View source for Orbit Express Airlines

{{ infobox airline
| airline          = Orbit Air Cargo
| image            = 
| image_size       = 
| alt              = 
| IATA             = OA
| ICAO             = ORX
| callsign         = FLYCARGO
| founded          = 2003
| commenced        = 
| ceased           = 2007
| aoc              = 
| bases            = 
| hubs             = *[[Istanbul Atatürk Airport|Istanbul]], Turkey
* [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong]], china
| secondary_hubs   = 
| focus_cities     = *[[Almaty International Airport|Almaty]], Kazakhstan
*[[Manas International Airport|Bishkek]], Kyrgyzstan
*[[Brussels Airport|Brussels]], Belgium
*[[Shahjalal International Airport|Dhaka]], Bangladesh
*[[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]]
*[[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]], China
*[[Changzhou Benniu Airport|Jiangsu]], China
*[[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong]]
| frequent_flyer   = 
| lounge           = 
| alliance         = 
| subsidiaries     = 
| fleet_size       = 
| destinations     = 
| company_slogan   = 
| parent           = 
| headquarters     = Kır Sok. 10/2 D.4, 34153 Florya-Istanbul, Turkey
| key_people       = 
| revenue          = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income       = 
| assets           = 
| equity           = 
| website          = 
}}
'''Orbit Express Airlines''', shortly '''Orex Airlines''', was a [[cargo airline]] based in [[Istanbul]], Turkey. It was established in 2003, and operated scheduled and charter freight services. The airline ceased all operations in 2007.

==History==
Orex was formerly the Turkish cargo agent of the Dutch airfreight company [[Schreiner Airways]].<ref name="nbt1"/> It was established in the beginning of 2003 with headquarters in [[Florya]], Istanbul,<ref name="az"/> and started operations in April the same year.<ref name="th"/> The cargo service, initially on charter basis, was carried out with a 45-ton payload capacity [[Airbus A300|Airbus A300F-200]] freighter aircraft between [[Istanbul Atatürk Airport|Istanbul]] and [[Gatwick Airport|Gatwick, London]], United Kingdom via [[Brussels Airport|Brussels]], Belgium.<ref name="nbt1"/> At the end of 2003, a second A300F was put into operation.<ref name="al"/> The company started cargo service between Brussels and [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong]], China via [[Tashkent International Airport|Tashkent]], Uzbekistan. Orex became so Turkey's first ever cargo carrier operating a national link to the [[Far East]].<ref name="s1"/> The frequency of scheduled cargo operations increased from weekly three to five days a week between Istanbul and [[Gatwick]] via [[Brussels]].<ref name="nbt1"/><ref name="h1"/><ref name="h2"/><ref name="h3"/>

In March 2004, a 105-ton payload capacity [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747F-200]] freighter jumbo jet joined the fleet servicing between Shanghai and Brussels via Istanbul.<ref name="oa2"/> It became the biggest aircraft in operation ever in the history of Turkish civil aviation.<ref name="al"/><ref name="s1"/> The aircraft was flown by foreign pilots with special permit of the Turkish government since no Turkish pilot [[Pilot licensing and certification#Airline transport pilot licence|certified]] to operate a B747 was available.<ref name="h2"/>

Cargo operations were extended to destinations including [[Almaty International Airport|Almaty]] in Kazakhstan, [[Manas International Airport|Bishkek]] in Kyrgyzstan, [[Shahjalal International Airport|Dhaka]] in Bangladesh, [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Nanjing Lukou International Airport|Nanjing]] and [[Changzhou Benniu Airport|Jiangsu]] in China.<ref name="az"/>

In addition to its core business of carrying freight, Orex also went into the business of passenger flights on charter basis including touristic trips and occasionally in the [[Middle East]] for [[Hajj]], [[Umrah]].<ref name="oa1"/>

The airline ceased all operations in 2007.

