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Surinam Airways ( nl, Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij), also known by its initials ''SLM'', is the
flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...
of
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
, based in
Paramaribo Paramaribo (; ; nicknamed Par'bo) is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on the banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 241,000 people (2012 census), almost half of Suriname's ...
. It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Param ...
(Zanderij). Surinam Airways is wholly owned by the
Government of Suriname Politics of Suriname take place in a framework of a representative democratic assembly-independent republic, whereby the president of Suriname is the head of state and head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. Executive power is ...
.


History

The airline was established in 1953 by private entrepreneurs
Rudi Kappel Ronald "Rudi" Elwin Kappel (8 November 1926 – 6 October 1959) was a Surinamese pilot. He was one of the founders of ''Luchtvaartbedrijf Kappel-Van Eyck'' which is now called Surinam Airways, the first airline in Suriname. He also helped constr ...
and Herman van Eyck as the Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company ( nl, Luchtvaartbedrijf Kappel-Van Eyck), aimed at operating feeder flights from a domestic network. Scheduled operations started with two Cessna 170B in January 1955 with domestic flights between Paramaribo and
Moengo Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moengo was the capital of Marowijne Distr ...
. On 30 August 1962, the company was purchased from Herman van Eyck by the Surinamese government and renamed Surinam Airways or in Dutch ''SLMSurinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij''. The logo of Surinam Airways depicts a 'Sabaku', which is a Surinamese word for
cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard it ...
. From 1964 Surinam Airways started scheduled international operations to
Curaçao Curaçao ( ; ; pap, Kòrsou, ), officially the Country of Curaçao ( nl, Land Curaçao; pap, Pais Kòrsou), is a Lesser Antilles island country in the southern Caribbean Sea and the Dutch Caribbean region, about north of the Venezuela coast ...
together with
ALM Antillean Airlines ALM Antillean Airlines ( nl, Antilliaanse Luchtvaart Maatschappij) was the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. History ALM Antil ...
. Upon the country's independence in , the carrier was appointed as the national airline of the
Republic of Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. Borders of Suriname, It is bordered by the Atlanti ...
, and it also started services to
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
using a
Douglas DC-8-63 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in July ...
(registration: PH-DEM, named '''25 November')'' that was leased from
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
. At , the carrier had 400 employees. At this time, the fleet consisted of a Douglas DC-8-63, a Douglas DC-8-50CF (registration: PH-DCW, named '''Sabaku')'' and three
Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restart ...
s (PZ-TCD, PZ-TCE & PZ-TCF). It operated international routes to Amsterdam, Belem, Curacao, Georgetown,
Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
,
Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
and
Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...
, and domestic services to
Apoera Apoera, also Apura, is a town in western Suriname. The village has a population of 777 people as of 2020. It is the final destination of the Southern East-West Link. north-west on the other side of the Courantyne River lies the Guyanese villag ...
, Avanavero,
Bakhuys Bakhuys (also: Bakhuis) is a village in the Kabalebo resort of the Sipaliwini District in Suriname. The village is located near the Bakhuis Mountains. Bakhuis is mainly known for its large bauxite mine which is exploited by Suralco. In 1995, t ...
,
Djoemoe Djumu, also spelled Djoemoe, is a village in Suriname. It is located at the confluence of the Gran Rio and the Pikin Rio which continue as the Upper Suriname River. The village is home to Maroons of the Saramaka tribe. Healthcare Djumu is h ...
, Ladouanie,
Moengo Moengo () is a town in Suriname, located in the Marowijne district, between Paramaribo and the border town Albina on the Cottica River. Moengo is also a resort (municipality) in the district of Marowijne. Moengo was the capital of Marowijne Distr ...
and
Nieuw Nickerie Nieuw Nickerie. Retrieved 17 November 2009. is the third largest city in Suriname with a population estimated at . It is the capital city of the Nickerie district, and the terminus of the East-West Link. Nieuw Nickerie lies on the mouth of the N ...
. From 1955 until 2005 Surinam Airways operated an extensive domestic network. In 1983 the regional routes were flown with a
Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
(registration OY-APR) leased from Maersk Air (named '''Tjon Tjon')''. The transatlantic route was flown with DC-8's leased from
Arrow Air Arrow Air was a passenger and cargo airline based in Building 712 on the grounds of Miami International Airport (MIA) in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade County, Florida. At different times over the years, it operated over 90 weekly schedul ...
, DC-8-62 registered N1806 and also DC-8-63, registered N4935C, named '''Stanvaste. From May 1993 until April 1999 a DHC-8-300 Dash 8 (registration: N106AV) was used on the regional routes. On 7 June 1989, a Douglas DC-8-62 (registration: N1809E, first named '''Fajalobi, later re-christened into '''
Anthony Nesty Anthony Conrad Nesty (born November 25, 1967) is a former competition swimmer from Suriname who was an Olympic gold medallist in the 100-metre butterfly event in 1988. He is currently the head coach of the Florida Gators men's and women's swim ...
')'' crashed on approach to
Zanderij Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Param ...
, killing 175 occupants on board. From January 1996 until December 1999 Surinam Airways used a
MD-87 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gener ...
(PZ-TCG, named '''District of Para')'' and thereafter a DC-9-51 (PZ-TCK, named '''District of Wanica')'' and an MD-82 (PZ-TCL, named '''City of Paramaribo')'' on the regional routes. , the airline had 543 employees. From August 2004 until the end of 2009 Surinam Airways operated a
Boeing 747-300 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, t ...
(PZ-TCM, named '''Ronald Elwin Kappel')'', which was purchased from
KLM KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, legally ''Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V.'' (literal translation: Royal Aviation Company Plc.), is the flag carrier airline of the Netherlands. KLM is headquartered in Amstelveen, with its hub at nearby Amste ...
. It was replaced with a 317-seater
Airbus A340-300 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel wit ...
(PZ-TCP, named '''Palulu) and later another younger A340-300 (registration: PZ-TCR). In early 2009, Surinam Airways ordered two
Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
s (PZ-TCN, named '''District of Commewijne and PZ-TCO, named '''District of Marrowijne')'' to replace its
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...
s. A Boeing 737-700 (PZ-TCS, named '''District of Saramacca''') was leased from DAE Capital and arrived on 30 April 2018 in Suriname and became operational in May 2018, this plane was formerly flown by
Air China Air China Limited () is the flag carrier of the People's Republic of China and one of the "Big Three" mainland Chinese airlines (alongside China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines). Air China's headquarters are in Shunyi District, ...
. In December 2018 a second Boeing 737-700 (PZ-TCT, named District of Brokopondo')'' arrived, formerly flown by Aeromexico and leased from Air Castle. From December 2019 a
B777-200 The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap bet ...
was leased from
Boeing Capital Boeing Capital is a subsidiary of The Boeing Company, providing asset-based leasing and lending services. Boeing Capital is made up of two divisions, Aircraft Financial Services and Space & Defense Financial Services. It operates as a support un ...
to replace the
Airbus A340-300 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel wit ...
previously used on the Paramaribo – Amsterdam route. The aircraft was registered PZ-TCU, named '''Bird of the Green Paradise with a special livery and performed its first commercial ETOPS flight in December 2020. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
and possible high maintenance costs the B777 was returned in March 2021. It was parked for a while in
Victorville Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...
. Now
Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...
is using this aircraft as its new ecoDemonstrator.


