Janet (airline)

Area 51 was established in 1955 by the Central Intelligence Agency at Groom Lake in Nevada to serve as a secure test site for the Lockheed U-2, a high‑altitude reconnaissance aircraft developed under deep secrecy. The remote desert location allowed engineers and pilots to test the aircraft’s capabilities far from public view.^[3] To support operations at Area 51, regular flights were established to transport military and civilian personnel to the site from McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.^[4]

The earliest known Janet flights were operated from 1972 by defense contractor EG&G, which supported the Atomic Energy Commission in the development of nuclear weapons at the Nevada Test Site. Flights were initially conducted by a single Douglas DC-6B (registration N6583C), which was later joined by a second aircraft in 1976.^[4]

According to a former Area 51 employee, the Janet name is said to have originated from Richard "Dick" Sampson, the CIA officer who oversaw Area 51 from 1969 to 1971. Sampson casually assigned his wife's given name as the air traffic control call sign for the flights. The nickname stuck, and Janet eventually became the informal name for the entire operation. Other theories surmise that Janet is an acronym for "Just Another Non-Existent Terminal" or "Joint Air Network for Employee Transportation".^[5][6]

The 1980s saw the expansion of the fleet with the introduction of the Boeing 737-200, a first generation variant of the airliner. Three aircraft were delivered in 1980, which allowed the two DC-6B to be retired in 1981.^[7] A further 737 was delivered in 1983 and three more in 1984, one of which left the fleet in 1986.^{[citation needed]}

The fleet was later supplemented by Air Force T-43s de-modified to conventional transport configurations.^[8][9]

In November 2023, it was reported that the U.S. Air Force was looking for a new civilian contractor to operate the Janet fleet. Their solicitation specified that a potential new operator would have to operate up to 190 flights per week.^[10]

Due to the airline's secretive nature, little is known about its organization. As of January 2023, it is operated for the USAF by infrastructure and defense contractor Amentum through the company's acquisition of AECOM's defense contracting ventures. Originally the service was operated by EG&G, and later URS Corporation; this is mainly known as a result of periodic job openings published by URS and AECOM.^[7][11] For example, in 2010, URS announced it would be hiring Boeing 737 flight attendants to be based in Las Vegas, requiring applicants to undergo a Single Scope Background Investigation in order to be able to obtain a security clearance.^[11][12]

Janet airlines boards at a standalone terminal on the west side of Harry Reid International Airport.^[13]

Janet flights operate with a three-digit flight number with a WWW prefix.^[14] In the official publication of ICAO airline codes, this specific three-letter designator is listed as being blocked.^[15] The primary airline callsign is simply "Janet", though flights transition to alternate callsigns, called Groom callsigns, once transferred over to Groom Lake from Nellis control. The name often changes, and the number will be the last 2 digits of the flight number plus 15. For example, a flight originating with callsign Janet 412 would be given a callsign similar to Bunny 27 when transferred to Groom Lake control.^{[citation needed]}

Destinations

Janet destinations, mostly military, include:^[16]

More information Country, State ...

Janet Airlines destinations

Country	State	City	Airport	Airport codes			Notes	Refs
				IATA	ICAO	FAA LID
United States	California	Palmdale	U.S. Air Force Production Flight Test Installation (Plant 42)	PMD	KPMD	PMD	Also known as Palmdale Regional Airport, as they share the same runway.	[16]
		China Lake	Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake	—	KNID	NID
		Edwards	Edwards Air Force Base	EDW	KEDW	EDW	Janet Airlines services the north base.	[16]
	Nevada	Groom Lake	Homey Airport	—	KXTA	—	More commonly known as Area 51.	[16]
		Las Vegas	Harry Reid International Airport	LAS	KLAS	LAS	Hub	[16]
		Tonopah	Tonopah Test Range	XSD	KTNX	TNX		[16]

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Along with these destinations, there have been reports of Janet Airlines filing flight plans to many other airports.^[19]

As of August 2025^[update], Janet operates the following aircraft:^[20]

• 1 Beechcraft 1900C

As of 2015,^[update] the Janet fleet consists of six Boeing 737-600s painted white with a prominent red cheatline.^[21] The fleet is registered to the Department of the Air Force (DAF), while some earlier aircraft were registered to several civil aircraft leasing corporations.^[7] Before the arrival of the 737-600s, Janet operated Boeing 737-200s, some of which were modified from military T-43A aircraft. One of the 737-200s with registration N5177C in the 1980s was briefly based in Germany at Frankfurt International Airport (which was at the time also home to a USAF base, Rhein-Main Air Base), and operated by Keyway Air Transport, apparently a front company for a US government operation. It was retired on 6 March 2009.^[7] Together with the other 737-200s, it was sent to AMARG at Davis–Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona for storage.^[22]

All Janet 737-600 aircraft were acquired from Air China, and four were previously operated by the now-defunct China Southwest Airlines before being acquired for US Air Force operations starting in 2008. The aircraft were initially taken to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base before being transferred to Las Vegas.^[23]

One aircraft, a Beechcraft 1900, was lost on 16 March 2004, when it crashed on approach for Tonopah Test Range Airport after the pilot suffered sudden cardiac arrest. Five people, including the pilot, were killed in the accident.^[24][25]