Sabena airliners which were augmented and later replaced by Douglas DC-6Bs. The DC-4s also restarted the airline's traditional route to the Belgian Congo. Sabena was the first airline to introduce transatlantic schedules from the north of England, when one of its DC-6Bs inaugurated the Brussels-Manchester-New York route on 28 October 1953. The Convair 240 was introduced in 1949 to partially replace the DC-3s that until then had flown most European services. As of 1956, improved Convair 440 "Metropolitan" twins began replacing the Convair 240 twins and were used successfully well into the 1960s between European regional destinations. In 1957, the long-range
National Airlines (1983) National Airlines (1983) The second American airline to be named National Airlines was owned by United Air Carriers. It operated from 1977 to 1986. The airline was created when officials of supplemental airline Overseas National Airways formed a FAR Part 129 leasing company known as United Air Carriers on July 21, 1977. When the Overseas National Airways folded in 1978, the company was renamed to Overseas National Airways and was certified in 1980 under FAR 121 as a cargo and passenger charter company. In 1982 the company gained approval for scheduled service, leading to the company purchasing the name National