Mississippi Valley Airlines

MVA Shorts 330 at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in 1985

Mississippi Valley Airlines (IATA--XV), was a regional air carrier serving the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. Originally founded as Gateway Aviation, the carrier was initially based in La Crosse, Wisconsin and began scheduled flight operations on July 22, 1968 between La Crosse Municipal Airport and both Chicago (O'Hare International Airport) and Milwaukee (General Mitchell International Airport).^[1] The carrier name changed to Mississippi Valley Airways in October 1969, later becoming Mississippi Valley Airlines, with the headquarters moving to Quad City Airport in Moline, Illinois in January 1982.^[2][3] The airline merged with Air Wisconsin in 1985 and thus lost its previous identity.^[4]

Destinations

• Benton Harbor, Michigan
• Burlington, Iowa
• Cedar Rapids, Iowa
• Chicago, Illinois (O'Hare)
• Dubuque, Iowa
• Kansas City, Missouri
• La Crosse, Wisconsin
• Madison, Wisconsin
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Moline, Illinois
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Ottumwa, Iowa
• Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin
• St. Louis, Missouri
• Winona, Minnesota

Fleet

• de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
• Beechcraft Model 99
• Fokker F27
• Short 330
• Short 360

Accidents

Although the airline had no fatal accidents, it lost one aircraft during in-flight operations, a Twin Otter which hit trees upon landing at La Crosse, Wisconsin.^[5]

References

1. ^ "Gateway Opens New Air Taxi Routes Monday" 'The Milwaukee Journal' July 18, 1968 p.19
2. ^ "Commuter Airlines of the United States" by R.E.G. Davies and I.E. Quastler. 1995 The Smithsonian Press. p.372
3. ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 98." Retrieved on June 17, 2009.
4. ^ "Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation". Funding Universe. http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Air-Wisconsin-Airlines-Corporation-Company-History.html. Retrieved 18 August 2010. 
5. ^ [1]