Pacific Express
Holdings Ltd was established in early 1992 by Czechoslovakian born Israeli
national Shimon Lahav who held a controlling interest, and Roger Banks and
Grant Annals who had been associated with freight airline Southern World Airlines
which had ceased operations in late 1991.
The two
interrelated companies had their Headquarters in Auckland and chartered cargo
aircraft to fly freight services around the world. Most aircraft used were
Russian built Ilyushin Il-76 heavy freight aircraft, many of which became
available with the breakup of the former Soviet Union and the quest of their
new owners for revenue.
The associated
Pacific Express Cargo Airline Ltd was formed about six months later. Pacific
Express was not a true airline in the accepted sense in that it did not have an
operating certificate. Instead, it hired aircraft, predominantly Ilyushin
Il-76s, when cargo had been arranged. A New Zealand Herald article on the 12th
of June 1993 gives and insight into the airline’s operations. First, Pacific
Express doesn't have schedules. Second, planes follow the cargo, making a
typical passage in the plane's logbook read like this ... "depart
Auckland for Cambodia with United Nations supplies. Take another cargo to
India. Thence to Dubai. Load for Amsterdam. Back to Dubai and fly to
Johannesburg. Onwards to Manila, Sydney and finally back to Auckland."
Start to finish could have been the better part of three months. A representative of Pacific Express travelled
with the aircraft carrying large amounts of cash to pay for fuel, accommodation,
wages, customs and so on. The first cargo organised used Il-76 CCCP-76798 on a
series of United Nations charters from Melbourne to Phnom Penh commencing in
March 1992.
The first
aircraft to fly into Auckland did so on 16 June 1992. It was Il-76 CCCP-76493.
Most of the later aircraft chartered were painted up with Pacific Express
script. Cargoes carried varied from rhinoceros to movie equipment, troops to an
RAF Harrier 'jump' jet.
Destinations
were where the consignor wished the load to go. The aircraft were wet leased
for short periods complete with crew. As part of the wet leasing arrangement the
company leasing the aircraft was responsible for maintenance and crew training.
Most aircraft were hired from the Commonwealth of Independent States as the
breaking up Soviet Union was then known. Lessors included: the Domodedovo Civil
Aviation Production Association in Moscow, the Ilyushin Design Bureau, and
Atlant Airlines in the Ukraine.
 |
| In October 1992, Pacific Express's Ilyushin Il-76, RA-76786, was photographed at Avalon, Australia. Photographer unknown |
In New Zealand, the
planes were painted with Pacific Express titles and later the aircraft also
carried a logo. As reported in the New Zealand Herald, This gave Pacific
Express the appearance of being an airline but the company did not have an
international air services licence or air operator's certificate. In the eyes
of the Civil Aviation Authority Pacific Express was no more than a freight
forwarder. CAA airworthiness inspector Stuart Smith described the set-up as
unusual - "they're not effectively in the civil aviation system" -
but "perfectly acceptable in a legal sense."
 |
| My only photo of a Pacific Express aircraft, Ilyushin Il-76 CCCP-76822 at Auckland on 25 November 1992 |
In 1993 Simon
Lahav talked to the New Zealand Herald about the advantages of a New Zealand
based operation and the Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft… They can carry very heavy
and large objects. A conventional 747 can cope with around 360kg a square metre
whereas with Ilyushins things are considered to be getting heavy at 3100kg a square
metre. Carrying large items of cargo, with significant amounts of money
involved to an outsider it all looks straight out of Boys Own, with profits,
and having a lot of fun? Lahav chuckles: "We are. Aviation is addictive.
It is also very stressful, which is part of the addiction. I think aviation is
the most expensive drug you can buy." Drug of choice is the Russian
planes, frill-free and well maintained. As Annals says: "Everything about
them is simple, very practicable and very workable." Are these then the
Ladas of the sky? "What you have to remember with a Lada car is that it
will start in Russian winters, in minus 50-degree temperatures," says
Lahav. The men are in awe of the skills of the Russian, engineers. Russia lacks
the infrastructure for servicing planes, so engineers need a well-rounded
knowledge of hydraulics, avionics, electrics and mechanics. When the plane
arrives in New Zealand, the hammer and sickle is painted out and on goes the
Pacific Express logo and a New Zealand flag. Lahav explains why he decided to
operate from this country. "We were looking at building up a base in the
Asian area. Operating from Asia is a problem, for cultural reasons. You really
need to be from those countries, to have the contacts there. It can be quite
difficult for Europeans. "We looked at Australia. But it was not possible
to set up there. It has union and infrastructure problems. "New Zealand
has the best infrastructure. The telecommunications here are the best I have
ever seen. People complain about it but it is really amazing."
