SFA is established at Calgary Airport in early May 1977. Employing a single Douglas DC-3, the new charter entrant begins revenue flights on June 1. A year later, in 1978, the company acquires the Calgary scheduled certification of Gateway Aviation, Ltd. and inaugurates flights from the Alberta capital to Cold Lake, Regina, Swift Current, and Lloy-dminster. Regular freight service is undertaken to Edson, Grand Prairie, Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat. A de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is purchased in 1979.
In 1981, the fleet comprises 2 DC-3s, the Twin Otter, 2 Beech King Air 90s, 1 Cessna 401, and 3 Cessna 402s. Enplanements for the year total 9,000, rising to 13,900 in 1982. Frequencies are increased in 1983 after the acquisition of a Beech 99.
In 1984, the company moves to a terminal at the new Calgaiy International Airport. It also obtains a second Beech 99 (to replace the first, which is sold to Quebec Aviation, Ltd.) and leases a Convair CV-440. These allow the carrier to expand to Edmonton; from the municipal airport there, it is able to offer services to Saskatoon.
In January 1985, SFA is taken over by Time Air, Ltd.
SOUTHERN INTERNATIONALAIR TRANSPORT, LTD.: United Kingdom (1974-1980). SIAT is organized in Sussex in July 1974, but will not actually begin operations for another two years. Philip Bowles is named managing director and he recruits a workforce of 20 and a fleet comprising 1 each Vickers Viscount 800 and Viscount 700.
All-cargo charter operations commence in 1976 from London (LGW) to destinations in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe. Unable to maintain sufficient traffic to cover rising expenses, the carrier stops flying in 1980.
SOUTHERN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES. See FLORIDA AIRLINES (2)
SOUTHERN JERSEY AIRWAYS: United States (1977-1990). In July 1977, Atlantic City Airlines, owned by the Donald C. Youngs Sr. and Jr. is reformed and renamed. A unit in the “Allegheny Commuter” network, the carrier continues to provide scheduled passenger flights linking its Atlantic City base with Wildwood, Cape May, Millville, Philadelphia, Newark, Trenton, Asbury Park, and Monmouth.
Operations continue apace in 1978, but a Beech B-55 Baron with three aboard crashes while taxiing at New York (LGA) on August 10, 1979; there are no survivors.
By 1980, enplanements total 135,034. In 1981, President Donald C. Young Sr. oversees a workforce of 130 and operates a fleet comprising 5 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters and 2 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains.
In 1982-1983, revenue frequencies are initiated to New York (JFK and LGA) and to Washington, D. C. (DCA). Enplanements in the latter year reach 128,080. Orders are placed for DHC-7-102s, the first of which enters service, along with another Twin Otter, in 1984. For the year, passenger boardings jump 26% to 161,411.
A second Dash 7 begins flying in 1985 and helps the “Allegheny Commuter” partner to increase its customer bookings by 10.2% to 177,895. Unfortunately, enplanements drop 6.9% in 1986 to 165,588.
President Young’s fleet in 1987 includes 6 Twin Otters and 2 Dash 7s. Enplanements climb to 176,767. Still, losses continue: $1.3 million (operating) and $1 million (net). At year’s end, the company is sold to Richard Olsen, who keeps the Youngs on.
Another DHC-6-300 and another DHC-7-102 join the fleet in 1988. In March, however, USAir withdraws its 18-year-old “Allegheny Commuter” contract from the small regional. The commuter now approaches Texas Air Corporation (TAC) and receives both “Eastern Express” and “Continental Express” contracts on May 13 to feed both majors at its former Allegheny destinations.
Additionally, summer service is introduced to Cape May and Wildwood from Philadelphia. Costs involved in these changes force the carrier into Chapter XI bankruptcy in September. On the year, passenger boardings plunge 27.9% to 127,540 and revenues decline 30.6% to $7.7 million. Losses total $4.4 million (operating) and $3.5 million (net).
One Dash 7 is removed in early 1989. As a result of the Eastern Air Lines strike that begins in March, Southern Jersey switches affiliations, becoming exclusively a “Continental Express” carrier. The company’s cash flow situation now gets out of hand and it is forced to shut down in May while filing for Chapter XI bankruptcy.
