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Tower Air
Tower Air
Tower Air
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Tower Air was a certificated FAR 121 U.S. charter airline that also operated scheduled passenger service from 1983 until 2000 when the company declared bankruptcy and was liquidated. Scheduled flights were initially offered over a New York – Brussels – Tel Aviv route in addition to charter flights to Athens, Frankfurt, Rome, and Zurich. Short-lived New York – Los Angeles flights were introduced with the addition of an ex-Avianca Boeing 747-100 in 1984. The airline was headquartered in Building 178 and later in Hangar 17 at John F. Kennedy International Airport in Jamaica, Queens, New York City.[1][2]

Key Information

History

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Tower Air was co-founded, majority-owned, and managed by Morris K. Nachtomi, an Israeli citizen who had emigrated to the United States.[3] After a 30-year career with El Al, he moved to New York to start a passenger operation for Flying Tiger Line, Metro International Airways. After this airline shut down, Nachtomi acquired the "Tower" brand from a packaged tour agency called Tower Travel Corporation. Tower Air began charter service in 1983 and served a number of international destinations, with a focus on charter flights to Israel. Nachtomi eventually bought out his partners to control about three-quarters of the stock.[4]

A Boeing 747-100 at Zurich in 1985. This aircraft was acquired from Braniff International Airways.

Arthur Fondlier, son of Sam Fondlier and the former Chief Financial Officer of Tower Air, was a passenger in the first-class section of Pan Am flight 103. His untimely death gave Morris Nachtomi much more freedom in management and cost-cutting.

The company won many contracts from the United States Department of Defense to transport armed forces personnel to overseas locations, and from the United Nations to transport troops to their peacekeeping missions all over the world. Tower often flew charters for groups of Muslim pilgrims to Mecca.[4]

Tower Air's main base of scheduled operations was John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.[5] In the mid-1980s, the airline operated from the British Airways terminal at JFK (now Terminal 7).[6] In the early 1990s, it operated from the former Eastern terminal.[7] In 1993, Tower Air renovated and expanded Building 213, a former Pan Am hangar, to serve as its dedicated JFK terminal, adding three finger gates in 1995.[8]

US Army soldiers line up to board a Tower Air charter flight from Hunter AAF during Operation Southern Watch in 1998.

During the 1990-91 Gulf War, Tower Air evacuated US citizens from Tel Aviv using the otherwise empty return legs of military charter flights to the region.[4] It eventually became the only US carrier providing scheduled service to Israel in 1991, using special war risk insurance provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.[3] It opened a special departure terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in 1997.[9]

A hangar previously used by Tower Air at New York JFK Airport in 2025

The airline began running into financial and operational difficulties in the late 1990s. The airline lost $20 million in 1996.[10] The 1997 Zagat Survey ranked Tower Air 59th out of 61 ranked carriers in terms of maintenance, ahead of only Valujet and Aeroflot,[11] and in February 1998, the Federal Aviation Administration proposed two civil penalties totaling $276,000 for continuing to fly aircraft that required maintenance.[12] The airline had attempted to cut costs by cannibalizing its own engines for spare parts, but was forced to borrow money to acquire new engines in 1998.[10]

In January 1998 the FAA successfully sought to have the airline remove Guy Nachtomi, son of the Chairman and CEO, 24 years old at that time, from the position of Vice President-Operations. This was done in part because of the airline's maintenance problems, as well as his lack of airline experience (he worked at Twentieth Century Fox until 1994).[13] The junior Mr. Nachtomi continued service with the company in a capacity unrelated to maintenance as Vice President-Office of the Chairman.[13]

The Department of Defense Commercial Airlift Review Board suspended Tower Air military charters from January 27 to February 12, 1999, pending an on-site review of its operations. At the same time, the airline lost an arbitration brought by the Association of Flight Attendants, claiming that Tower Air was lodging their flight attendants in dirty Tel Aviv hotels with poor security and bed bugs.[citation needed]

By 2000, a majority of Tower Air's fleet (11 out of 19 aircraft) was out of service.[10] Tower Air filed for protection under Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 29, 2000, ceased all scheduled service on May 1, 2000[14] and surrendered their FAA air operator's certificate on November 28, 2000.[15] The airline's bankruptcy trustee, Charles Stanziale, subsequently sued the airline's directors and officers for "driving the company into insolvency by indifference and egregious decision-making."[10]

In 1997, a Boeing 747-200 US registration N618FF operated by Tower Air appeared in the movie Liar Liar. Its aircraft also appeared in the movie Turbulence (1997 film) the same year in their own livery and as the fictional Trans-Continental Airlines.

