Lee Cross

DALLAS – Today, in 1999, Aegean Airlines (A3) made its maiden flight from Athens (ATH) to Heraklion (HER) and Thessaloniki (SKG). The airline can actually trace its history back to 1987. After the deregulation of the Greek aviation industry, Antonios and Nicolaos Simidglades formed Aegean Aviation, a small private air-taxi operator. Aegean would subsequently become the first airline to be issued an Independent Air Carrier Licence by the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority in 1992.

DALLAS – Today, in 1990, PGA Portugalia Airlines (NI) operated its inaugural flight from Lisbon (LIS) to Porto (OPO). PGA had been established two years earlier as a competitor to the country’s flag-carrier TAP Air Portugal. Initially, only domestic flights across Portugal and a limited number of international charters were operated. Scheduled international flights from LIS and OPO were not permitted until June 1992 following a change in Portuguese legislation.

DALLAS — Today, in 1998, Kai Tak Airport, officially known as Hong Kong International Airport since 1954, closed its gates. The airport was famed for its nail-biting, roof-top skimming ‘checkerboard approach’ to runway 13. It was named after two businessmen, Ho Kai and Au Tak. The pair helped with the construction of the city’s first airstrip on the site that opened on January 25, 1925. The airport steadily grew over the years, as did the city around it. The 1980s were Kai Tak’s heyday.