During the remainder of the year, SJA joins in negotiations with fellow bankrupt regional Emerald Airlines aimed at a merger into a new airline, Atlantic City Express. The talks are not successful and the carrier is reduced to the operation in 1990 of one Twin Otter, leased from Scenic Airlines of Las Vegas.
Early in 1991, President Donald Young is able to purchase two more DHC-6-300s and the routes of Long Island Airlines. Unhappily, the airline now loses its “Continental Express” affiliation and unable to maintain its viability in the face of higher fuel bills and recession, the small regional defaults on its arrangement with Long Island and shuts down in early February.
SOUTHERN LINKS. See AIR BOTSWANA (PTY.), LTD.
SOUTHERN MARYLAND AVIATION: United States (1977-1978).
SMA, the FBO at California, Maryland, establishes a scheduled airline division in 1977 and launches daily Piper PA-23 Aztec roundtrips between St. Mary’s and Washington, D. C. (DCA). The service can only be maintained for a year.
SOUTHERN NEVADAAIRLINES: United States (1980-1981). Southern Nevada is set up at Las Vegas in the late spring of 1980 to provide scheduled passenger flights to the Grand Canyon. Piper PA-31-310 Navajo revenue flights are launched in June, but cannot be maintained a year.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC REGIONALAIRLINES (PTY.), LTD.: Australia (1990-1993). SPRAis established at Albion, Queensland, in 1990 as successor to Queensland Pacific Airlines (Pty.), Ltd. to offer scheduled regional passenger and cargo service. General Manager George Brown’s new entrant initiates revenue flights with 4 Mohawk 298s in the spring from Brisbane to Bundaberg and Gladstone. Orders are placed for 3 more Mohawks and enplanements for the year total 11,449.
Charter flights are added in 1991 and passenger boardings climb to 75,964.
The four Mohawks inaugurate three more routes in 1992 and customer bookings advance to 92,100. Operations continue into 1993, but halt in April for lack of money.
SOUTHERN RHODESIAAIR SERVICES, LTD.: Southern Rhodesia (1940-1946). The assets of Rhodesia and Nyasaland Airways, Ltd.
Are taken over by the government of Southern Rhodesia on February 1, 1940 and transformed into SRAS, a communications squadron/airline of the air force, which had been formed a month earlier.
Employing de Havilland DH 89 Dragon Rapides acquired in the purchase maintain all former routes. Destinations visited from Salisbury and Bulawayo include Beira, Johannesburg, Blantyre, Lilongwe, Fort Jameson, Lusaka, Fort Jameson, Mankoya, Mongu, Mumbwa, and Broken Hill.
Later in the year, flights from Blantyre to Beira and Fort Jameson are withdrawn, while a route is added from Lusaka to Kisumu via Nairobi.
On June 7, 1941, in conjunction with South African Airways (Pty.), Ltd., DH-89 service is inaugurated weekly between Johannesburg and Kisumu via Bulawayo, Salisbury, Lusaka, Ndola, Kasama, Mbeya, Dodoma, and Nairobi.
During June 1945, the Air Ministry of Southern Rhodesia announces that SRAS will operate all commercial air services on behalf of the governments of Nyasaland and Rhodesia, both north and south. These join together on June 1, 1946 to form Central African Airways Corporation as successor to SRAS.
SOUTHERN SCENIC AIR SERVICES, LTD. See NEW ZEALAND TRANSPORT AND TRAVEL, LTD.
SOUTHERN SKIES: United States (1981). Southern Skies is founded at Belle Chasse, Louisiana, in early 1981 to provide daily scheduled roundtrip shuttle services to New Orleans and Lafayette. Although Piper lightplane flights are duly inaugurated, they must be halted before year’s end as a result of the PATCO air traffic controllers’ strike.
SOUTHERN SKY AIRLINES (PTY.), LTD.: Thomas Street, Adelaide Airport, Adelaide, South Australia, 5950, Australia; Phone 1800 64 3300; Fax (08) 8231-3688; Year Founded 1996. SKA is established in 1996 to provide charter flights to Kangaroo Island, the Eyre Peninsula, and the K. J. Riverland. Services commence with a pair of Cessna 404s and a Piper PA-31-310 Navajo.
Scheduled flights to Kingscote commence in September 1997. Airline employment in 1998-2000 is 20.
World History
