History

Are you interested in a short summary of Martinair's history, read this page

Martinair was established on May 24, 1958 by aviation pioneer Martin Schröder. At the time the airline did not carry its present name, but was called “Martin’s Air Charter” (MAC). With a fleet counting but one aircraft and a workforce of five, the fledgling airline operated roundtrip flights above Amsterdam and ad-hoc passenger and cargo flights. MAC’s first destination abroad was Palma de Mallorca, with more than five long hours in the air, coffee from a flask and homemade sandwiches instead of a hot meal. By no means the level of comfort our customers can count on nowadays, but certainly an absolute sensation. Flying in those days was a genuine happening.
It represented the start of the airline known today as Martinair. Established personally by Martin Schröder, who teamed up with a group of enthusiastic individuals and pulled out all the stops to create today’s airline, now an established household name throughout the Netherlands and beyond.

The airline’s operations and fleet expanded gradually during these initial years. With the introduction of the DC-3s, a DC-4, DC-7s, Doves and a Convair 440, a start was made operating vacation flights in cooperation with tour operators. Worldwide cargo services and special missions were initiated, too, including the transport of Tibetan refugees to Switzerland for the Red Cross and, later, the flights carrying relief supplies for famine-stricken Biafra.
Back home, Martinair took up occupancy of its Palengebouw premises at Schiphol (East). After five years of serving as the company’s sole shareholder, Martin Schröder was joined by four shipping companies (in time, Nedlloyd), each acquiring a 12.25% stake in MAC’s capital. In the years ahead, KLM took over the remaining 50%. In 1966, the airline changed names from MAC to “Martinair Holland”.

Martinair purchased its first DC-8 and DC-9 jet aircraft opening up air travel for the average vacationer. Activities literally took off from this point. In addition to operating flights for the Dutch Royal Family and members of parliament, we also transported football teams to and from competitions abroad and wounded skiers from far-away slopes back to the Netherlands. Things really got going at the end of the 1960s when Martinair was awarded landing rights for both passengers and cargo from the U.S. aviation authorities, signifying commencement of North American operations. Healthy expansion served to fuel the need for alternative accommodation. In 1968, Prince Bernard ceremoniously opened Martinair’s new headquarters at Schiphol-Center – still occupied by the company today.

Martinair’s annual Red Cross day-trip flights for people with a serious illness or handicap commenced in 1971. This came in response to a request for sponsorship of the Red Cross’ new boat, the Henri Dunant. In the same year, Martinair said goodbye to its last propeller-driven aircraft and, in so doing, became a fully-fledged jet airline. Another important development this year was the introduction of the new house style with the “MAC” logo on the tail vanishing and being replaced by the stylized red “M”, an impression of Martin Schröder’s signature. Martinair also initiated its “hadj flights”, transporting pilgrims from Indonesia to Mecca. Fate struck during one of these flights – on December 4, 1974 – when the DC-8 flew into the side of a mountain while approaching its landing in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Tragically, all 184 Indonesian passengers and 7 Dutch crew members died.

Martinair’s fleet was expanded with the addition of its first wide-body aircraft with two aisles, a DC-10. A total of four aircraft of this type were taken up in the fleet. Within the space of a few days, these aircraft can be reconfigured for passenger or cargo transport. This aircraft type symbolizes Martinair’s strength, being able to flexibly cater to changing market demands. Buoyed by international growth in the cargo market, Martinair opened its first establishment abroad in Hong Kong in 1975, followed by Frankfurt and London. On purchasing the new F-28 (PH-PBX) government aircraft, Martinair became the Netherlands’ Royal Airline.

Despite economic challenges at the outset of the decade, the demand for wide-body aircraft grew. Martinair ordered its first two Boeing 747s. To create space for these massive aircraft, construction of Hangar 4 was initiated at Schiphol-East. Several years later, Hangar 32 followed.
The first Jumbo jet arrived at Schiphol in 1987, followed by a second a year later. Long-range passenger carriers (Boeing 767-300 ERs) were purchased to serve the market in Florida and the Caribbean which began to expand towards the end of the 80's.

Because of the Boeing 767’s suitability for flights to the Caribbean, four more of these aircraft were taken up in the fleet within a relatively short space of time.
Growth in cargo traffic prompted the acquisition of a special Boeing 747 cargo carrier or full freighter, in 1991. This aircraft was the first to boast the name "Martinair Cargo" on its body and the words “Martinair Holland” on the other aircraft were replaced by a slightly larger "Martinair." The handwriting remained constant until 2004.

The second dark page in Martinair’s history came when a DC-10 crashed at Faro on December 21, 1992, killing 56 people - including two crew members - of a total number of 340.

