Raymond A. Mueller (father) and David R. Mueller (son), co-founders of Comair, the Cincinnati-based Delta Connection airline, have significantly influenced aviation in America and contributed to the economic growth of Northern Kentucky.
This father-son duo, along with other investors and regional carrier professionals, started Comair in Cincinnati in 1977 with three aircraft and just three destinations. Through hard work and dedication, they transformed it into the world’s largest independently owned regional airline. At its prime, Comair carried 500,000 passengers each month, with a total of 6.4 million customers annually. The airline offers over 750 daily departures to 89 cities across 32 states and three countries. Comair was a pioneer among US regional airlines by transitioning from turboprop aircraft to regional jets. They owned 90 Canadair Regional Jets and operated the largest fleet of these jets in the world.
Comair also operated the largest and most advanced regional airline facility, Concourse C, at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The airline had received several awards, including Regional Airline of the Year by Air Transport World magazine in 1991, Best-Managed Major Airline by Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine in 1999, and Regional Airline of the Year again by Air Transport World magazine in 2000.
Raymond Mueller, who retired as Chairman of the Board of Comair in 1990, was a multi-engine, instrument-rated pilot and continued to fly actively until he was 65 years old.
David Mueller is the former Chairman of Comair and served as Chairman of the Delta Connection Carrier Advisory Committee. He was named the Regional Airline World’s Airline Executive of the Year in 1999. With over 31 years of flying experience, David had a strong background that included work as a corporate pilot, certified flight instructor, and helicopter pilot. He currently flies small aerobatic aircraft from a private airstrip on his 150-acre farm in Verona, KY.
