TRANSAIR INTERNATIONAL, LTD.: United Kingdom (19471960) . With start-up capitalization of ?1,000, Transair, Ltd. is formed by Gerald H. Freeman at London on February 12, 1947. Three Airspeed AS.65 Consuls are acquired in early summer and are employed to commence ad hoc charter flights from London (Croydon) Airport.
During the spring and summer of 1948, personnel charters are flown to Continental destinations. On September 2, a Consul is destroyed in a crash at Berne, Switzerland; it is replaced later in the month by an Avro Anson I. Contract newspaper carriage flights from London (Croy-don)-Paris (LBG) for the Newspaper Proprietors Association commence on October 1.
Another newspaper contract, to Brussels, is obtained in early 1949 and two more Ansons are also obtained, being converted into freighters. By February 28, over 150 tons of papers have been carried to Paris. Later in the year, newspaper flights are started to the Channel Islands and a replacement contract is obtained from British European Airways Corporation (BEA) for mail flights; the latter make Transair the first postwar British independent authorized to fly domestic mail. Two BEA associate agreement scheduled routes are also opened: London (Croydon)-Blackpool and London (Croydon)-Ostend-Le Zoute. Three more Ansons are delivered in October and November.
Early in 1950, the owners of Dennis Aviation, Ltd. purchase an interest in the carrier and the two companies are gradually integrated during the first half; as part of the arrangement, Transair, Ltd. receives nine more Ansons between February and May. Meanwhile, on February 10, an Anson newspaper freighter is lost in a crash at Paris (LBG).
Lille is added as a stop on the Brussels return route in April and late in that month, three-times-per-week scheduled passenger services Lille-London (Croydon) are inaugurated. On April 26, an ex-Dennis Aviation, Ltd. Anson is lost in a crash at Mons, France. A variety of ad hoc charters are also flown and during the summer six ex-Dennis Aviation, Ltd. Ansons are sold.
Airline employment in 1951 stands at 80 and the fleet includes 9 Ansons. On February 5, an Anson is lost in a crash on Jersey. Newspaper flights continue to provide the bulk of company business, although a variety of ad hoc charters are also flown.
On February 17, 1952 an Anson crashes into a building at Melsbroek Airport in Belgium; although destroyed, no one is killed. Early in the year, a contract is obtained to fly American service newspapers from Frankfurt to the U. K. Six DH-89As are obtained in April, but are immediately sold.
Seven former RAF C-47s are purchased during the first quarter of 1953 and converted to DC-3 civil standard; the first enters service on February 3. These aircraft are gradually introduced on the newspaper routes and fly ad hoc charters. During the year, company employment increases to 175. Inclusive-tour routes are introduced during the summer, London (Croydon)-Lourdes and Vienna, and a scheduled service is started to the Channel Islands. Late in the year, two Ansons are withdrawn.
During 1954, company DC-3s fly inclusive-tours to Alghero, Lourdes, Nice, and Graz and fly Air Ministry contracts to the Middle East and North Africa. During a May rail strike, Transair DC-3s fly newspapers to Cardiff and Exeter while, during the October and November dock strike, stranded cargoes are flown to Dutch, Belgian, French, and Austrian destinations plus Nairobi. Three Ansons are sold during the year and replaced by three more DC-3s. During the winter, ad hoc charters are undertaken, flying skiers to Zurich.
In 1955, newspaper flights are added to Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, and Hanover. On April 16, the company is re-registered as Transair International, Ltd.; capitalization is increased to ?50,000 and orders are placed for two Vickers Viscount 804s. Inclusive-tour services during the summer are flown to all of the previous year’s destinations plus Basel. Zurich skiing charters are again flown at Christmastime. Four DC-3s are sold during the year.
Under contract to West African Airways Corporation (WAAC),
Three DC-3s fly the queen on a 28-day tour of Nigeria during January and February 1956. Manchester and Dublin are added as stops for the newspaper flights and a full schedule of inclusive-tours are flown to earlier destinations.
During the summer, several DC-3s fly German internal services under contract to British European Airways Corporation (BEA). In
September, the carrier becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of Airwork, Ltd. Between November 16 and December 14, company DC-3s fly over 300 Hungarian refugees to the U. K. from Austria. Two more DC-3s are purchased during the year.