Destinations

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A Boeing 747-200 in Tower Air's livery.
TowerAir Military (DOD) Charter Flight

Destinations at time of closure

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Destinations before closure

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According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), in early 1989 Tower Air was operating transatlantic flights from both New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Miami (MIA) with nonstops between New York and Brussels, Copenhagen and Oslo with direct one stop service to and from Tel Aviv, and nonstops between Miami and Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm.[20]

Aircraft

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Tower Air Boeing 747

Tower Air's fleet consisted of Boeing 747s in both the −100 and −200 series, including both passenger and cargo aircraft.[4][5] The airline operated a total of thirty 747s (fifteen −100 and fifteen −200 series) over its history. Several were converted to freighters following Tower's bankruptcy.[citation needed] One former Tower Air 747-200 was converted to a hotel, the Jumbo Stay at Stockholm Arlanda Airport.[21]

Incidents and accidents

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On December 20, 1995, Tower Air Flight 41 from New York Kennedy to Miami veered off the runway during takeoff in a snowstorm resulting in one flight attendant receiving serious injuries and 24 passengers receiving minor injuries. The aircraft sustained heavy damage and was written off. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of this accident was the captain's failure to reject the takeoff in a timely manner when excessive nosewheel steering tiller inputs resulted in a loss of directional control on a slippery runway.[22][23][24]

See also

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References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Tower Air

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from Grokipedia
Tower Air was an American international airline headquartered at in New York, founded in 1982 by Morris Nachtomi, a former executive, initially as a charter carrier before expanding into scheduled passenger and cargo services using a fleet of aircraft. The airline targeted budget-conscious travelers with low, unrestricted fares on routes to destinations including , , , , and , operating up to 17 and 747-200 jets by the late 1990s, including substantial charter contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense for troop transport. Known for its no-frills service and emphasis on large for transatlantic and leisure flights, Tower Air faced operational challenges, including a 1995 runway excursion incident at JFK involving Flight 41 that resulted in 25 injuries (24 minor to passengers and 1 serious to a ) but no fatalities, drawing safety scrutiny. In response to industry-wide safety concerns following crashes like those of ValuJet and in 1996, Tower Air shifted its marketing to highlight its maintenance practices and fleet reliability, earning an "A" rating for history from a that year. However, persistent financial pressures from declining loads, high operating costs for its aging fleet, and competition in the low-cost market led to workforce reductions and mounting debt. By early 2000, the filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February, securing a short-term to continue limited operations, but abruptly halted all scheduled services in May, stranding hundreds of travelers and marking the end of its 18-year run. Tower Air's closure exemplified the vulnerabilities of niche carriers reliant on and discount models during a period of industry consolidation.

History

Formation and Early Operations

Tower Air was founded on August 13, 1982, by Morris K. Nachtomi, an Israeli-born executive with prior experience at Airlines, along with Zev Melamid, Mordechi Gill, and Sam Fondlier, who had previously worked at the now-defunct Metro Airways subsidiary of . The company was incorporated as a public entity that year and headquartered at in , New York, capitalizing on the founders' aviation expertise to enter the competitive charter market amid the post-deregulation era of U.S. airlines. Operations commenced in early 1983 with a single leased Boeing 747-100, previously operated by Braniff International, focusing initially on international charter flights from New York to destinations such as , , and , . In November 1983, Tower Air transitioned to scheduled passenger services, primarily targeting the high-demand route to with low-cost fares and an emphasis on achieving load factors around 75 percent through efficient operations costing approximately five cents per seat mile. The airline also offered domestic and international charters for passengers and cargo, securing early contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense for military troop transports and pilgrim flights to , which provided a stable revenue stream during its formative years. By the mid-1980s, Tower Air began expanding its route network to include additional European and Asian cities such as , , and , while gradually building its fleet with more 747s starting in 1987. In 1986, Nachtomi assumed the role of president, steering the airline toward greater operational independence, and by 1989, he became chairman and CEO after his family acquired approximately 75 percent of the company's stock by buying out other initial investors. This period marked Tower Air's establishment as a niche carrier specializing in long-haul, no-frills service from its JFK base, where it eventually developed its own dedicated terminal to handle growing demand.

