Aero Contractors Ltd., was a private charter company which was based in Smithfield,

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, and was said by some to have provided discreet air transport services for the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

(CIA). The company was founded in 1979 by Jim Rhyne, a former pilot with Air America. The company had 26 planes and 79 employees and operated from the tiny Johnston Regional Airport.European Parliament Working Document No 4 on the flights operated by the CIA in Europe
/ref> On May 31, 2005, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' reported that the company was heavily involved in

extraordinary rendition Extraordinary rendition is a euphemism, euphemistically-named policy of state-sponsored abduction in a foreign jurisdiction and transfer to a third state. The best-known use of extraordinary rendition is in a United States-led program during th ...

, the transport of terrorism suspects to countries where they can be interrogated to extract information. An Aero Contractors plane was used in the transport of

Khalid El-Masri Khaled El-Masri (also Khalid El-Masri and Khaled Masri, Levantine Arabic pronunciation: , ) (born 29 June 1963) is a German, Lebanese and French citizen who was mistakenly abducted by the Macedonian police in 2003, and handed over to the U.S. Ce ...

, a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

citizen who was pulled from a bus on the

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

Macedonia Macedonia (, , , ), most commonly refers to: * North Macedonia, a country in southeastern Europe, known until 2019 as the Republic of Macedonia * Macedonia (ancient kingdom), a kingdom in Greek antiquity * Macedonia (Greece), a former administr ...

border and held for three weeks. He was drugged and beaten before being flown to

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

on a

Boeing Business Jet A Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) is a version of a Boeing Commercial Airplanes, Boeing jet airliner with modifications to serve the private, head of state, and corporate jet market. The first BBJ, based on the 737-700, rolled out on July 26, 1998; a ...

operated by Aero Contractors. El-Masri was released after five months.C.I.A. Expanding Terror Battle Under Guise of Charter Flights
/ref> Aero Corporations allegedly operated under several different

shell companies A shell corporation is a company or corporation with no significant assets or operations often formed to obtain financing before beginning business. Shell companies were primarily vehicles for lawfully hiding the identity of their beneficial ...

, including Stevens Express Leasing, Inc.,

Premier Executive Transport Services Premier Executive Transport Services was an airline listed as Foreign Corporation in the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is alleged to be a front company for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). According to investigative jour ...

, Aviation Specialties, Inc., Aero LLC (Wyoming) and Devon Holding and Leasing, Inc. A book published in September 2006, '' Torture Taxi: On the Trail of the CIA Rendition Flights''Trevor Paglen and AC Thompson, Publisher: Melville House (October 1, 2006), English, and includes many details about Aero Contractors' involvement in

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Youtube video of protest at Aero Contractors, March 18, 2007 Johnston County AirportNCCIT
Airlines established in 1979 Companies based in North Carolina Central Intelligence Agency front organizations Defunct airlines of the United States Airlines based in North Carolina

See also

References

External links