SALTA (SOCIEDAD ARGENTINA DE LINEAS DE TRANSPORTS AEREO, S. A.): Argentina (1957-1959). SALTA is formed as a scheduled third-level carrier at Salta in the northwest section of the country in 1957. Equipped with 1 Avro Anson and 3 Cessna T-50s, it flies what will prove an unprofitable route from its base town to San Pedro, Oran, and Embarcacion. The company shuts its doors in 1959.
SALZBURG AIRLINES, GmbH.: Austria (1992-1993). Salzburg is established at its namesake city in the spring of 1992 and begins charter cargo flights during the summer with a single Fairchild Metro IIIC. Scheduled passenger services are introduced during the fall with a second Fairchild, a Metro III.
Operations continue for a year.
SAM (SERVICIOS AEROLINEAS MEXICANAS, S. A. de C. V.): Apartado Postal 134, Monterrey Nuevo Leon 64000, Mexico; Phone 52 (8) 386-2929; Fax 52 (8) 386-2422; Code SAM; Year Founded 1992. SAM is established at Monterrey in January 1992. Employing a Douglas DC-9-32 leased from McDonnell Douglas, it inaugurates scheduled services to Cancun in February. Another DC-9-32, also once flown by Delta Air Lines, arrives later in the year. Operations, both charter and scheduled, continue apace in 1993-1994. The fleet is increased by the addition of 1 each chartered DC-9-14 and Boeing 737-204A.
All of the Douglas transports are withdrawn in 1995 and in 1996-1999 flights are operated with the Boeing.
SAM (SERVICIOS AEREOS DE MICHOACAN, S. A. de C. V.): Mexico (1949-1969). Employing a single Stinson Reliant, Jose Lucino Loperana begins a Michoacan state service in 1949; joined from his Uruapan base are various destinations including Colima, Apatzingan, Manzanillo, Playa Azul, and Petatian.
In 1951, the Boeing 247Ds, DC-3, routes and assets of Aeronaves de Michoacan, S. A. de C. V. are acquired and the enlarged operation is named LAP (Lineas Aereas Picho, S. A. de C. V.). Upon the failure of Lineas Aereas del Balsas, S. A. de C. V. in 1955, Loperana acquires that carrier’s concessions and begins to service its routes from Uruapan to Morelia and Mexico City and to Colima and Manzanillo. Once again he changes his company’s name, to Servicios Aereos de Michoacan.
The carrier is purchased by Aerolineas Sud Pacifico, S. A. de C. V. in 1960, which elects to employ the Michoacan name and livery. In 1966, the carrier passes to Manuel Cardenas, who improves the fleet by the addition of four Piper PA-32 Cherokee Sixes; however, two of these light-planes crash, the one in 1969 killing both Cardenas and the airline.
SAM (SOCIEDAD AEREA MEDITERRANEA, S. p.A.): Italy (1960-1968). This Alitalia, S. p.A. subsidiary is formed at Rome in 1960 to operate passenger charter and inclusive tour services with 3 Douglas DC-6Bs transferred over by the parent. Local replacement flights for the flag carrier are undertaken with DC-3s, beginning in December 1961. Two Curtiss C-46 Commandos are acquired in 1962 and operate all-cargo flights on behalf of Alitalia.
A DC-6B freighter with five crew crashes into Italy’s Mount Velino on March 8; there are no survivors.
Passenger flights continue until, following the formation of ATI (Aero Transporti Italiani, S. p.A.), they are transferred to the new Naples-based company. The Commando freighter service is maintained until 1968.
SAM (SOCIEDAD AERONAUTICA DE MEDELLIN, S. A.): Colombia (1945-1962). Former USAAF pilot Dennis C. Powelson joins Arthur Taylor in forming SAM at Medellin in the summer of 1945. With initial capitalization of a million pesos ($600,000), the carrier is registered as an all-cargo airline in October. Several ex-military Douglas C-47s are purchased and operational plans are laid during the next year.
With permissions in hand, Douglas contract air freight service is inaugurated to Miami on September 1, 1946. In 1947-1948, routes are opened to several domestic destinations, including the Sucre province capital of Monteria. The first of an eventual fleet of seven Curtiss C-46 Commando freighters are received in 1949-1950 and these launch cargo flights to Barranquilla, Bogota, Bucaramanga, Cali, and Cartagena.
While completing an all-cargo flight, a C-47D with two crew is damaged beyond repair while landing at Medellin on March 1 of the latter year; neither pilot is hurt.
Initial success gradually fades in 1951-1954 as AVIANCA Colombian Airlines (Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia, S. A.) and other Colombian carriers diversify and begin to haul more freight.
A C-47A with three crew is lost at Medellin on June 15 of the former year; there are no survivors.
In order to further its own destiny and to assist KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.) in forming a South American network, SAM joins with the Dutch flag line in January 1955 to found a joint international airline, RAS (Rutas Aereas de Colombia, S. A.). Six DC-3s are transferred over from the Dutch flag carrier’s Caribbean division.
In 1956, SAM is granted permission to inaugurate domestic DC-4 passenger services under the marketing name “Rutas Aereas SAM”; among its destinations are the islands of Providencia and San Sandres. The U. S. CAB grants the carrier a permanent foreign air carrier permit in 1957, authorizing multistop all-cargo flights not only to Miami, but to New Orleans and New York. Under unknown circumstances, a C-46D is lost at Planeta Rico, Colombia, on July 25.
The U. S. flights begin in 1958. A C-46A is lost under unknown circumstances near Medellin on September 16.
En route from San Andres to Medellin on December 8, 1959, a Curtis C-46A with 3 crew and 42 passengers is lost near Moron Island; there are no survivors.
RAS (Rutas Aereas de Colombia, S. A.) takes over SAM’s domestic routes in 1960, leaving the parent to concentrate on freighter flights. En route from St. Andrews Island on March 19, a C-46 with 45 aboard crashes while landing at Monteria, Colombia (25 dead).
Faced with stiff competition from AVIANCA Colombian Airlines (Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia, S. A.), the joint passenger service within Colombia becomes increasingly costly to both SAM and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines, N. V.), draining the income achieved from the international operations of RAS (Rutas Aereas de Colombia, S. A.).
The fleet in 1961 comprises 4 DC-4s and 3 C-46s. In August 1962, the two carriers terminate their offspring. The Colombian carrier is now reorganized and is renamed SAM Colombia Airlines (Sociedad Aero-nautica de Medellin Consolidada, S. A.).
SAM AVIATION, LTD.: Suite 15, Hotel Janpath, Jampath, Connaught Place, New Delhi, 110001, India; Phone 3366626; Fax 3367882; Http://www. alphasoftwares. com/sam; Year Founded 1994. Sam Aviation is established at New Delhi in the summer of 1994 to offer all-cargo charters exclusively between India and the newly emerged countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Employing leased Ilyushin Il-76Ts, revenue flights commence in October. In 1995, the company also secures a license for ground handling at its Indira Gandhi International Airport base at New Delhi, as well as at Sahar Airport at Bombay.
Service is maintained over the remainder of the decade employing not only its aircraft, but, on occasion, wet-leased Il-62s, Antonov An-12s, Tupolev Tu-154s, Boeing 707s, and even an An-124s from Volga-Dnepr Airlines. Destinations visited include Moscow, Tashkent, Alma Ata, Bishkek, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Bangkok. After the financial crisis of 1998-1999 in the CIS, service is expanded to Dubai and other Mideast points. By the end of 2000, the company has operated more than 1,000 cargo flights, uplifting over 50,000 tons of freight. It has also offered over 350 commercial passenger flights.
World History