A DC-3 is sold in April 1957. The two Viscount 804s ordered earlier are delivered in September. On October 1, they are placed in service flying British troops from London (LHR) to Benina, Idris, Gibraltar, and Malta.
A third Viscount 804 is delivered in April 1958. A new base is opened at London (LGW) in May, from which a daily service is flown, until October, on behalf of Air France to Paris and Nice. New inclusive-tour stops introduced during the year include Gibraltar, Tangier, and Toulouse. A Lagos to Dakar route is operated for WAAC and one DC-3 is deleted.
In February 1959, Airwork, Ltd. transfers two of its own Viscount 736s to Transair International, so that the latter might initiate colonial coach services. Normal trooping and inclusive-tour charters are flown during the summer. On August 19, a DC-3 crashes into Montseny Peak following takeoff from Barcelona (32 dead). A Viscount inclusive-tour route is flown Blackpool-Toulouse in October and November. During the year, three DC-3s are sold.
Two DC-3s are sold during the second quarter of 1960. On July 1, the carrier is merged into British United Airways, Ltd., losing its identity in the amalgamation.
TRANSAIR INTERNATIONAL LINHAS AEREAS, S. A.: Brazil (1998-2000). Transair International is established at Rio de Janeiro in 1998 to offer long-haul charters and replacement services for established airlines. Equipped with a single Douglas DC-10-15 painted in a simple blue and white livery, the company is immediately engaged to provide flights on behalf of Air Afrique, S. A., Cameroon Airlines, S. A., and Tunisair, S. A.
Service is maintained in 1999. On April 24, 2000, the Brazilian Civil Aviation Department suspends the carrier’s operating certificate forcing it to close down. The DC-10 is parked at Rio International Airport.
TRANSAIR SWEDEN, A. B.: Sweden (1950-1980). Nordisk Aero-transport, A. B. is founded by Pelle Loven at Stockholm’s Bromma Airport in 1950, but changes its name before the inauguration of charter services in 1951. The carrier’s original purpose is to deliver the newspaper Aftonbladet to Jonkoping and it is equipped with two Airspeed Oxfords with which to perform this task.
The fleet is upgraded with Douglas DC-3s in 1953 in order that charter and inclusive-tour operations might commence. Orebro-based Knut-Oskar Gustavsson is the first tour operator to sign a contract with Transair and on its behalf, the premier charter is operated to Hamburg on April 6. During the remainder of the year, and also on behalf of KOG, Transair operates 12 tour flights to Marseilles and 12 to Pisa.
DC-3 charters to Palma de Mallorca commence in 1954 and are operated with a technical stop at Hanover.
Flights from Stockholm to Germany and southern Europe continue apace in 1955-1956.
In 1957, the company also begins to fly certain replacement services for SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). With a need for greater capacity, Transair purchases three passenger-configured Curtiss C-46 Commandos. Capt. Carl Gustaf von Rosen delivers the first to Bromma Airport on April 7. The new aircraft are also employed to operate allcargo charters throughout Scandinavia.
Passenger and freight operations continue apace during the remainder of the year and into 1958. The carrier is reorganized in October and operations are transferred to Bulltofta Airport at Malmo.
In mid-1959, Gosta Ellhammar becomes managing director and at the end of the year, three DC-6s are acquired from SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). Upon their arrival in 1960, the large aircraft inaugurate tour flights to Las Palmas in the Canary Islands.
The most innovative new service opened during this period is a 31-day excursion, with a stop at McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, introduced on February 1, 1961. In June of this year, the carrier accepts a contract to operate services in the former Belgian Congo in support of the UN. A DC-6B, a DC-3, and a DC-4 are dispatched to Leopoldville to undertake service.
On September 17, the DC-6B, with 5 crew and 11 passengers, including UN Secretary General D. Hammarskjold, departs Leopoldville on a service to Ndola, Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland (now Zambia), 970 nm. away. Shortly after arriving in the vicinity of its destination, the aircraft descends below minimum altitude and crashes in the bush 9.5 mi. from the airport; there is one survivor, who soon dies. As a diversion, the DC-4 had been sent ahead over the same route, with security taken to make it appear as the aircraft transporting the VIP.