In addition to
these large aircraft the much smaller Boeing 737-3S3QC, 5W-FAX, was hired from late
January to March 1993 for more localised flights, mainly between Auckland,
Apia, Sydney and Melbourne but Christchurch was also used.
 |
| Polynesian Airlines' Boeing 737-300QC 5W-FAX wearing Pacific Express titles at Los Angeles in January 1993. Photographer unknown. |
In mid-1993 Pacific
Express Cargo Airline Ltd applied to the Minister of Transport for an
International Air Services Licence to operate a Lockheed L-1011 Tristar on
freight services from Auckland to Moscow and Luxembourg with flights to return
via Mexico and Los Angles. But by this time things were becoming unstuck. Suits
had been filed by other cargo operators against the two companies, disputes
were also occurring with the aircraft owners and complaints made to the Russian
Embassy in Wellington about crews being stranded overseas.
 |
| The only Ukrainian registered Ilyushin Il-76 operated by Pacific Express was UR-76408. It was also the only aircraft Pacific Express used to have a tail logo. |
Before it ended
Pacific Express had operated to some interesting locations. Pacific Express
ferried rhinoceros from quarantine on Cocos Island in the lndian Ocean to
Australia; carrying cargo for CARE Australia from Melbourne to Mombasa; movie
equipment to Easter Island for the filming of Kevin Costner's Rapa Nui, aid
into Baidoa in Somalia; sheep to Papua New Guinea; and a cargo of bees freighted from Melbourne
to Tunisia.
On the 22nd of
July 1993 a Cuban-registered Ilyushin Il-76 landed in Auckland carrying two Russian
helicopters from El Salvador. Upon landing however, they refused to release the
helicopters. The helicopters, which were ultimately used by Timberlands for
native forest logging on the West Coast, were unloaded after a court order
stopped the Ilyushin leaving the country and the receipt of $US70,000. The crew,
however, claimed that more money was required to honour their contract and they
insisted that the Ilyushin would stay on the tarmac at Auckland Airport until
the remaining $US60,000 was paid in full.
 |
| Cubana's Ilyushin Il-76 CU-T1258 was the last aircraft to operate a Pacific Express flight into Auckland. It was seen here on the 23rd of July 2022 |
On the 5th of August
1993 an application for the winding up of Pacific Express Holdings Ltd was
filed In the High Court at Auckland by the Bank of New Zealand. Pacific Express
Holdings was wound up on the 2nd of September 1993 and Pacific Express Cargo
Airline on the 16th of September 1993. When Pacific Express Holdings was wound
up the company owed nearly $1.2 million.
So ended the short
but colourful life for an operation termed 'The Tramp Steamer of the Skies'.
Aircraft Used:
Because this was
a worldwide operation not all aircraft leased came to New Zealand. The first
aircraft to do so was Ilyushin Il-76TD CCCP-76493 which arrived in Auckland on the
16th of June 1992. Then followed Ilyushin Il-76s: RA-76786, CCCP-76822, UR-76408 (arrived on the 15th of March 1993), CCCP-76423 and CU-T1258 which arrived in Auckland on the 21st of July 1993. It
finally left New Zealand after a dispute over payment on the 29th of July 1993.
Ilyushin Il-76TD CCCP-76493 was the first aircraft to
carry Pacific Express titles
Ilyushin Il-76TD CCCP-76798
Ilyushin Il-76TD CCCP-76822 which was reregistered RA-76822 in December 1992
Ilyushin Il-76TD RA-76786
Ilyushin Il-76MD UR-76408 was the only aircraft to carry
the tail logo
Ilyushin
Il-76MD CU-T1258
Boeing
737-3S3QC 5W-FAX
This post is an extended version of the late Bruce Gavin's history of Pacific Express.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)