Antarctic Air Cargo
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| Antarctic Air Cargo | |
|---|---|
 Logo of Antarctic Air Cargo | |
| ACAO code | AAC |
| Callsign | AIR CARGO |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Commenced operations | December 1991 |
| Hubs | South Pole City-Metropolitan International Airport |
| Secondary hubs | Club Penguin Island International Airport |
| Fleet | 41 |
| Destinations | 157 |
| Company slogan | First Freight Airline of Antarctica |
| Parent company | Antarctic Postal Service |
| Headquarters | 12009 Calendar Parkway, South Pole City, Eastshield |
| Website | aac.co.spc |
Antarctic Air Cargo is a major cargo airline in USA. The company began in 1991, and it is the oldest functioning freight airline in Antarctica.
Contents
History[edit]
In 1991, many penguins were using old, outdated ships, to haul freight across the country, which had delays, and took days, but a penguin, came up with an idea to create the Antarctic's first cargo airline. Using retired aircraft from many other airlines, the airline made many freight deliveries to cities, which then used incorporated fields, known as Grassruns. The hub of the airline was proposed to be at Highlaw Island but due to some takeoff overruns at the airport with the bigger aircraft, the company moved to another area, South Pole City. The airline made a small hub at the airstrip in South Pole City, before the small airstrip was closed in 2007. The hub was moved to another airport, South Pole City-Metropolitan International Airport. The airline operated a large base at the airport, making it the second largest carrier at the airport.
The airline used to serve Penguin Mail but in 2010 the company became independent and created Penguin Mail Freightways. It has been it's rival since. It then served Antarctic Freight and Postage Inc. but when it went bankrupt, it changed to Antarctic Postal Service. The airline had many problems but it's reputation is still strong.
Fleet[edit]
Current Fleet[edit]
| Manufacturer | Type | Number | Routes |
|---|---|---|---|
| McFonnell Douzas | DC-10F | 20 | Medium ranged routes. |
| Snowing | 777-200F | 10 | Ultra-long range trans-continental routes. |
| Snowing | 747-400F | 8 | Long range routes. Sometimes used to travel short-haul with large amounts of cargo. |
| Snowing | 747-8F | 3 | Long range routes. |
| Airhail | A310-300F | 14 | Short to medium ranged routes. |
| Airhail | A340-200F | 2 | Long haul routes. |
Future Fleet[edit]
The airline has expressed interest in the Snowing 767-300F, and announced it may order 15 of the aircraft in 2013 during a press conference in Dorkugal on December 12, 2009. The airline also announced it may order more Snowing 787-8Fs sometime in the near future. The airline has currently ordered:
| Manufacturer | Type | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Snowing | 747-8F | 3 |
| Snowing | 767-300F | 15 |
| Snowing | 787-8F | 8 |
Retired Fleet[edit]
The airline has currently retired a total of 41 aircraft. By 2020, it is planned to phase out the entire DC-10F fleet in favour of Snowing 767s. All the aircraft that have been retired were retired because of the age of it or due to high maintenance costs. Most of the retired fleet was scraped and then the parts sold for more money. Some of the retired planes were sold off to other smaller airlines.
| Manufacturer | Type | Number |
|---|---|---|
| Snowing | 747-200F | 7 |
| Snowing | 747-SPF | 8 |
| Snowing | 727-200F | 11 |
| McFonnell Douzas | DC-10F | 15 |
Corporate structure[edit]
Headquarters[edit]
The official corporate headquarters of the company is located at 10002 Calendar Parkway, located west of South Pole City-Metropolitan International Airport. The headquarters formerly belonged to Penguin Chat Airways, until it's demise in 2001. The headquarters are nine stories high, and feature a glass facade.
On the same road, is the Antarctic Air Cargo Main Warehouse. This is the largest storage warehouse of the airline and acts as a main freight hub. The warehouse also stores airplane parts and other non-cargo items.