==Notable transports==
In February 2004, Orex carried in-sheets-printed {{Euro}}-banknotes from [[Zürich Airport|Zürich]], Switzerland to [[Athens International Airport|Athens]], Greece, where they were cut by [[Laser cutting|Laser]] and flown back to Zürich.<ref name="h2"/>

In March 2004, Orex became the first ever cargo airline carrying [[humanitarian aid]] during the intervention of an international peacekeeping force in [[Haiti]] after the [[2004 Haitian coup d'état|2004 coup d'état]], which followed political unrest and rebellions. On behalf of the [[United Nations]], 25-ton of food, medicine and two ambulances were flown from [[Geneva]], [[Switzerland]] to [[Haiti]] via [[Shannon Airport|Shannon]], Ireland and [[Gander International Airport|Gander]], Canada. As the rebels did not permit the freighter aircraft A300F to land at the destination airport in [[Toussaint Louverture International Airport|Port-au-Prince]], Haiti, it was diverted to an airport near [[Las Américas International Airport|Santo Domingo]] in the [[Dominican Republic]].<ref name="s1"/>

==Fleet==
The fleet of Orex consisted of the following aircraft:<ref name="th"/>
* 4x Airbus A300F4
* 2x [[Airbus A310|Airbus A310F]]
* 1x [[Fokker F27 Friendship|Fokker F-27]]
* 1x [[Fokker 50|Fokker F-50]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em|refs=
<ref name="h1">{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/orex-sefere-basliyor-147445 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=Orex sefere başlıyor |author=Özbek, Tolga |date=2003-05-18 |language=tr |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="h2">{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/tav-in-kizilderilileri-iran-da-201132 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=TAV’ın Kızılderilileri İran’da |author=Cebeci, Uğır |date=2004-02-07 |language=tr |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="h3">{{cite news |url=http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/imparatorlar-doguyor-175171 |newspaper=[[Hürriyet]] |title=İmparatorlar doğuyor |author=Cebeci, Uğır |date=2003-10-04 |language=tr |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="s1">{{cite news |url=http://arsiv.sabah.com.tr/2004/03/07/cp/gnc121-20040307-102.html |newspaper=[[Sabah (newspaper)|Sabah]] |title=BM yardımını Orex taşıdı |date=2004-03-07 |language=tr |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="th">{{cite web |url=http://nacipuskulcuturkhavaclg.blogspot.com.tr/2011/10/orex-orbit-express-airlines.html |publisher=Türk Havacılığı |title=Orex - Orbit Express Airlines |author=Püskülcü, Naci |date=2011-10-21 |language=tr |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="al">{{cite web |url=http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/1397522 |publisher=Airliners |title=Orex Orbit Cargo Airlines Goes For B747-200F  |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="az">{{cite web |url=http://www.azfreighters.com/2630/3ORX.cfm |publisher=A-Z Air Freighters Guide |title=Orex Airlines (ORX/720) |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="oa1">{{cite web |url=http://orexaviation.com/aboutus.php |publisher=Orex Aviation |title=About Us |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="oa2">{{cite web |url=http://orexaviation.com/sayfa.php?id=43 |publisher=Orex Aviation |title=Cargo |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
<ref name="nbt1">{{cite news |url=http://www.nieuwsbladtransport.nl/Archive/Article/tabid/409/ArchiveArticleID/85866/ArticleName/OrexopentfreighterdienstopBrussel/Default.aspx |title=Orex opent freighterdienst op Brussel |author=Verberckmoes, Stefan |date=2003-10-07 |language=nl |access-date=2015-11-06 }}</ref>
}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20150706000320/http://www.orexaircargo.com/site/default.asp Official website]

{{Airlines of Turkey}}
[[Category:Defunct airlines of Turkey]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 2003]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 2007]]
[[Category:2003 establishments in Turkey]]
[[Category:Companies based in Istanbul]]
[[Category:Defunct cargo airlines]]