Expansion and Peak Years

Tower Air experienced significant growth during the late and early , transitioning from its initial focus on services to a mix of scheduled international passenger flights and contracts. Founded in and commencing operations in 1983 with a single 747-100, the airline rapidly expanded its route network, adding destinations such as , , and alongside its core New York-to-Tel Aviv service. Leveraging low fares to attract leisure travelers and immigrant communities, while securing lucrative U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) s and pilgrim flights to , Tower Air grew its fleet to include up to 30 747 variants over its history, primarily -100 and -200 models acquired from carriers like Braniff and . The airline's peak years occurred in the early 1990s, marked by heightened demand during global events and military mobilizations. Tower Air played a pivotal role in the (CRAF) program, entering a with Flying Tiger and UPS in fiscal year 1987 to provide aircraft, crews, and facilities for operations. During Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm (1990-1991), it volunteered aircraft prior to formal activation and committed one 747-100 under CRAF Stage I on August 17, 1990, as part of the broader CRAF effort that supported over 5,400 missions transporting 60% of U.S. troops and 25% of to the region. By 1999, the carrier operated 14 747s and employed more than 1,400 people worldwide, with the route generating approximately 25% of its revenue. Scheduled expansions continued into the late 1990s, including new services to in 1997 and in 1998, underscoring its position as a niche player in long-haul, low-cost international travel. Despite this expansion, financial strains emerged by the mid-, with a reported $20 million loss in 1996 amid rising costs, challenges on aging , and competitive pressures in the deregulated market. Tower Air's of operating high-capacity 747s on routes allowed it to capture during peak demand periods, but inconsistent profitability highlighted vulnerabilities in its . By the late , while charters provided a boost, the airline's growth plateaued as fleet utilization declined, with only 17 of 20 operational in and 11 of 19 by 2000.

Financial Decline and Closure

Tower Air began experiencing significant financial difficulties in the late 1990s, posting losses every year since 1996 apart from a modest $1.5 million profit in 1998. Contributing factors included intensifying competition from carriers like , which expanded routes from Newark and eroded Tower's market share in key leisure destinations. Rising fuel prices further strained operations, exacerbating ongoing deficits in the airline's core tourist charter business. In response to declining passenger traffic, Tower Air implemented cost-cutting measures, including layoffs affecting nearly 20% of its workforce. On February 29, 2000, the filed for Chapter 11 protection in to reorganize amid mounting debts, with its stock suspended from trading at a closing price of $1.50 the previous day. To sustain operations during the proceedings, the company secured an $18 million debtor-in-possession loan, allowing it to maintain scheduled flights while negotiating with creditors. Despite these efforts, Tower Air's financial woes proved insurmountable, leading to the abrupt cessation of all scheduled services on May 1, 2000, after flights already airborne were allowed to continue. The shutdown stranded hundreds of s, including those on a canceled New York-to-Tel Aviv flight, and affected routes to destinations like , , San Juan, and . While and operations were slated to persist temporarily, the effectively ended its business, with ticket refunds directed through travel agencies or credit card issuers subject to the bankruptcy process.

