Corraile Airlines

Corraile Airlines is the largest airline in Corraile and also one fo the largest carriers of the AIN. The carrier employs over 47,644 staff, and has a fleet of 135 aircraft, almost all of which are Airbus. It is the main constituent operation of the Corraile Airlines Group, with corporate headquarters in Centreburg. Corraile Airlines' largest hub is Centreburg Gateway International Airport, with other hubs in Freedo International Airport and Colganston International Airport. The airline is a founding member of the Star Alliance, the largest airline alliance in the world, and offers connections to over 1,000 destinations in over 170 countries worldwide. The airline's regional service is Corraile Shuttle.

Foundation
Up until World War II, Corrailite civil aviation was dominated by the presence of Corraile Air Ways (no relation to the postwar Corraile Airways), which operated Douglas DC-3 aircraft between major points within the Atlantic Territories, with an international connection to Halifax. The "Silver Service", as it was known then, came to an end when the Colonial Government requisitioned all the Douglas aircraft for the war effort. Connectivity between the major urban areas was maintained by the Royal British Corraile Air Force (RBCAF), which operated a spartan network between the major settlements of Centreburg, Freedo, Colganston, Highvale and Territory of Stanraer Island using the smaller, more obsolescent Douglas DC-2.

In the initial postwar period, the RBCAF continued its civil transport operations. In 1947, these operations, alongside with 6 wartime-surplus Douglas C-47 Skytrains, were transferred to a new entity, Corraile Airways. As the demand for travel boomed, so did the carrier, which rapidly modernised with newer, larger Convair CV-240s, which replaced the C-47s on trunk routes and freed the latter to begin service to smaller airports. The rise in demand for air travel spurred the Colonial Government to liberalise the civil air transport sector. Thus, under the Liberal Government elected to power in the Atlantic Territories, private carriers were started, operating from different cities and in direct competition with Corraile Airways, which by 1954, when liberalisation occurred, was an established player in the business, operating modern aircraft such as the Convair CV-340 and the Lockheed Constellation.

Founded in 1954 with assistance from the Highvale Municipal Council, Highvale Airlines (as Corraile Airlines was known then) began service, much like other carriers around the world then, with the Douglas DC-3. Operating from Highvale's Carlaken Airport, it flew to major destinations such as Centreburg as well as regional points such as Parris and Brickport. High utilisation of it's available aircraft, an able management and generous state assistance enabled the airline to grow through the 1950s, ending the decade with a decidedly much stronger financial position and a fleet of modern Lockheed Electra turboprop airliners and the pressurised Douglas DC-6B. It was able to differentiate itself from it's competitors (most notably Corraile Airways) by operating to smaller destinations and embracing modern technology.

The Jet Age
In 1958, Corraile Airways announced an order for 15 Boeing 707s, marking the arrival of the Jet Age into Corrailite skies. Despite orders from other carriers, such as Stanraer Atlantic for Douglas DC-8s and Transatlantic Airlines of Corraile for the Boeing 707, Highvale Airlines chose not to orders jets, sticking instead to it's turbine-powered fleet of Electras. Given that much of the airline's route network was concentrated around short and medium-haul routes to smaller airports, jets were seen as not being financially prudent for the airline's operations. However, the airline showed considerable interest in the French Sud Aviation Caravelle jet airliner, given it's smaller seating capacity and better runway performance, which suited the airline's operations. Political pressure, however, forced the carrier to abandon plans to purchase the Caravelle in favour of British designs under development, designs which would culminate in the Hawker Siddeley Trident. (Eventually the airline would shun the type in favour of the Boeing 727)

In 1961, a sales call by Boeing resulted in the airline placing a firm order for it's first jet airliner, the Boeing 727. With seating for 121 in the airline's two-class configuration, it offered a quantitative advantage over the airline's Electra turboprops, and was significantly faster than the latter as well. With it's ability to land on short runways and operate independent of ground support, it suited the airline's operations. The airline would go on to operate 22 Boeing 727-100s and some 16 of the larger Boeing 727-200s. These jet aircraft enabled the airline to become competitive with Corraile Airways for the first time, given that the Boeing 727-200s could match the capacity and speed of the latter's Boeing 707s at the time. With the much improved operating capabilities of the new jets,t he airline was able to extend operations to many more international destinations, reaching Washington DC, Detroit and Winnipeg for the first time.

By 1968, the airline was Corraile's second largest, boasting a network that reached 12 domestic destinations and 44 international ones.