Corporate affairs

At one time the company had its head office at ''Mr. Jagernath Lachmonstraat 136''. , Surinam Airways was the owner of both the only terminal in
Zanderij Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Param ...
and the only
ground handling In aviation, aircraft ground handling defines the servicing of an aircraft while it is on the ground and (usually) parked at a Gate (airport), terminal gate of an airport. Overview Many airlines subcontract ground handling to airports, han ...
company in that airport.


Senior management

On 16 April 2021, the Surinamese Government, during the SLM General Meeting of shareholders, appointed Dutchman Paul de Haan as the new
Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
(CEO) of Surinam Airways (SLM). In January 2022 Xaviera Jessurun was appointed by the Government as chairman of the board of the SLM. On 9 April 2022, Frenchman Yves Guibert was appointed as the new senior
vice president A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
operations. In July 2022 the management of Surinam Airways announced the company would dry lease a Boeing 737-800 for its regional routes in order to reduce its Monthly expenditure. The financially troubled Surinamese airline will use government owned gold company's Grassalco's gold stock as cover for financing facility converted into a term deposit for the SLM recovery plan. "The recovery plan is based on a formulated business plan, in which the revenues for the coming period are projected, based on the planned operations. With a thorough implementation of the recovery plan, it is assumed that no claim will have to be made to the coverage provided," the senior management of the company reports on 25 July 2022.


List of former managing directors (presidents) and CEOs

* R.E. Kappel (1953–1955) * H. van Eijck (1955–1958) * N. Zaal (1960–1962) * K.C. de Miranda (1962–1965) * G. Veira (1965–1970) * B.Th. Maes (1970–1979) * ir. L.C. Johanns (1979–1980) * ir. E. Marhé (1980–1981, acting director) * Mr. M. Mungra (1981–1989) * D.E. Deira (1989–1991, acting director) * R.H. Calor (1991–1994) * R. Lachmising (1994–2005) * H. Jessurun (2005–2010) * E. Henshuijs (2011 – January 2016) * L. Voigt (January 2016 – July 2016) * R. Lachmising (July 2016 – February 2018) * G. Lau (juli 2018 – July 2019) * R. Radjkoemar (September 2019 – October 2020) * J. Sandie (November 2020 – March 2021, acting director) * P. de Haan (March 2021 – current)


Destinations

Surinam Airways operates scheduled services to the following destinations, . Terminated destinations are also listed.


