Cochise Airlines was a commuter airline which was founded in 1971 in Tucson, Arizona.[1] It operated until the early 1980s. Cochise linked small cities in Arizona with Phoenix, Arizona and Tucson, Arizona and also served southern California and New Mexico at one point.[2]
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| Founded | 1971 Tucson, Arizona | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | c. 1982 | ||||||
| Destinations | Arizona and southern California | ||||||
| Headquarters | Tucson, Arizona, United States | ||||||
History
According to the February 1, 1976 edition of the Official Airline Guide (OAG), Cochise was operating de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter turboprop aircraft as well as Cessna 402 prop aircraft.[3] By 1979, the airline was flying Swearingen Metroliner (Metro II) turboprops. One route served with the Metro II at this time was Tucson (TUS) - Phoenix (PHX) - Yuma (YUM) - Imperial, CA (IPL) - Los Angeles (LAX) while another route served Phoenix (PHX) - Flagstaff (FLG) - Winslow (INW) - Gallup (GUP).[4]
Besides serving Phoenix, Tucson, Imperial and Yuma, the February 1, 1976 OAG listed scheduled service operated by Cochise into the following destinations in Arizona: Flagstaff (FLG), Grand Canyon National Park Airport (GCN), Kingman (IGM), Lake Havasu City (LHU), Page (PGA), Prescott (PRC) and Winslow (INW).
By 1981, Cochise was flying a Convair 440 propliner nonstop between Tucson (TUS) and San Diego (SAN)[5] and also on the Tucson - Phoenix - Yuma - El Centro - Los Angeles route in addition to Metro II propjet service on the latter route.[6] The Convair 440 was the largest aircraft type ever operated by the airline. Also in 1981, Cochise was flying a Phoenix (PHX) - Blythe, CA (BLH) - Los Angeles (LAX) route in addition to operating its other routes within Arizona and southern California.[7]
The air carrier's two letter airline code in the OAG was "DP".
Destinations in 1974
According to its April 15, 1974 route map, Cochise was serving the following destinations:[8]
Destinations in 1979
According to its November 15, 1979 route map, Cochise Airlines was serving the following destinations:[9]
- Blythe, California
- Flagstaff, Arizona
- Fort Huachuca/Sierra Vista, Arizona
- Gallup, New Mexico
- Grand Canyon National Park Airport, Arizona
- Imperial, California - El Centro, California was served via the Imperial County Airport
- Kingman, Arizona
- Los Angeles, California (LAX)
- Phoenix, Arizona - Hub
- Prescott, Arizona
- Tucson, Arizona - Home base
- Winslow, Arizona
- Yuma, Arizona
The airline also served San Diego, California during the early 1980s.
Cochise ceased all operations on June 2, 1982.
Fleet
Piston aircraft:
- Cessna 402
- Convair 440 - largest aircraft type operated by the airline
Turboprop aircraft:
- de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Swearingen Metroliner (Metro II model)
