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| Founded | 1947 | |||
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| Hubs | Khartoum International Airport | |||
| Fleet size | 10 | |||
| Destinations | 25 | |||
| Parent company | Sudanese Airline Authority | |||
| Headquarters | Khartoum, Sudan | |||
| Key people | Elsharif A.O Badr (CEO) Captain Abdalla Idris (MD) |
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| Website | www.sudanair.com | |||
Sudan Airways (Arabic: الخطوط الجوية السودانية) is the national airline of Sudan and is a member of the Arab Air Carriers Organization.
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History
Sudan Airways was formed by Sudan Railways in 1947 to serve parts of the country that no railways reached. The initial fleet was four de Havilland Doves. In 1952, the airline acquired its first DC-3 and expanded to seven aircraft. These were used for international services to Aden, Asmara, Beirut, Cairo (then considered domestic) and Jeddah. In 1959, the Vickers Viscount was added to the fleet and the Blue Nile flights to European destinations started. Also in 1959, Sudan Airways joined IATA. In 1962, Sudan Airways took delivery of two De Havilland Comet jets (DH106-4C, as ST-AAW and ST-AAX) to replace its Vickers Viscounts. By 1967, the airline had replaced its DC-3s with Fokker F27s.[citation needed] Subsequently, the fleet was modernised with Boeing 707, Boeing 737, Airbus A310, Airbus A300, Fokker 50 and more recently has acquired through lease-finance, three Airbus A320s.[citation needed]
The 20th anniversary (1947-1967) of the airline was marked by the Sudanese government's issue of four multicoloured postage stamps in December 1968. These stamps show the DC-3 (15 mm), Comet-4C (55 mm), Dove (2Pt), and Fokker Friendship (3Pt), all airborne.[citation needed]
Sudan continues to suffer a civil war which restricts areas of the country that can be served. In addition, there is a UN embargo against the country resulting in curtailment of European services and the sale of two Fokker F50s.[citation needed]
The airline has also used Ilyushin IL-18 aircraft operated by Air Cess.[citation needed]
In 2007, the Sudanese government privatised the airline, maintaining only a 30% share of the national carrier. A team of professional consultants was bought in to the airline, and by year end 2008 the fleet will be expanded to 12 aircraft with more expected in 2009. The network is being developed and in cooperation with the Sudan Civil Aviation Authority, Khartoum Airport is in the process of being upgraded to be used as a hub for Sudan Airways. Anticipated new routes are Nigeria, Kuwait, Bahrain and Eritrea. Moreover, services to Nairobi and Entebbe are expected to resume. Whilst the airline has withdrawn from its once a week service on the London route, it is entering into a codeshare agreement with UK airline BMI that will offer passengers an increased frequency of four flights weekly between the two capital cities.
The airline's investors will also be purchasing state of the art technology that will see Sudan Airways with one of the most advanced reservations, e-ticketing, computerised check-in and inventory management systems in Africa.
Grounding
On Saturday 21 June 2008, Sudan's CAA issued a statement stating that the whole airline had been grounded for a month due to breaking aviation and operational/administration rules. It has been stated that the grounding has nothing to do with Sudan Airways' appalling safety record or the Sudan Airways Flight 109 crash on 10 June 2008. [1]
Destinations
Fleet
The Sudan Airways fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of 2 July 2009) [1]:
| Aircraft | In Service |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airbus A300-600 | 3 | 1 stored at IST 2 operated by Air Atlanta Icelandic |
| Airbus A310-300 | 1 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | Operated by Comoro Islands Airways |
| Boeing 707-300 | 1 | |
| Fokker 50 | 4 | |
| Total | 10 |
Incidents and accidents
The airline has had the following three fatal crashes:
- 6 December 1971 – Fokker F27 ST-AAY – Tikaka – forced landing after hijack – 10 fatalities
- 16 August 1986 – Fokker F27 ST-ADY – Malakal – shot down by SPLA rebels – 60 fatalities
- 8 July 2003 – Boeing 737-200 ST-AFK – Port Sudan – 117 fatalities, excluding one initial survivor who later died: Sudan Airways Flight 139[2][3][4]
- The airline suffered a nonfatal hijacking on 30 March 2007.[2]
- 10 June 2008 – Khartoum International Airport, 29 people have died and 151 saved after Sudan Airways Flight 109, an Airbus A310 burned after landing from Amman, Jordan via Damascus, Syria.
References
- ^ BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Sudan crash airline is grounded
- ^ "Child only survivor of Sudan crash." CNN. Tuesday 8 July 2003. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 737-2J8C ST-AFK Port Sudan." Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
- ^ "Lone survivor of Sudan air crash dies." Sydney Morning Herald. 9 July 2003. Retrieved on 5 July 2009.
External links
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