In the U.S., Martinair USA withdrew from New York and took occupation of its new offices in Boca Raton (Florida).

The DC-10s were replaced with the more modern MD-11s. Four of these aircraft were ordered. The first, a convertible, touched down at Schiphol in 1994. The remaining three arrived a year later. And two more followed in 1996 and 1998.

Martinair strengthened its position in the rapidly expanding South American cargo market by acquiring a 40% stake in Colombian cargo carrier TAMPA. A news sales office was opened in Brussels, a regional cargo office in Nairobi and a new Inflight Services building opened its doors at Schiphol-North in the Netherlands.

Martinair President & CEO Martin Schröder withdrew from active service in 1998, 40 years after the airline’s establishment. Ties with KLM were strengthened through the national carrier’s intention to become the sole owner of Martinair through acquisition of Nedlloyd’s shares. However, since the European Commission in Brussels failed to grant its approval for the transaction, the shareholder situation remains unchanged to date. And Aart van Bochove succeeded Martin Schröder as President & CEO.

The new century kicked off with Martinair booking its worst results ever. The "Red Alert" program was called to life. The measures that followed included scrapping non-profitable intercontinental routes and termination of its business fleet operations. While recovery had set in at Martinair, this process derailed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, plunging the global airline industry into a period of economic turmoil. Despite the challenges, Martinair succeeded in operating profitably.

In 2002, CFO Arie Verberk took over from Aart van Bochove at the helm as Martinair’s President & CEO. The cargo fleet was expanded with the addition of a Boeing 747 and an MD-11. And, in the passenger fleet, a Boeing 767 and the last Boeing 757 were replaced by three new Airbus 320s, enabling Martinair to serve more markets.

Brand awareness
With brand awareness in the Netherlands upwards of 90%, a market share of more than 30% in the Dutch vacation segment, and rated 15 on the list of the world’s biggest cargo carriers, Martinair is certainly a major player. The Martinair fleet’s design has been a familiar concept since 1971. After 33 years, Martinair changed and modified its aircraft livery. The traditional Martinair marking, an artistic director’s interpretation of the signature of founding father Martin Schröder, has been significantly enlarged and now fills the entire tail. As such, it now propels the aircraft forward. The red and blue house colors, as well as the word and logo have been maintained.
Martinair owns several aviation-related subsidiaries such as the Martinair Flying School, which for more than 25 years, has offered training programs for professional, commercial and private pilots. Its other wholly-owned subsidiaries include Martinair Food (Marfo), a modern meal service provider that supplies airlines the world over with frozen meals, Martinair Partyservice (special events catering services) and Skyjob (temporary employment agency, flying courses, occupational health & safety services, promotional activities). And, in 2003, Martinair acquired a majority holding in Colombian carrier TAMPA Cargo.
Nonetheless, the airline business remains the core activity: Martinair now serves more than 90 destinations worldwide. Employing a workforce of more than 3,000 and maintaining a worldwide network of 38 establishments in 23 countries, Martinair has expanded to become an internationally operating airline and cargo carrier of merit.

Cargo Market
More than half of Martinair’s revenues are generated by Martinair Cargo. Martinair has an established international reputation as the biggest transporter of perishables: fresh flowers, vegetables and fruit. Inflight climate control ensures that the flowers arrive at their destinations in perfect condition. In addition to flowers, vegetables and fruit, we transport all manner of cargo: cows to the Middle East, horses to international events, the latest models of cars, computers and so much more. Scheduled services are offered from Amsterdam to North and South America, the Middle and Far East, Africa and Australia using Boeing 747 and MD-11 equipment.

Passenger market

Each year, close to two million people head off from the Netherlands to sunnier climes on board Martinair aircraft. Charter flights to popular vacation destinations in and around the Mediterranean are operated in cooperation with the Netherlands’ top tour operators. Martinair also maintains an impressive list of scheduled intercontinental services to far-away destinations including Florida, Central America, South America, Canada, the Caribbean and the Far East.
Martinair is know throughout the world for the friendly, personal service it provides. Staff who work in the cabin, cockpit and on the ground are proud of the company. With excellent meals, the latest feature films, a children’s entertainment program and exceptionally friendly, well-trained crew members, Martinair strives to offer the best possible value for money. In this manner, Martinair’s flights continue to appeal to a broad spectrum of today’s travelers.

The fleet
Martinair’s fleet counts nineteen aircraft of four different types: Boeing 747s, Boeing 767s, MD-11s and Airbus 320s. Some of these aircraft are convertible, which means they can be utilized for both cargo and passenger operations depending on their configuration. These aircraft are professionally reconfigured by Martinair’s Maintenance & Engineering teams at Schiphol-East.