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Northwest Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline. It is an American airline headquartered in Minneapolis/St. Paul. Northwest and its travel partners fly to more than 900 cities in more than 160 countries on six continents. Northwest and Northwest Airlink together operate approximately 1,200 daily departures, with hubs in Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam. In India Northwest Airlines flies to Delhi and Mumbai.
Northwest Airlines was founded on October1, 1926, under the name Northwest Airways. In the initial period, Northwest used to fly mail between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago. Northwest Airlines began passenger service began in 1927. In 1938, Northwest developed the first practical aviation oxygen mask, making possible high-altitude flying over the Rocky Mountains. In 1955, Northwest became the first airline to operate without government subsidy on Trans-Pacific and United States-Alaska routes. In 1993, Northwest and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines formed a unique alliance offering convenient and hassle free service between the United States and cities around the world. In 1998, Northwest and Continental Airlines announced an alliance improving consumer travel options and delivering a wider range of benefits to millions of air travelers in the Americas, Asia and Europe.
Northwest presently has a fleet of more than 400 aircraft, which include Boeing 747s, and 757s, McDonnell-Douglas DC-9s and DC-10s and Airbus A330s, A320s and A319s. Northwest also is one of the world's largest cargo airlines.