Air Scotland Express is founded by Brian H. and Jeremy Hart at Glasgow Airport in late 1994. With Jeremy acting as managing director, the carrier acquires a pair of Beech 1900Ds and launches revenue services to destinations throughout Britain.
Flights cease in 1996.
AIR SEA SERVICE, A. G.: Switzerland (1974-1980). Peter Furrer forms Air Sea at Basel-Mulhouse Airport in May 1974. Employing a single Convair CV-440 Metropolitan, he inaugurates passenger and charter flights to southern European and Mediterranean destinations during the summer. A Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander is acquired in 1975 as airline employment grows to 12.
A scheduled route is opened to Luxembourg in October 1976 and is maintained. A route linking Basel with Munich is opened at the end of the decade, by which time the fleet has been upgraded by the addition of 2 Nord 262s and 1 Piper PA-31-310 Navajo. On April 1, 1980, the carrier is reformed and renamed Rhine-Air, A. G.
AIR SEDONA: United States (1983-1993). Air Sedona is founded by Jack Seeley at Sedona, Arizona, in the summer of 1983. Employing a Cessna 182 and Cessna 172, it inaugurates scheduled regional flights in September, emphasizing nonstop service from its base to Phoenix. A total of 248 passengers are flown during the year’s fourth quarter. During 1984, the two aircraft transport 1,624 passengers, a 63.4% increase.
Airline employment is increased 166.7% in 1985 to eight workers and President Seeley’s fleet is enhanced by the addition of a Cessna 206 and a second Cessna 172. Customer bookings jump 61% to 2,614. Passenger boardings climb again in 1986, rising 31% to 3,423.
In February 1987, scheduled service is inaugurated between Sedona and Bullhead City. Passenger boardings fall off 4.1% to 3,283.
Traffic recovers nicely in 1988 as customer bookings accelerate by 25.1% to 4,106. The workforce is increased by 14.3% in 1989 to 8. Passenger boardings jump another 17.5% to 4,824.
Airline employment is increased 25% in 1990 to 10. Frequencies to Phoenix are increased and customer bookings swell 36.7% to 7,000. In 1991, a new route is opened from Phoenix to Payson. The expansion is not a help as the recession causes enplanements to decline by 7.7% to 6,087.
A slight upturn is seen in 1992 as passenger boardings move to 6,244. In March 1993, the carrier is purchased by Aviation Services West, a subsidiary of SkyWest Airlines, and renamed Arizona Air Sedona.
AIR SENEGAL (COMPAGNIE SENEGAL DE TRANSPORTS AERIENS, S. A.): Senegal (1962-1971). The first Air Senegal is created by the new government in late 1962, with assistance from Air France and UAT (Union Aeromaritime de Transport, S. A.), to operate domestic services. Etienne Costa is named general manager and is able to recruit a workforce of 30.
Flights to 11 local points plus Bathurst in Gambia commence in 1963 with a mixed fleet. Depending on loads, operations are conducted with
1 Douglas DC-3, 2 de Havilland DH 104 Doves, 1 DH 89A Dragon Rapide, 2 Beech 18s, 2 Jodel D.140 Mosquetaires, 3 Piper PA-18 Super Cubs, and 1 Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer leased from Sierre Leone Airways, Ltd.
A total of 32,000 passengers are transported in 1964, the first full year of service. The fleet is enhanced during 1965-1966 as 3 DC-3s, 1 DH 104 leased from Sudan Airways, Ltd., and 1 Piper PA-30 Twin Com-manche are acquired. Thrice-weekly roundtrips begin in 1967 linking Dakar with Yundum, Gambia.
During the remaining years of the decade, the fleet is further expanded by the addition of 3 PA-23 Aztecs, 1 PA-31-310 Navajo, and
2 PA-32 Cherokee Sixes. The company is reformed in 1971.
AIR SENEGAL (COMPAGNIE SENEGALAISE DES TRANSPORTS AERIENS, S. A.): Senegal (1971-1981). The first Air Senegal is reformed in mid-1971. The fleet this year and over the next six includes 3 DC-3s, 1 Piper PA-23 Aztec, 3 PA-25 Pawnees, 1 PA-32 Cherokee Six, and 1 PA-31-310 Navajo.
