OVER the years, the secret US military base known as “Area 51” has been the source of many urban legends, rumours, stories and mysteries.
This is understandable given that the powers-that-be even denied its existence for decades, what more with all that is thought to go on there.
With that said, one of the stories that has endured through the decades is that a secret airline exists solely to fly people to and from the base.
Is this true?
VERDICT:
MAYBE
While this has not been confirmed officially, enough evidence exists to show that such an airline exists and does what has been claimed by conspiracy theorists.
No official confirmation exists, but what is known – and cited on aviation information websites like Simple Flying – is that the airline has been dubbed “Janet” and that it has been in operation out of Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
“The airline made its first flight in 1972, using the Douglas DC-6, operated by EG&G, one of those government contractors with inconspicuous names.
"Later, in 1976, Janet received its second DC-6, both of which remained operational until 1981,” writes Paul H for Simple Flying.
“This airline gradually added the Boeing 737-200s in its fleet in the same decade,” he adds in summarising the history of Janet.
According to the online aviation database Airfleets.net, Janet now has a fleet of six 737-600 airliners that once belonged to Air China before being bought by the US Air Force between 2006 and 2009 and then steadily transferred to EG&G Janet Airlines.
As for what “Janet” stands for, speculation abounds as to the exact meaning of the name; however, according to research by Simple Flying writers Sumit Singh and Joe Kunzler, several possible ones exist.
“Janet stands for Joint Air Network for Employee Transportation or Just Another Non-Existent Terminal.
"The latter is due to the lack of public-facing documentation on the operator's activities and the use of fake identifiers to hide operational details,” they write.
Both add that Janet has one main destination and a single purpose, to “shuttle military aviation technicians to where they go in airplanes that provide the maximum possible operational security.”
So yes, a secret airline exists and it is called Janet.
SOURCES:
https://simpleflying.com/
https://simpleflying.com/
https://jalopnik.com/this-is-
https://www.airfleets.net/
https://www.dreamlandresort.
https://www.businessinsider.
