note
Founded by Ralph Quinlan in Denver, North Carolina, on November 15, 1979. Began passenger flights with a Cessna 402 on a route linking Hickory, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Rocky Mount. Expanded with Cessna 404s and Beechcraft C99 turboprops, serving cities in Georgia and Florida like Atlanta and Jacksonville. In 1983, Atlanta Express Airlines merged with Sunbird, retaining the Sunbird name, and the following year, private investors acquired the airline, with Mountain Air Cargo holding a minority interest.
On May 1, 1985, Sunbird became a Piedmont Commuter partner, operating from Charlotte and adopting the "Carolina" callsign. Rebranded as CCAir on January 1, 1986, the airline expanded its fleet with Shorts 360s and Jetstream 32s. In 1988, CCAir acquired Atlanta-based Midnite Express, rebranding it as CCAir Cargo, but sold the division less than two years later. Financial challenges led CCAir to file for bankruptcy in 1990, though it successfully emerged 14 months later.
Mesa Air Group acquired CCAir in 1999, but the airline struggled after US Airways canceled its code-sharing agreement in 2002. CCAir ceased operations on November 4, 2002.
