DAS AIR CARGO (DAIRO AIR SERVICES, LTD.): ANA House, Aviation Court, Gatwick Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 2RJ, United Kingdom; Phone 44 (1293) 540; 303; Fax 44 (1293) 551 545; Http://www. dasair. com; Code SE; Year Founded 1983. This all-cargo carrier is formed by aviator Joseph C. Joy and his politically connected wife Daisy at Entebbe, Uganda, in 1983 to operate a freight service for the nation now freed of dictator Idi Amin and allow the import of badly needed products from Europe. The name is based on the corporate name Dairo Air Services, Ltd., with “Dairo” being an acronym for Daisy and Roy. A Boeing 707-321C Stratofreighter is acquired by charter and an initial flight to London (LGW) is undertaken with a cargo of flowers, coffee, and minerals.
At London, Chairman Joy, who also serves as pilot, forms an association with local air-freight forwarder Andrew King and a DAS office is opened at Gatwick Airport. The one available avenue from the U. K. to Africa with a capacity shortage at this point is from London (LGW) to Entebbe via Lagos in Nigeria. For the next year, the Joys and King offer a weekly international roundtrip service with mixed cargo over this route, which is enriched by the need for supplies to support the growing Nigerian energy industry.
In 1985, King joins with Andrew Leslie to form ANA (“Andy and Andy”) Aviation Services, Ltd., which now receives a contract to manage and operate DAS Air Cargo, Ltd. and to act as its European sales agent and intrinsic U. K. partner. King becomes operations director.
Meanwhile, having also added a B-707-338C, Chairman Joy flies charter and scheduled cargo services linking London (LGW) with Accra, Entebbe, Kano, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. A long-standing, thrice-weekly contract sees the company’s Boeings transport flowers from Nairobi to Rotterdam during the October to May flower seasons through
1986.
Regular freight services to Ugandan communities, including Entebbe (serving the capital, Kampala), as well as Nigeria and Kenya, begin in
1987. At the same time, the company begins a close working relationship with the Zimbabwe-based all-cargo carrier Affretair, Ltd. (2). The B-707-338C is soon leased to the U. K. carrier Anglo Airlines, Ltd. That charter ends in 1989, when flights to Ghana begin.
In August 1990, the fleet is increased by a third through the addition of a B-707-379C and Philip Thompsett is appointed commercial director. A U. S. office is opened at Houston, where DAS Air Cargo U. S.A is established as a jointly owned independent company held by ANA Aviation Services, Ltd. and its Orlando, Florida-based director Terry Phipps.
In January 1991, weekly B-707F service is initiated from Sharjan, U. A.E., to Entebbe, with continuing service to Nairobi, Kenya. The newest Stratofreighter is, however, removed for financial reasons later in the year. Still, an office is opened in Orlando and sales agents are appointed in several other major U. S. cities. Reserved space cargo services from North America to London are provided, as part of a new cargo interline arrangement and under contract by Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd.
Scheduled service is initiated in 1992 to Gambia and Sierra Leone and former Trans World Airlines (TWA) executive James Milton is appointed to open a strategically important office at Washington, D. C.
While en route from London (LGW) to Port Harcourt on November 25, the B-707-321C, with three crew and one passenger, undershoots the runway at Kano by 5 km. while landing in a sandstorm; although the aircraft is damaged beyond repair, there are no fatalities.
The economic slowdown is dramatically reversed in 1993; business improves and a frequency is initiated to Djibouti. Chairman Joy and his partners oversee a workforce of 50 and 2 more aircraft are obtained, a B-707-369C replacement and a B-707-379C, the latter by lease. Destinations visited include London (LGW), Accra, Banjul, Entebbe, Freetown, Djibouti, Kano, Lagos, Nairobi, and Port Harcourt.
At the same time, interline agreements are executed with Air U. K., Ltd., American Airlines, British Airways, Ltd. (2), Delta Air Lines, Trans World Airlines (TWA), United Airlines, as well as Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. Most importantly, DAS becomes African interline cargo partner for Continental Airlines and agrees to transship the American major’s goods to that continent following their arrival at London. This arrangement supersedes the previous reserved space agreement with Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. and allows Continental Airlines to promote DAS Air Cargo U. S.A in America.
