Orange Airlines | 1982-1987

(TOP)
Airline - Orange Airlines
Aircraft - Boeing 727-200 | N261OA
Delivered to TransAmerican Airways, 1975
Sold to Orange Airlines, 1982
Sold to West Cargo, 1998
Converted to B727-200F, 1998
Stored at Victorville, 2007
Livery - Standard 1982
Country - United States of America

(MIDDLE)
Airline - Orange Airlines
Aircraft - Boeing 727-200 | N7985G
Delivered to Air New Orleans, 1972
Sold to Georgia Sun Airways, 1979
Transferred to Orange Airlines, 1986
Sold to West Cargo, 1998
Converted to B727-200F, 1998
Stored at Victorville, 2007
Livery - Hybrid 1986
Country - United States of America

(BOTTOM)
Airline - Orange Airlines
Aircraft - Boeing 767-300 | N305OA
Delivered to Orange Airlines, 1987
Stored at Orlando Sanford International Airport, 1998
Sold to Atlantic Charter, 1999
Leased to MoscAvia, 2002
Returned to Atlantic Charter, 2005
Sold to Anglo Logistics, 2005
Converted to B767-300F, 2005
Livery - Standard 1982
Country - United States of America

Orange Airlines was a deregulation startup based in Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and initially operating a fleet of 727s. From 1982 onwards the airline grew, expanding its single-type fleet, and expanded into Orlando and Tampa. Eventually, Orange Airlines purchased Georgia Sun Airways, assimilating its 727 fleet (N7985G shown painted in a temporary hybrid livery). By 1987, the carrier was the primary holiday airline in the southeast, fling out of Fort Lauderdale, Orlando Sanford, Tampa, Tallahassee, Mobile, Birmingham, Myrtle Beach, and Charleston. Starting that year, it took delivery of Boeing 767-300s to increase capacity on key routes.

Aiming to avoid large expenditures, Orange Airlines kept its 727 and 767 fleet well into the 1990s, however a series of accidents in the early 90s decreased passenger numbers and financial difficulties began. Seeking to change its image in the eyes of the American public, the airline placed an order for Boeing 737-800 series aircraft in 1997, spending the last of its money on the down payment. In January 1998, a fatal accident involving an Orange Airlines 727-200 in Lubbock, Texas sparked a class-action lawsuit, and the airline, unable to pay damages, declared bankruptcy in September 1998.