In addition to an accident investigation carried out by the Office of the Director of Civil Aviation of the Federation of Rhodesia, the UN, on October 26, establishes an Investigation Commission under Resolution 1628. Neither body is able to find any evidence of foul play.
As the Congo effort increases, the company, in 1962, increases its African commitment by dispatching three more C-46s and two more DC-3s to work for the UN. Also during the year, a 50% stake in Transair is purchased by SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System).
A DC-3 with 10 passengers operated on behalf of the UN, is shot down near Kamon in the Congo on September 20 (one dead).
A DC-6B arrives from Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A. on April 3, 1963 and is christened Uppsala. Also during the year, the company enters into a contract with the Congolese government to operate domestic services on its behalf for a two-year period; a subsidiary, Transair Congo, S. A., is established and equipped with the ex-Sabena DC-6B and four C-46s.
SAS sells its stake in the airline in 1964 to Nyman & Schultz, A. B., one of Sweden’s largest tour operators.
When the Congo contract ends in the fall of 1965, the Douglas transport is sold to the U. S-based Boreas Corporation on December 3. The C-46s are transferred back to Sweden where they undertake cargo services on behalf of SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System). Late in the year, Managing Director Ellhammar purchases a pair of DC-7Cs from Northwest Airlines.
The Northwest “Seven Seas” are joined in 1966 by nine more acquired from Eastern Air Lines. The new additions are not popular due to continuing technical problems with their turbo compound engines.
A C-46A freighter with three crew and chartered to the UN, is destroyed as the result of a bad landing at Bunia, Congo, on March 6; there are no fatalities. The surviving Commando freighters are now sold as three Boeing 727-134s are requested.
Nyman & Schultz sells Transair in the spring of 1967 to Svenska Handelsbanken and its holding company, Trident, while the aircraft are sold to and leased back from Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad, A. B., a shipyard at Goteborg. The first B-727-134 arrives in the fall. Christened Midnight Sun, it initiates service on November 23 with a charter from Bromma Airport to Las Palmas.
Joint operations with Scanair, A. B., the charter subsidiary of SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) commence in 1968. Also during the year, 3 B-727-134s are leased to SAS for the next 14 years, as orders are made for another of the type, equipped with cargo doors. In addition, a former Eastern Air Lines DC-7B is acquired for contract use in support of the Swedish Red Cross in operations at Biafra. The aircraft is badly damaged when hit by rebel AAA fire on August 21.
Operations continue apace in 1969-1972; during the latter year, the company base is moved to Sturup Airport, E of Malmo.
Charters continue apace in 1973. Just after takeoff from Miami in heavy rain and lightning on June 21, a DC-7CF freighter, with three crew, crashes into the Everglades; there are no survivors.
On October 15, 1974, a B-707-351C is also purchased from Northwest Airlines. At this point, SAS terminates its contracts with Transair, but is, in turn, found guilty in court of breach of contract and is required to pay the charter airline SKr 20 million.
Rather than pay the huge settlement, SAS purchases Transair in 1975 and operates it as a subsidiary of Scanair, A. B. This year, enplanements total 281,049.
Passenger boardings in 1976 decline 10.7% to 253,884 and the B-707-351C is withdrawn. In 1977, Managing Director Ingmar Astrom oversees a workforce of 270 and operates a fleet of two B-727-134s and one B-727-134C. The third B-727-134 arrives in 1979.
Charters continue to be operated to both domestic and regional destinations until the oil crisis and resulting recession of 1980 force the company’s business into decline.
The company’s last publicly chartered service is operated on September 6, 1981, with a load of tour passengers flown from Rhodes to Malmo. The last flight, on September 8, is a subcharter freight service on behalf of SAS (Scandinavian Airlines System) operated from Copenhagen to Narssorssuaq, Greenland. The four Boeing trijets are now sold and the company shuts its doors. There is a Web site maintained by Tony Edlind at Http:///www. geocities. com/The Tropics/Cabana/2207/TransairSweden.
World History