The company is voted “Best All Cargo Airline in 1993,” by Air Cargo News.
The company begins a program of diversification in 1994, with emphasis upon worldwide ad hoc operations throughout Africa and as far afield as the Caribbean. A large contract is received from the U. S. Army for the transport of goods to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from Antigua.
A Douglas DC-10-10 is ordered as frequencies commence from London (LGW) to Lusaka. Flights commence to Dubai on behalf of Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates. The wealthy airline leader, who owns over 600 thoroughbreds, pays for the transport of over 200 of these prize horses from London to Dubai for the warm winter season.
The chartered fleet in 1995 includes one each B-707-338C, B-707-351C, B-707-369C, and B-707-379C, plus the DC-10-30CF, which enters service in November.
Flights continue, linking Uganda with London, Dubai, Amsterdam, and points throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As has become a usual practice, the company increases its services to The Netherlands between May and September to four per week, transporting tons of fresh flowers to Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
Early in 1996, a two-year all-cargo contract is signed with Air Afrique, S. A. Flights to Dubai are increased to thrice weekly.
Just after landing at Bamako after a June 30 all-cargo service from Niamey on behalf of Air Afrique, S. A., a B-707-369C with four crew is hit by a powerful burst of wind during a rainstorm. The gust lifts the left wing, forcing the right wing to hit the ground and the Stratofreighter to veer off the runway. At this point, the right wing smashes into a bunker and separates from the fuselage. Although the aircraft must be written off, there are no serious injuries reported.
A total of 31.55 million tons of goods are flown during the year and revenues of $59 million are generated.
Operations continue in 1997. During the years, the B-707-379C operates weekly roundtrip all-cargo services, on behalf of Air Afrique, S. A., from Abidjan and Dakar to New York (JFK). Business improves as a total of 44.02 million tons are delivered and revenues jump to $67.5 million.
The fleet in 1998 includes 3 B-707Fs and 2 DC-10-30Fs. As of March 10, shipments of explosives are not accepted for DAS flights into Nigeria, while any arms, ammunition, or explosives going into Bahrain must have written authority from that country’s interior ministry prior to forwarding. Flights to Kinshasa and Lubumbashi are inaugurated on March 11 via Ostend.
Service is started on April 23 to Doha via Bahrain while additional flights into Muscat are begun via Abu Dhabi.
Weekly roundtrip service to Monrovia and Freetown is restored on July 2. The company continues to provide scheduled all-cargo flights between Africa, Europe, and the Mideast through the remainder of the year and into the next.
At the beginning of 2000, the 6-plane fleet of DAS continues to operate its network across 6 continents. Eight weekly DC-10-30F flights from London and Amsterdam to Africa and three to Dubai are offered.
Arriving at Entebbe, Uganda, after an April 30 service from London (LGW), a DC-10-30F carrying 50 tons of freight overruns the runway and plunges into the shallow waters of Lake Victoria, breaking into two pieces. Although no injuries are reported, the aircraft must be written off. It will be reported that the freighter, near maximum landing weight, could not stop on the rain-slick pavement and to avoid approach lights and ILS antenna, had steered left off the runway, but could not be halted before hitting the water.
In May, the weekly Stratofreighter return service from Johannesburg to Entebbe is doubled to twice weekly. On August 3, a DC-10-30F is chartered from Skyjet, S. A. wearing full Skyjet colors and DAS titles.
On October 2, DAS and the Tanzanian Chamber of Commerce step forward with an offer to purchase 30% stakes (the Uganda and Tanzania holdings) each in the failing Alliance Airlines (African Joint Air Service), with DAS also bidding $5 million to take over the 40% stake held by Transnet. The deal is conditional in that DAS must also be given traffic rights to the Alliance routes and the Alliance debt must be satisfied.
The DAS rescue effort collapses on October 10. With both Uganda and Tanzania having failed to pay their part of expenses, South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd. refuses to continue operating its Boeings for the partnership airline. Without lift, the company is forced to suspend all operations the same day.
On December 22, the company is licensed by the Ugandan Civil Aviation Authority to offer scheduled regional services from Entebbe. Although it is reported that flights will soon begin employing a single Douglas DC-9-41, no other details are available.
World History
