Reformed in 1990 and renamed. Ownership is divided between King Mswati III’s trust, Tibiye Taka Ngwane, and the Swaziland government.
Operations continue from Matsapa Airport at Manzini with a single Fokker F.28-3000 to Johannesburg, Lusaka, Harare, Maputo, and Nairobi. Enplanements total 742,560.
Airline employment in 1991 stands at 150. Passenger boardings decline 2% to 728,000 and freight falls 10% to 10.3 million FTKs.
Operations continue apace during 1992-1994 as a Fokker 100 enters service in November 1993. Chairman Prince Ghabeni Diamini and CEO Prince Matatazela initiate new markets at Dar es Salaam, Gabarone, Maputo, and Maseru. Frequencies operated to Johannesburg end within a year.
A lone assailant, attempting to take over the F.28-3000 at Johannesburg on July 4, 1993, is shot dead by security police.
Flights continue in 1995-1998 and airline employment grows to total 155. The F-100 is leased to LAM Mozambique Airlines, S. A. in October 1996.
On January 25, 1999, SA Air Link (Pty.), Ltd. purchases 43% of Royal Swazi and reportedly passes word to LAM Mozambique Airlines, S. A. that it wishes the Swazi Fokker 100 returned by March. Now LAM will be down to just one Boeing 737-2D1A with which to operate its domestic and regional flights.
As late as March 22, LAM denies continuing reports that Royal Swazi has recalled the Fokker.
On April 12, this carrier is renamed Swaziland Airline, Ltd.
ROYAL SWAZI NATIONAL AIRWAYS CORPORATION, LTD.: Swaziland (1978-1990). This government-controlled carrier is formed in January 1978 as successor to Swazi Air, Ltd. (2), which has ceased trading. Chairman/Managing Director J. T. Morrison’s 31-employee company possesses a fleet of 2 Vickers Viscount 800s and 1 Viscount 700. Revenue flights commence on August 1 over a route from Manzini to Johannesburg and Durban.
During 1979-1986, the international route network is built up to include additional stops at Antananarivo, Dar Es Salaam, Gaborone, Harare, Lusaka, Mahe, Manzini, and Nairobi. Airline employment averages 150 and the fleet grows to include 1 each Boeing 737-200, Fokker F.28-3000, and Fairchild Metro.
Enplanements average 25,000-30,000 per year.
Operations continue apace in 1987-1989; however, by the latter year General Manager G. J. Paris operates only the Fokker Fellowship on routes from Manzini to Johannesburg, Lusaka, Maputo, Nairobi, and Harare. The company is reformed in 1990 and renamed Royal Swazi Airways Corporation, Ltd.
ROYAL TONGAN AIRLINES, LTD.: Private Bag 9, Fatafehi Road, Royco Building, Nuku’alofa, Tonga; Phone 676 23 414; Fax 676 24 056; Http://www. kalianet. to/rta; Code WR; Year Founded 1991. In May 1991, 70-employee Friendly Islands Airways, Ltd. becomes Royal Tongan Airlines, Ltd. C. Kaltenborg V. Stachau is named general manager and the fleet comprises Friendly’s 2 de Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otters. The predecessor’s interisland services are maintained linking Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apia, and ‘Eua. International services to Auckland are started in July employing a Boeing Til-A9 wet-leased from Air New Zealand, Ltd. Neil Cox is appointed general manager in 1992.
Operations continue as do fiscal losses, which in 1993 total $453,000, both operating and net. Geoffrey W. Bowmaker becomes managing director in 1994 and orders are placed for two British Aerospace BAe (HS) l48-B2s.
Revenues ascend 56.8% to $l.26 million, while operating expenses climb 4l.6% to $l.5 million. Consequently, there is an operating loss of $240,000 and a net loss of the same amount.
In January 1995, Royal Tongan joins with Air Pacific, Ltd. in the joint lease of a B-l3l-33A, which is employed to inaugurate a dualdesignator service between Tonga and Fiji. In May, the Royal Tongan Boeing beings a new service from Tonga via Auckland to Sydney.
During the spring, Polynesian Airlines, Ltd. replaces a leased Air Canada, Ltd. Boeing with a B-l6l-269 chartered from Kuwait Airways Corporation, Ltd. Part of the cost and a shared route are born by Royal Tongan, and as a result, the aircraft wears that company’s markings as well.
Two new partnerships begin with larger carriers in April 1996. The first, with Air New Zealand, Ltd., provides for code-sharing services between Tongatapu and Auckland. At the same time, the company begins to share its code with Ansett Australia (Pty.), Ltd. on its trans-Tasman routes.
A code-sharing agreement signed a month earlier begins with Polynesian Airlines, Ltd. on October 28, 1997. Under its terms, Polynesian’s current weekly service from Apia to Melbourne via Wellington is extended by way of Tonga.
Flights continue in 1998-1999.
James Bradford is general manager at the beginning of 2000 and his workforce totals 122. In mid-May, an ex-Bahamasair, Ltd. Shorts 360200 is brought in to replace the HS l48 previously employed on Tongan Island services.
This airline will be grounded (temporarily, as it will turn out) on March 12, 2001 when the Tongan transport secretary finds unqualified management in charge.
ROYAL WEST AIRLINES: United States (1986-1988). Originally planned four years earlier as a low-cost Colorado Springs-based regional, RWA is actually established at Los Angeles in the spring of 1986 to provide scheduled passenger flights to Las Vegas and Reno in Nevada. Revenue services commence on June 26 with three British Aerospace BAe 146-200s; however, the initial route operated is from Los Angeles and Burbank to Ontario and Las Vegas. Weekend flights from the California communities to the Colorado ski resorts begins in the fall and continues into the winter. Still, a cash flow problem emerges quickly and with nothing to point to, the privately held carrier exercises its right not to release any traffic or financial reporting.
Scheduled flights cease on February 2l, 1987 and merger negotiations are begun with Phoenix-based StatesWest Airlines. As these proceed, RWA offers charter and replacement services. When the discussions fail, the company is forced into Chapter XI bankruptcy. While plans for reorganization are undertaken, charter flights are operated with two of the British-made jetliners on behalf of an Elko, Nevada, casino.
In late December, a BAe is wet-leased to Sunworld International Airways, which employs it to operate a daily roundtrip from its new Reno hub to San Diego via Las Vegas and Ontario, California.
Unable to resume airline operations, the company enters Chapter VII liquidation in early 1988.
World History
