Zantop International Airlines, Inc., (IATA: VK, ICAO: ZAN, call sign: Zantop ) (ZIA) was a United States charter operator, originally uncertificated by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB), the now defunct Federal agency that, at the time, otherwise tightly regulated almost all US air transport. ZIA escaped CAB regulation by not being a common carrier, but originally worked exclusively for the Big Three automakers, transporting parts. In 1977 it received its certification as a supplemental air carrier from the CAB. ZIA was incorporated in May 1972 as a Michigan corporation, the stock of which was predominantly owned by the Zantop family.

The Zantop brothers, Duane, Howard and Lloyd, started a fixed-base operator in 1946 called Zantop Flying Service, which was incorporated in 1956 as Zantop Air Transport, an uncertificated airline or Part 45 carrier (an airline that was not a common carrier). In 1962 it was certificated as a supplemental air carrier. In 1966, the brothers sold out to a new owner which renamed the business Universal Airlines. In May 1972, financial difficulties caused Universal Airlines to cease operations.

On 30 May 1972, the same three Zantop brothers, along with two other people, incorporated Zantop International Airlines, Inc. (ZIA).^[1] ZIA was a Part 121 commercial operator, an airline that held FAA certification (under Part 121), but no economic certification from the CAB because it was not a common carrier - it did not accept shipments from the public. ZIA performed its first commercial operations in June 1972.^[2] Later ZIA became a contractor for the US Air Force Logair domestic freight transport program. In 1977, as a result of legislation that required all airlines flying for the military to be certificated, ZIA applied for and received CAB certification as a supplemental air carrier, after which it was free to accept shipments from any customer.^[3]

From 1972 to 1978 Zantop flew the DC-6, the Lockheed L-188 Electra, the Convair CV-640 and several Douglas DC-8 freighters. In 1978 DC-8s were also used for passenger charter flights. In 1980 Zantop also purchased the freight division of Hawaiian Airlines and with it came more Electras.^[4][5] By this time Zantop was one of the largest airlines in the freight business. ZIA had an oversized cargo hub at Ypsilanti, Michigan that served numerous cities in the U.S. on a weeknight basis. A system route map published by Zantop in 1985 lists service to 32 airports in the central and eastern U.S. all served from the airline's hub located at the Willow Run Airport (YIP).^[6]

In the late 1980s Duane Zantop's son Jimmy took over after Duane experienced physical problems. Duane Zantop is credited with building the business while his son Jimmy Zantop is remembered for cautiously expanding opportunities globally. Both are credited with recognizing the unique opportunities created by the airline's rare certificates which allowed it to operate globally with very few political restrictions.

In 1994 the pilots of Zantop voted to join the Teamsters union primarily known for organizing auto workers. Partially in response Zantop created a dedicated FAR Part 125 Certificate that could operate without unionized pilots but this was insufficient to save the airline from the rapidly evolving air freight industry and competition from much larger UPS and FedEx. In the early 2000s Zantop surrendered their operating certificates to the FAA, sold their aging aircraft ^[7] and ceased operations.

ZIA contracted to serve the automotive industry on demand and served it very well for decades. When an automotive production line was not going to get a shipment of assembly parts on time ZIA would be called to fly automobile parts from a subassembly production line to a major production line due to the economics of shutting down unionized labor assembly facilities.

Other contracts during this period included:

• Channel Express (callsign ChanEx) starting December 1989 and continuing into 1997 and possibly later initially operating from Stansted, England later expanding to Edinburgh, Scotland
• US postal contracts at Christmas with hubs at various bases
• Roadway Global from its Terre Haute, Indiana hub
• Fred Olsen's Shipping Line of Norway for DHL Copenhagen, Denmark
• Lynden Air Cargo of Alaska including general freight and US Postal Service subcontracts
• United States military including domestic USAF Log Air and USN Quick Trans and overseas flights
• Contracts with FEMA that provided hurricane damage response to the Caribbean

In the 1990s Zantop continued the military LogAir Contract until its expiration in late 1991. These routes were well served by Zantop - their best on-time performer (at least on paper) serving many military bases from coast to coast. Electra hubs for this contract included Robins AFB in Warner Robins, Georgia and Hill AFB in Ogden, Utah; the Convair was flown through Dayton, Ohio and points north.

ZIA began its overseas Electra L-188 contracts with Channel Express of Bournemouth, England in the latter part of 1989. Contracts included flying fresh flowers and newspapers from inland England to the English Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey. Additional contracts included Her Majesty's Mail and Parcel Post, UPS and occasionally FEDEX. UPS was flown initially from Southend at the mouth of the River Thames to Cologne, Germany. From Cologne (Köln) ZIA flew to Zaragosa, Spain.

In Alaska ZIA contracted with Lynden Air Cargo flying Electra L-188s. The US Postmaster was known to come on board to postmark freight being transported from Anchorage to the outback. The Electra was known to carry 30,000 pounds of frozen fish back to Anchorage. Points served in Alaska included Anchorage, Bethel, Aniak, St. Mary's, Dillingham, King Salmon, Nome, Kotzebue, Kodiak, and several other cities.

ZIA also contracted with the Norwegian shipping and air cargo carrier Fred Olsen Shipping Company to fly DHL contracts from Copenhagen, Denmark to Nuremberg, Germany and on to Bergamo, Italy. The following day the route was retraced adding Billund, Denmark on the return trip. Sunday afternoons provided a daylight flight over the German, Italian, and Swiss Alps.

Zantop also operated a Grumman Gulfstream I.

• List of defunct airlines of the United States

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zantop International Airlines.

• Zantop pictures