Operations

Destinations

Tower Air primarily operated from its hub at (JFK) in New York, focusing on a mix of scheduled international flights and charter services to niche markets, particularly targeting the U.S.- corridor and ethnic communities. The airline's inaugural route, launched in 1983, was a charter service from New York to via a stopover in , , which quickly became its flagship operation and accounted for about a quarter of its revenues by the early 1990s with daily or near-daily frequencies. This route was expanded into scheduled service, competing directly with carriers like on the transatlantic leg to . By the late 1980s, Tower Air added charter flights from New York to several European destinations, including and in , Zurich in , and in and , respectively, and in via , where it offered low business-class fares starting at $299 one-way. These routes catered to leisure and ethnic travel, with and serving Greek and Italian-American communities. In the early , the network extended to with scheduled and charter services to , , marking Tower's entry into that market from its charter origins. Domestic operations emerged around this time, including high-density leisure routes from New York to and San Juan in , as well as and on the West Coast, utilizing its fleet for point-to-point service. Further expansion in the mid-1990s included attempts at services to , , and (Bombay and ), with the latter expected to rival in passenger volume, though some routes like were curtailed seasonally. In 1998, following a U.S.- bilateral agreement, Tower added four weekly Paris-New York flights. Charter operations formed a significant portion of the network, including annual pilgrim flights to , , for the , peaking at nine aircraft deployments in 1997, as well as military charters for the U.S. Department of Defense and ad-hoc services to destinations like , , , and additional points in and . In 1999, Tower secured but did not fully utilize landing rights in the . Overall, Tower Air's route network remained focused and opportunistic, avoiding broad expansion to prioritize high-yield ethnic and markets, with international services comprising the bulk of operations until its closure in 2000.

Fleet and Aircraft Utilization

Tower Air operated an exclusively fleet throughout its , consisting of 30 in total, evenly split between 15 series and 15 series models. These wide-body jets, often acquired second-hand from carriers such as , , and , were configured primarily for passenger service, though several were adapted for freighter operations later in the airline's lifecycle. The uniform fleet composition enabled streamlined maintenance and training protocols, reducing operational costs by limiting the need for diverse parts inventories and crew qualifications. The fleet expanded significantly during the to support growing charter and scheduled demands. Starting with a single leased in 1983, the airline grew to six aircraft by the early 1990s, reaching 17 by 1995 and peaking at 18 in 1998, of which three were dedicated to services. Approximately half of the fleet was owned outright, with the remainder leased under flexible "power by the hour" arrangements to optimize . Aircraft utilization emphasized high-density seating for economy-focused routes, achieving average load factors of around 75% through targeted operations to niche markets like , , , and pilgrim flights to , alongside military charters for the U.S. Department of Defense, including over 300 sorties during the Persian Gulf War. Limited flight frequencies—often once daily or a few times weekly per route—helped maintain efficiency without overexpansion, with operating costs as low as 5 cents per seat mile. Maintenance practices initially benefited from the single-type fleet, with in-house line and ground handling at supported by 500 personnel. However, as the aircraft aged—many dating to the 1970s—utilization challenges emerged, including frequent delays from mechanical issues and a reputation for subpar service. By 2000, the airline resorted to cannibalizing engines from grounded planes to keep others airborne, resulting in 11 of its 19 active aircraft being sidelined due to maintenance shortfalls. Post-closure, most of the fleet was scrapped, converted to freighters for operators like and , or repurposed, with one example transformed into a , which operated as the Jumbo Stay at until its closure in March 2025.

Incidents and Accidents

Tower Air Flight 41

Tower Air Flight 41 was a scheduled domestic flight from (JFK) in to (MIA) in . On December 20, 1995, at approximately 11:36 EST, the 747-136 (registration N605FF) operating the flight veered off the left side of 4L during an attempted takeoff, resulting in a . The aircraft carried 468 people on board, including 452 s and 16 crew members. The incident occurred amid wintry weather conditions at JFK, including light , , a 700-foot broken , 1.5-mile , and winds from 330 degrees at 11 knots with gusts. 4L was contaminated with packed and patchy , yielding a friction coefficient of approximately 0.32, indicating poor braking action. The flight had been de-iced earlier using Type I and Type II fluids. During the takeoff roll, the captain applied excessive nosewheel steering tiller inputs to correct a slight left deviation, causing the to lose directional control before reaching 80 knots. The captain then rejected the takeoff, but reapplied thrust, which exacerbated the veer and led the to depart the , collide with airport signs and a , and come to a stop 4,800 feet past the threshold and 600 feet left of the centerline. The No. 4 engine separated from the wing, and the sustained substantial damage, rendering it a . Of the 468 occupants, 24 passengers suffered minor injuries, primarily from the sudden deceleration and cabin disruptions, while one sustained serious injuries. There were no fatalities, and no fire erupted following . All passengers were evacuated safely via slides and stairs. The (NTSB) investigated the accident and determined the probable cause to be the captain's failure to reject the takeoff in a timely manner after the initial loss of directional control, compounded by excessive inputs on the slippery . Contributing factors included the captain's reapplication of thrust during the excursion, inadequate slippery procedures provided by Tower Air and , and insufficient fidelity in the airline's simulator training for such conditions. The NTSB also noted inadequate (FAA) surveillance of Tower Air's training programs. As a result, the NTSB recommended improvements to takeoff rejection training, procedures for contaminated runways, and simulator modeling for large .

