Wright Airways

Wright Airways (IATA: WR | ICAO: WRT | CALLSIGN: WRIGHT) is a US carrier based in Charlotte, NC. The carrier operates a network of national and international scheduled passenger flights as well as charter and freight services. It operates primay hubs at CLT, BWI, STL, and LAS.

Wright Airways (named after the Wright Brothers) was founded in North Carolina in the early 1960s as a local service airline and operated its first flights using small piston-engined airliners between North Carolina (where the Wright Brothers first flew) and Ohio (where the Wright Brothers were from). As the airline grew, it introduced the DC-9 and F-27 as the backbone of its fleet. Eventually, when the airline industry was deregulated in the US, Wright began to expand into the West and launched international services with the 767 and 757, while the MD-80 became the backbone of the domestic fleet. During this period, the carrier developed most of its hubs at smaller, less congested airports in order to provide easier connections for passengers and also avoid some of the heavy competition which developed around major hub airports such as those in New York and Los Angeles.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Wright merged with two smaller carriers and gained hubs in the Midwest and Western regions. Around this time, regional operations were contracted out to various small airlines in order to feed the airline's new hubs. As the 21st century began, the airline was affected by the events of 9/11 and struggled for the next decade before emerging as a stronger and more efficient company. The airline then implemented a steady program of growth as it expanded its position in the US domestic market and international routes as well.