SPANTAX RISE AND FALL

摘要

In just 15 years, Spantax went from being a small air taxi operator in one of Europe's poorest countries to become the continent's second largest charter airline. The company was established by pilot Rodolfo 'Rudy' Wright Bay, who had flown for Iberia. Spantax (an acronym for Spanish Air Taxis) was set up on October 6, 1959 and initially concentrated on carrying personnel and goods from Las Palmas in the Canary Islands to the oil prospecting areas of the Spanish Sahara (now Western Sahara), using small aircraft such as Oxfords, Consuls and Austers. In 1960 the company acquired a Douglas DC-3 (it would go on to operate a total of 16 of the type). The big break for the carrier came in 1962, when it received traffic rights from the Spanish Government to undertake inclusive tour (IT) charter flights for travel agents from Spain and other European countries. Spantax also gained cargo and passenger transportation contracts granted by the state company Iberia. In addition, it operated some domestic semi-regular charter services, such as Madrid-Palma and Madrid-Las Palmas, through Club de Vacaciones and these were sold as seat-only tickets.