenance schedules.

The 737-400 is pretty old now. How about some 737-800s?

The last 737-400 was produced in 2001. No aircraft in Arcacian's fleet was produced before 1998.

I really liked that history!

Thanks!

Nice job with the comet 4c

Then how about long-range routes? It's pretty obvious that Arcacian Airlines Group doesn't operate them at all

It's on the books as a future possibility. At the moment, we don't operate long-haul flights.

A couple of facts: Arcacia is a small country of around 250,000 people. Our longest runway is at Redding, about 2,500 metres.

In order to fly long-haul flights, we would need a suitable aircraft, more than likely the 747, a runway long enough to operate from, and enough demand.