Response to a petition from colonial governor Gen. Cayla to the French Air Ministry in Paris, this small carrier is formed in the spring of 1934 as Service de la Navigation Aerienne de Madagascar, S. A. to offer service from Madagascar to France.
Two SPCAs are sent out to Madagascar from France, along with pilots Rene Lefebre and Jean Assoland. The initial mission will be to fly airmail from Tananarive, Madagascar, to the Imperial Airways, Ltd. stop at Broken Hill, Rhodesia. Flying via Mozambique, the company begins weekly roundtrip service on July 29.
Two Bloch 120s replace the SPCAs at the beginning of 1935. They are employed to stretch the company’s route from Broken Hill to Elisa-bethville, where a connection is made with Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A.
On Madagascar, roundtrip domestic passenger and cargo service is launched by the SPCAs over routes from Tananarive to Maroantsetra via Majunga and Diego Suarez, and from Tananarive to Ihosy via Moron-dava, Tulear, and Fort Dauphin.
The company name is changed to Regie Malagache, S. A. late in the year.
Enplanements during the 12 months total just 35; however, 1,692 pounds of cargo and 14,920 pounds of mail are also transported.
On May 27, 1936, regularly scheduled Elisabethville airmail flights, in cooperation with Sabena Belgian World Airlines, S. A., begin across the Belgian Congo to Algiers and Marseilles.
Traffic statistics are reported through the year’s first half and show passenger bookings of 182; additionally, 9,320 pounds of cargo and 7,700 pounds of mail are flown.
In cooperation with Air France and Regie Air Afrique, S. A., weekly passenger service is inaugurated on November 1 from Tananarive to Marseilles. The flights require 6 1/2 days each way.
On September 1, 1937, the international route from Tananarive is handed over to the new Air Afrique, S. A. (1) and the carrier is again reformed, becoming the island feeder airline Service de l’Aeronautique Civile, S. A. (SAC).
World History
