The first national carrier: PalAir Macedonian Airways

 Macedonia's first national carrier "PalAir Macedonian Airways" (Палер Македонија) - was the former national carrier of Macedonia based in Skopje and Ohrid. In particular, the red planes of the airline called "PalAir Macedonian" with the yellow lion enjoy cult status among Macedonians.

PalAir Macedonian Airways

Flight operations before the independence of Macedonia

Even before the declaration of independence in September 1991, PalAair began its scheduled services on June 3, 1991.

During the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the establishment of the independent Republic of Macedonia in the early 1990s, the airline PalAir Macedonian Airways was founded.

When the United Nations lifted sanctions against Yugoslavia in 1996, the Yugoslav national airline JAT Airways returned to the market and the popularity of the airline PalAir fell drastically as a result. Shortly afterwards, PalAir stopped all flights and stopped operating.

PalAir Macedonian Airways Fokker F-100 Red

Picture: PalAir Macedonian Airways Fokker F-100

In 1995 the scheduled flight business of the Macedonian airline was given up, charter flights continued until 1997.

PalAir Macedonian Airways fleet

At the beginning the "fleet" with a Tupolev Tu-154 was manageable, to later supplement the fleet with Fokker F-28 and F100 aircraft, which were initially painted in white and red and later provided with yellow markings in red.

The aircraft of the series Fokker 100, Fokker 27 and Tupolew 154M were painted completely red, with yellow painting (lion, as well as border of the board doors) and inscription.

  • Tupolev Tu-154 B (4) - loaned from the Bulgarian airline Balkan and had a Bulgarian registration
  • Antonov An-24 (3)
  • Focker F-28 (2)
  • Foxer F1000 (4)
  • BAC 1-11-528FL - rented by the Romanian Jaro International
PalAir Macedonian Airways

Airline codes

  • Name: Palair Macedonian Airways
  • IATA code: 3D
  • ICAO code: PMK
  • Call sign: PALAIR
  • Headquarters: Skopje, Macedonia, Macedonia
  • Home airport: Skopje Airport

Foundation: 1991
Operation ceased: 1997

Crash of the PalAir 301 flight to Zurich


On March 5, 1993, a PalAir Macedonian Fokker F100, flight 301, crashed a few seconds after taking off from the runway at the Alexander The Great Airport in Skopje (then known as "Petrovec Airport") on a flight to Zurich.

PalAir Macedonian

The investigation showed that the cause of the plane crash was the freezing of the plane's wings and a failure to spray against ice. There were 97 people on board, 83 of whom lost their lives.

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