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| Founded | September 26, 1931 | |||
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| Hubs | Hsinking | |||
| Focus cities | Mukden | |||
| Destinations | Domestic, Empire of Japan, Germany
IATA=RH |
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| Headquarters | Mukden, Manchukuo | |||
Manchukuo National Airways (満州航空株式会社 Manshū kōkū kabushikigaisha or MKKK; hángkōng zhūshì huìshè) was the name of the national airline of Manchukuo. It is sometimes referred to as Manchukuo Air Transport Company.
Manchukuo National Airways was established on 26 September 1931 in Fengtian by order of the Japanese Kwantung Army, out of the Manchurian branch office of Japan Air Transport, the forerunner of Imperial Japanese Airways. It officially adopted the name Manchukuo National Airways on the proclamation of the “independence” of Manchukuo. Major shareholders were the Manchukuo government, the South Manchurian Railway Company and the Sumitomo zaibatsu.
From the beginning, the Manchukuo National Airways was a paramilitary airline, whose primary purpose was to provide transport and logistical support for the military, and for the transport of mail. Civilian passengers were carried and charter operations undertaken on a lower priority.
In 1936, an "Independent Volunteer Battalion" of the MKKK consisting of 13 aircraft fought on the side of the Inner Mongolian Army against Kuomintang-held Suiyuan[1].
The airline had a "hub" in Hsinking and was linked by regular flight routes from Harbin, Shamussi (Kiamusze), Jilin, Mukden, Antung, Chinchow, Chengde, Tsitsihar, Hailar, and the Kwantung Leased Territory and Korea areas, for connections with Imperial Japanese Airways (Dai Nippon Koku KK) to Japan itself or foreign routes. A long distance route between Hsinking and Berlin was also pioneered in 1938.
The repair shops of the MKKK produced copies of the Fokker Super Universal (Nakajima Ki-6) and the De Havilland DH.80 "Pussmoth"
The Manchukuo National Airways ceased operations in August 1945 during the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, however wartime fuel and equipment shortages had previously curtailed its operations considerably. Remaining aircraft, goods and equipment were confiscated, to the benefit of the Soviet Union and Communist Chinese, after the conflict.
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