 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1975; 50 years ago (1975) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 1992; 33 years ago (1992) (merged withAir Outre Mer to formAOM French Airlines) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Paris, France | ||||||
Minerve (IATA:IW, ICAO:MIN, call sign:Minerve) was a French airline, headquartered in the1st arrondissement ofParis,[1] that operated from 1975 until it merged with AOM to formAOM French Airlines in 1992.
Minerve began operations in 1975 usingSud Aviation Caravelle aircraft on charter flights fromParis-Le Bourget airport. Permission was granted for charter flights to the United States in 1983 and those were operated first withDouglas DC-8 jets and later on with aBoeing 747-200 wide body jetliner.
For charter flights to theMediterranean andNorth Africa the Caravelles were used until replaced in 1987 byMcDonnell Douglas MD-83. Minerve wanted to expand into North America and created a subsidiary in Canada calledMinerve Canada, but that venture did not last long and it had a negative effect on the parent company. Other investments inJet Alsace and Jet Fret created more financial burdens which led to the sale of 50% of the stock to the tour operatorClub Méditerranée. To expand operations, threeMcDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 wide body jetliners were acquired for long-range services.
In 1991 Minerve was operating scheduled passenger services between Paris and Bangkok, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Nice, San Francisco and Tahiti with DC-10-30 jets being primarily operated on the international routes.[2] The same year, the airline published a joint timetable with French air carrierAir Liberté.[3]
In 1992 Minerve merged with Air Outre Mer to formAOM French Airlines.[4]
Media related toMinerve (airline) at Wikimedia Commons