Codeshare agreements

*
TUI fly Netherlands TUI fly Netherlands, legally incorporated as ''TUI Airlines Netherlands'' (formerly branded as ''Arkefly'' and ''Arke''), is a Dutch charter airline headquartered in Schiphol-Rijk on the grounds of Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in Haarlemmermeer, ...


Fleet


Current

, Surinam Airways has one
Boeing 737-800 The Boeing 737 Next Generation, commonly abbreviated as 737NG, or 737 Next Gen, is a narrow-body aircraft powered by two jet engines and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Launched in 1993 as the third generation derivative of the Boein ...
on dry-lease. The airline also has one A320-200 and one
Airbus A340-300 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel wit ...
on wet-lease.


Retired

Surinam Airways operated the following aircraft throughout its history: *
Airbus A340-300 The Airbus A340 is a long-range, wide-body passenger airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. In the mid-1970s, Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner, and developed the A340 quadjet in parallel wit ...
* Beech G-18S *
Bell 47 The Bell 47 is a single-rotor single-engine light helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It was based on the third Bell 30 prototype, which was the company's first helicopter designed by Arthur M. Young. The 47 became the first he ...
G Helicopter *
Boeing 707-320C The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
*
Boeing 737-200 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Boeing Renton Factory, Renton Factory in Washington (state), Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the Boeing 707, 7 ...
*
Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...
* Boeing 737-700 * Boeing 747-200B * Boeing 747-300SCD *
Boeing 777-200ER The Boeing 777, commonly referred to as the Triple Seven, is an American long-range wide-body airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet. The 777 was designed to bridge the gap betw ...
* Cessna UC-78C Bobcat *
Cessna 170 The Cessna 170 is an American light, single-engined, general aviation aircraft produced by the Cessna Aircraft Company between 1948 and 1956. It is the predecessor of the Cessna 172, the most produced aircraft in history, which replaced ...
B *
Cessna 206 The Cessna 205, 206, and 207, known primarily as the Stationair (and marketed variously as the Super Skywagon, Skywagon and Super Skylane) are a family of single-engined, general aviation aircraft with fixed landing gear, used in commercial air ...
* de Havilland Canada DHC6-100 Twin Otter * de Havilland Canada DHC6-300 Twin Otter *
DHC-8-300 The De Havilland Canada DHC-8, commonly known as the Dash 8, is a series of turboprop-powered regional airliners, introduced by de Havilland Canada (DHC) in 1984. DHC was later bought by Boeing in 1988, then by Bombardier Aerospace, Bombard ...
*
Douglas C-47A The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II and remained in ...
*
Douglas C-47B The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF, RAAF, RCAF, RNZAF, and SAAF designation) is a military transport aircraft A military transport aircraft, military cargo aircraft or airlifter is a military-owned transport aircraft used to su ...
*
Douglas DC-6A The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...
*
Douglas DC-6B The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...
* Douglas DC-8 Series 50 * Douglas DC-8 Super 60 Series (-62 and -63 models) *
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced by the developer company as the Douglas DC-9 until August 1967 and then by McDonnell Douglas. Aft ...
*
McDonnell Douglas MD-80 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second gene ...
*
Piper PA-18 Super Cub The Piper PA-18 Super Cub is a two-seat, single-engine monoplane. Introduced in 1949 by Piper Aircraft, it was developed from the PA-11 Cub Special, and traces its lineage back through the J-3 Cub to the Taylor E-2 Cub of the 1930s. In close ...
* Piper PA-23-160 Apache E


Accidents and incidents

* On 5 May 1978, a
Douglas DC-6 The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with th ...
from the Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij, registered N3493F was damaged beyond repair while landing at
Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Par ...
on a cargo flight from Curaçao Hato International Airport. All 3 occupants survived. * On 7 June 1989, Flight 764, a US- registered
Douglas DC-8 The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company. After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in Ju ...
, crashed west of
Zanderij Airport Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, and locally referred to simply as JAP, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij and hub for airline carrier Surinam Airways, south of Param ...
, on approach, due to a
pilot error Pilot error generally refers to an Aviation accidents and incidents, accident in which an action or decision made by the Aircraft pilot#Airline, pilot was the cause or a contributing factor that led to the accident, but also includes the pi ...
. Out of 187 occupants on board, only 11 people survived the accident, which remains the worst in
Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
's history.


See also

* List of airlines of Suriname *
Transport in Suriname The Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname) has a number of forms of transport. Transportation emissions are an increasing part of Suriname's contributions to climate change, as part of the Nationally Determined Contributions for the Par ...


References


External links


Official Website

Official Website
{{IATA members, latinam Airlines of Suriname Government-owned airlines Airlines established in 1953 Paramaribo Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association