Services are undertaken to Bakel, Kedougou, Matam, Kaedi, Podor, Richard-Toli, Saint-Louis, Simenti, Niokolo-Koba, Tambacounda, Kayes, Ziguinchor, Kolda, Banjul, and Cap Skirring. Charter and contract service flights are also offered. Only 23 days after start-up, the company suffers its first fatal accident when a Douglas DC-3 crashes near Bamako, Mali (six dead).
By 1977-1978, General Manager Fernand Brigaud’s fleet comprises
3 Douglas DC-3s, 1 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, 1 Piper PA-23 Aztec, and 1 Piper PA-32 Cherokee Six.
Services are maintained to these domestic points and over the next three years, regional frequencies are initiated to Praia, Banjul, Bissau, Kaedi and Nouakchott. The company, which has since added a second Twin Otter, is nationalized in 1981.
AIR SENEGAL (SOCIETE NATIONALE DE TRANSPORTS AERIENS DU SENEGAL, S. A.): BP 8010, Dakar-Yoff Airport, Dakar, 200968, Senegal; Phone 221 23 62 29; Fax 221 20 00 33; Http://www. primature. sn/tour/airsen. htm; Code DS; Year Founded 1981. Also known as SONATRA-Air Senegal, this state carrier is formed at Dakar-Yoff Airport on July 1, 1981 when the previous Air Senegal (Compagnie Senegalaise de Transports Aeriens, S. A.) is nationalized. Stockholders in the carrier include the government (50%), Air Afrique, S. A. (40%), and private interests (10%). Three DC-3s, 1 PA-23 Aztec, 3 PA-25 Pawnees, 1 PA-32 Cherokee Six, and 2 Twin Otters comprise the fleet.
In 1982-1984, 2 DC-3s are withdrawn and are replaced by 2 more DHC-6s and 2 Hawker Siddeley HS 748-A2s.
Operations continue apace in 1985-1988. Early in 1989, twice-weekly Douglas DC-8-62 charter flights, employing leased equipment, are started from Dakar to Paris. The workforce is increased 4.1% to 128; however, the remainder of the fleet is as it was in 1984, except that the HS 748s are now B2 models. Overall passenger boardings total 56,792, a decline of 14.6% from 1987. Revenues, however, increase by 4.7% to $7.2 million. The operating profit is $316,000 and net gain reaches $120,600.
Company employment is increased by 17.4% in 1990 to 135. Customer bookings decline another 3.9%, to 72,042 and revenues drop to $7 million. Still, operating income rises to $492,877. A number of routes are abandoned in 1991 and as a result, passenger boardings decline 12.1% to 39,503.
The fleet in 1992 includes 2 each DHC-6-300s and British Aerospace BAe (HS) 748-B2s.
Having arrived in the Dakar area on a December 9, 1993, service from Saint-Louis, the DHC-6-300, with a pilot and two passengers, is ordered to circle while a NAMC YS-11 from an unnamed concern takes off; both aircraft fail to respect their assigned altitudes and meet in a head-on collision.
Although the Twin Otter crashes and all aboard are killed, the YS-11 is able to make a safe emergency landing back at its point of origin.
In 1994 Chairman Alioune Ndyoye and General Manager Abdoulaye Ndiaye oversee a workforce of 135; temporarily, routes to Bamako, Conakro Kaedi, and Nouakehott are suspended. Otherwise, services in 1995 continue as before.
On February 1, 1996, a BAe (HS) 748-B2, with 23 aboard, loses its engines upon takeoff from Tambacounda; there are no survivors. Destinations visited this year include Banjul, Bissau, Cap-Skirring, Conakry, Kedougou, Kolda, Matam, Nouakchott, Praia, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda, and Ziguichor. A DHC-8-102 is received in September.
On February 1, 1997, exactly a year after the carrier’s last fatal accident, a BAe (HS) 748-A2, with 3 crew and 49 passengers, crashes shortly after takeoff from Tambacounda on a charter to Dakar. The crash site is not far from the spot where the same sort of plane went down a year earlier; this time there are 29 survivors. Reports cite water contamination of the plane’s fuel tanks.
Flights continue in 1998-1999. During these years, the fleet is increased by the addition of 1 each Avions de Transport Regional ATR42-320 and Fokker F.28-1000.
An agreement is signed with Royal Air Maroc on February 15, 2000, under which the Moroccan airline takes a 51% ($10 million) stake in the company’s newly created long haul division, Air Senegal International. The minority stake is held by the Senegalese government. Royal Air Maroc will provide a Boeing 737-200 with which to begin operations.
World History
