Karair

The origins

Born in Multia, Finland in 1902 and 1905, respectively, brothers Niilo and Valto Karhumäki moved to Jyväskylä where, in late 1924, they estabilished 'Veljekset Karhumäki Oy (Karhumäki brothers), a company which during the 1930s dealt with aircraft maintenance, aerial photography, pilot training, aerial acrobatics. In 1929 high-wing, floats-equipped and two-seats Tiira monoplane was manufactured. In order to start a collaboration with the Finnish Air Force, the company headquarters were moved to Kuorevesi. During World War II the concern activities were merged into the Valtion Lentokonetehdas company, manufacturer of a number of military aircraft. After the war the two brothers designed the Karhumäki Karhu 48B light airplane, which was produced in a small number during the 1950s.

In June 1950 the company started flying a few domestic schedules. The fleet was limited in numbers and aircraft sizes: Airspeed AS.40, DeHavilland DH.89, Lockheed L-18. All these operations were halted in late 1950s as transferred to the sister company Karhumäki Airways O/Y.

Karhumäki Airways O/Y

This Veljekset Karhumäki subsidiary was estabilished in 1951 and started scheduled passenger flights between Helsinki and Joensuu, Jyväskylä, Vaasa and Sundsvall.^[1] in June of that same year with aircraft made available by the parent company. Then the airline inherited the Lockheed L-18 and, in the second part of 1950s, added four more suitable Douglas DC-3 and later two more comfortable Convair CV-440 Metropolitan. The first international flight (to Stockholm) took place in that same year, followed by flights to Málaga in coincidence with holiday packages.

Kar-Air O/Y

On 1st January 1957 the corporate name was changed to more modern Kar-Air O/Y.^[1] A Swedish subsidiary was established, which from 1961 onwards operated a single Douglas DC-6 on charter flights to Southern Europe. On 1 November 1963 32% of the airline ownership was taken over by flag carrier Aero O/Y (Finnair from 1968).^[2] Kar-Air encountered financial difficulties when its two CV 440s were damaged in hard landings and had to be taken out of service for a period in 1963. The ownership demanded Kar-Air to cease domestic flying, concentrating on charter flights (mainly to the Mediterranean) holiday resorts. For this purpose, Aero O/Y handed over two of its Douglas DC-6 aircraft, which Kar-Air also used for multiple stopover round-the-world flights. By 1965 all scheduled operations had been abandoned and the air carrier concentrated on charter business. Three DC-6s were already in the fleet and it was deliberated to convert one of them to swing-tail configuration. The work was accomplished by Sabena engineering department in Brussels. After the conversion the four-engined aircraft could carry loads of up to 18 metres long or six pallets 108x88, for a maximum payload of 11,5 tons. It flew several schedules to United Kingdom (London and Manchester) and to Germany (Frankfurt and Düsseldorf) on Finnair behalf. Two other Douglas DC 6s were frequently operated to transport Finnish contingent to UNO peace-keeping detachments while DC 3s mainly performed aerial survey works.

The DC-6s were the backbone of the passenger fleet until 1968, when the jet age arrived with the introduction of a 189-seat Douglas DC-8 series 62, instrumental in operating long haul flights. Also in 1968 a De Havilland of Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter was added to the fleet. In this same year, the airline underwent a rebranding, being known as Karair, also styled KarAir henceforth.^[2] Over the following years, Karair reduced its fleet, because charter contracts with Finnair terminated.

The last years

In 1986, two Airbus A300 wide-body airliners joined the fleet,^{[citation needed]} again leased from Finnair and intended exclusively for charter flights. Finnair's plans with the subsidiary changed from 1989, when the first of seven ATR 72 regional turboprop airliner was added to the fleet, and the A300s in turn left the following year.^{[citation needed]} From then, scheduled passenger flights, both domestically and to the neighbour nations, on behalf of Finnair were operated.

On 3 February 1989, Finnair bought further shares to hold a total of 90% of the Karair ownership,^[2] which was further increased to 97.6% in 1993. These times were characterized by financial problems because of the recession of the early 1990s, which led to Finnair announcing a full take-over of Karair in December 1995.^[2] Karair had started integrating its operations into the flag carrier in September 1990. Karair fleet and operations were progressively merged into Finnair, a move which was fully accomplished in October 1996. In 2002, a court^[which?] deemed the take-over illegal, and Finnair was forced to salvage the remaining Karair stocks.

Fleet of Veljekset Karhumäki and Karhumäki Airways O/Y

The fleet in years 1949–2002, according to Tervonen:^[4]

Photographic gallery

• 
  Karhumäki Karhu 48B currently in the Finnish Aviation Museum
• 
  VL Sääski II
• 
  Lockheed L-18-56 Lodestar
• 
  Douglas DC-3 at Stockholm-Bromma Airport
• 
  Convair CV-440 in 1957, before delivery

Kar-Air Fleet

The fleet in years 1957–96, according to Tervonen (2004, 2007):^[4]

Photographic gallery

• 
  Douglas DC-6B with open swing tail at Düsseldorf Airport in 1976
• 
  Douglas DC-8 at Birmingham Airport in 1979
• 
  Douglas DC-8-62 in very simplified colors
• 
  Airbus A300 at Faro Airport in 1991
• 
  ATR 72 at Helsinki Airport in 1990

Former Kar-Air planes today

The Finnish Aviation Museum near the Helsinki-Vantaa airport had on display two Kar-Air planes, Lockheed L-18 Lodestar OH-VKU, the “Golden Hoe”, and one of the oldest DC-3s in the world, the OH-VKB. A former Kar-Air DC-3 (OH-VKA), may be seen at the Munich airport in Germany, however in Swissair livery, although the plane never flew for that company. A former Kar-Air Convair Metropolitan is still flying in Haiti (HH-VAH).^[5]

A sister plane of the OH-VKN has been painted in the original Kar-Air livery at Málaga Airport, for the 50th anniversary of the airport, since OH-VKN was the first plane ever to have landed there. This "replica" is owned by the Málaga Aviation Museum.^[6]