Other Operational Issues

In August 1995, Tower Air Flight 36, a 747-130 (N603FF) en route from New York-JFK to Paris-Orly, experienced a severe in its No. 1 engine ( JT9D-7A) shortly after takeoff, reaching 14,000 feet MSL. The crew shut down the engine, declared an emergency, and safely returned to JFK, where the aircraft taxied to the gate without evacuation; no injuries occurred among the 436 occupants, though minor damage was noted to the aircraft and a fuel leak from the punctured No. 2 reserve tank. The (NTSB) determined the cause as failure and separation of the engine's turbine shroud, leading to an uncontained failure that highlighted potential maintenance oversight in inspecting high-time engine components. The NTSB investigation into Tower Air's broader operations, prompted by the December 1995 runway of Flight 41, revealed systemic deficiencies in , , and management. Flight crews received inadequate simulator for slippery runway conditions, with programs lacking realistic scenarios for operations in adverse weather; the airline's procedures also discouraged use beyond 80 knots, contributing to directional control challenges. practices deviated from the General Maintenance Manual, including improper of the flight data recorder, which failed during the and resulted in lost data; a September 1995 FAA inspection identified 23 discrepancies, such as procedural lapses and errors. Additionally, Tower Air's continuing airworthiness program failed to detect reliability issues, and the department, newly formed months before the , lacked a dedicated full-time . Flight attendant training was similarly deficient, with no hands-on instruction for all galley equipment types or crew resource management (CRM) protocols, potentially complicating emergency responses; post-accident, no backup communication procedures existed for inoperative systems. Management structure issues compounded these problems, as the Director of Operations lacked authority over daily flights and training, and the airline delayed reporting key personnel changes to the FAA. FAA surveillance was criticized as insufficient, overburdened by limited resources, allowing these issues to persist. The NTSB recommended enhanced FAA oversight of Tower Air's programs, improved slippery training, and better reliability tracking. In November 1997, the U.S. issued Order 97-11-14 against Tower Air for unfair and deceptive practices under 49 U.S.C. §§ 41708 and 41712, and violations of 14 CFR Part 250 (oversales) and § 399.84.

References

  1. https://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1625&context=thirdcircuit_2005
  2. https://simpleflying.com/tower-air-boeing-747/
  3. https://www.nytimes.com/1997/08/05/business/tower-air-goes-after-competitors-by-emphasizing-safety.html
  4. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/03/11/nyregion/passengers-rebel-over-tower-air-s-12-hour-flight-delay.html
  5. https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9604.pdf
  6. https://www.freightwaves.com/news/tower-air-files-for-bankruptcy
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/14/travel/travel-advisory-tower-air-bankrupt-abruptly-ends-service.html
  8. https://airlinehistory.co.uk/airline/tower-air/
  9. https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/tower-air-inc
  10. https://media.defense.gov/2013/Sep/16/2001329866/-1/-1/0/AFD-130916-006.pdf
  11. https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB927754771839215729
  12. https://www.nydailynews.com/2000/03/01/tower-air-in-bankruptcy/
  13. https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Tower-Air-ceases-operations
  14. https://airlinegeeks.com/2016/04/27/tbt-throwback-thursday-tower-air/
  15. https://avgeekery.com/tower-air-a-jumbo-mess-of-an-airline/
  16. https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Tower-Air
  17. https://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Tower%20Air-history-b747.htm
  18. https://simpleflying.com/airport-must-dispose-jumbo-stay-boeing-747-hotel/
  19. https://asn.flightsafety.org/wikibase/324559
  20. https://www.nydailynews.com/1995/12/21/fright-41-tower-jet-skids-off-runway-at-jfk/
  21. https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/38877/pdf
  22. https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/eo_2009-09-08_0.pdf
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