Nolisair

Nationair Canada
IATA ICAO Call sign
NX NXA NATION AIRWAYS
Founded1986
Ceased operations1993
Operating bases
Fleet size30
HeadquartersMontréal-Mirabel International Airport
Mirabel, Quebec
A Nationair Canada Douglas DC-8-63 in 1987 at EuroAirport Basel Mulhouse Freiburg in the old livery.

Nolisair was a Canadian company, the parent company of Nationair Canada, a Canadian airline, and of Technair, an aircraft maintenance company. The company was owned by Robert Obadia. The headquarters was located in the Nationair Canada Building on the property of Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Quebec.[1]

In July 1991, a wet-leased Nationair Canada Douglas DC-8 operating as Nigeria Airways Flight 2120 caught fire shortly after takeoff and crashed just seconds short of an emergency landing, killing all 261 on board. During the investigation, investigators discovered that the project manager for that flight had pressured the Technair crew into releasing the aircraft with underinflated tyres. Two tyres on the left bogie lost structural integrity due to heat build-up and ended up failing during the takeoff roll, leading to the tyre remnants bursting into flames and compromising the aircraft when the landing gear was retracted. The accident exposed several operating problems with the airline and was a major contributing factor to the company's collapse in 1993.[2]

Nationair was not related to a separate defunct airline based in the U.S. with a similar name, Nations Air, which was not established until after Nationair had ceased operations.

  1. ^ The Europa World Year Book, 1989. Europa Publications, August 1, 1991. 667. Retrieved from Google Books on June 11, 2012. "Nationair Canada: Nationair Bldg, Cargo Rd Al, Montreal International Airport (Mirabel), Mirabel, Que J7N 1A5"
  2. ^ The Internet Movie Database: Mayday (Season 11 - Episode 9 - Under Pressure)