New air carrier gets FAA certification

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Friday, May 21, 1999 | 11:35 a.m.

Las Vegas-based National Airlines has received its Federal Aviation Administration certification.

In a brief ceremony at National's headquarters near McCarran International Airport Thursday, Howard Vaughn, the FAA's Las Vegas manager, gave National Chief Executive Officer Michael Conway the documentation clearing the airline to begin passenger air service on its Boeing 757 jets.

The airline has worked on getting FAA certification for eight months and it is the last regulatory step before beginning service.

National's first flight will be Thursday at 8:30 a.m., leaving McCarran's D gates for Los Angeles. Several National employees, hotel executives and airline board members will be on the first flight.

Initially, National will have four daily flights to Los Angeles and two to Chicago's Midway Airport.

The company has about 400 employees and will operate from airport gates D-1 and D-3.