Executives[edit]
Financial difficulties[edit]
Shortly after the Flight 271 crash (see Incidents and Accidents), company shares dropped. The airline lost 1.5 billion pebbles. Antarctic Air Cargo nearly went bankrupt. The government had to give AAC funding to help with the investigation. Extra flights were flown to create more money. In 2006, when investigators concluded that the engine was at fault, the airline sued the engine maker, Balls-Boyce. They won the case and recived the money that was lost.
Legal issues[edit]
Incidents with the aircraft (See Incidents and Accidents) and payload have resulted with legal issues to the opposite parties. Flight 271 saw the well known engine manufacturer, Balls-Boyce, to be sued by the airline. Flight 72 resulted in the airline itself being sued on the grounds that the on board payload was broken.
Subsidiaries[edit]
The airline currently has no subsidiaries. Antarctic Air Cargo is an independent freight airline.
Destinations[edit]
Their official headquarters is near the airport South Pole City International Airport, at 12009 Calendar Parkway. There is also a hub on Club Penguin Island. The airline pretty much goes around the continent delivering anything from bulk stuff to mail around Antarctica.
Incidents and Accidents[edit]
Flight 271[edit]
On June 23 2004, when Antarctic Air Cargo Flight 271 was a scheduled cargo flight, originating from Club Penguin City International Airport to Blizzardville International Airport, via Penguville Regional Airport. The aircraft was a McDonnell Douzas DC-10, and had an operational history of 12 years. 45 nm northwest of Inland-Genessee Regional Airport, the port engine failed, thus leaving the starboard engine operational. Then after, the aircraft made an emergency landing at Inland airport. Further investigation concluded that the port engine shed a fan blade. The blade was sucked into the engine and damaged it. No one was injured during this accident.
Flight 72[edit]
On August 17 2008 a routine flight designated as AAC Flight 72 was approaching Cody Maverick Regional Airport, carrying a full payload of cargo, originating from South Pole City-Metropolitan International Airport. Upon landing, the aircraft, a Snowing 747-400,touched down on the runway. Although it's approach and landing was considered normal, turbulence upon landing caused the aircraft to shake immensely. During the landing, three boxes that were labeled as "FRAGILE" had their contents damaged. The cargo consisted of very expensive drinking glasses. The company that ordered them sued Antarctic Air Cargo for damage of cargo. The airline was forced to pay a fee of 4 million coins to the company to replace the order.
Flight 2412[edit]
On August 21 2012, Antarctic Air Cargo Flight 2412 enroute from South Pole City-Metropolitan International Airport to Ternville International, was flying through a blizzard. The aircraft was a McFonnell Douzas DC-10F. Air traffic control requested for the flight to deviate and return to South Pole City. The crew did as they were told as began descent to land at the airport. During final approach, however, the electricity powering the Instrument Landing System at the airport failed. This lead to the loss of a signal for the plane to follow. The captain took over the controls and continued the approach visually. This was very dangerous. In fact, as the plane landed, it's landing gear clipped a fence and crashed short of the runway. The gear collapsed and the plane slid along the ground.
Emergency crews began to arrive and the fuel didn't explode. Had the plane landed normally, the gear would've collapsed anyway due to the lack of a fuel dump to decrease weight. The engines were crushed, the wings peeled back and most of the fuselage destroyed. No one was hurt. It was lucky that the cargo consisted of pillows, blankets and clothes, and so none of the cargo was destroyed.
Livery[edit]
Tail Livery[edit]
The livery on the tail is painted red, orange and yellow in horizontal fashion. The bright combo of colors makes it visible during blizzards, reducing the risk of collisions. The letters "AAC" and the words "Antarctic Air Cargo" are emblazoned on the tail.
Fuselage Livery[edit]
The livery on the fuselage consists of a long orange line with red on the top and yellow on the bottom. The words "ANTARCTIC AIR CARGO" can be seen on the area under the cockpit. The spaces above and below the line (ie. the rest of the plane) are plain white.
Trivia[edit]
- Antarctic Air Cargo operates on the Trans-Continental Air Cargo Route.
- In fact, 60% of its capacity is from the airline.
