Surinam Airways
Surinam Airways, also known by its initials SLM, is the flag carrier of Suriname, based in Paramaribo. It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport. Surinam Airways is wholly owned by the Government of Suriname, although plans have been made in the past to sell it.
History
The airline was established in 1953 by private entrepreneurs Ronald Rudi Kappel and Herman van Eyck as the Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company, aimed at operating feeder flights from a domestic network. Scheduled operations started in January 1955, initially serving the Paramaribo–Moengo route. On 30 August 1962, the company was taken over by the Surinamese government and renamed SLMSurinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij.From 1964 Surinam Airways started scheduled international operations to Curaçao together with ALM Antillean Airlines.
Upon the country's independence in, the carrier was appointed as the national airline of the Republic of Suriname, and it also started services to Amsterdam using a Douglas DC-8-63 that was leased from KLM.
At, the carrier had 400 employees. At this time, the fleet consisted of a Douglas DC-8-63, a Douglas DC-8-50F and three Twin Otters. It operated international routes to Amsterdam, Belem, Curacao, Georgetown, Manaus, Miami and Panama City, and domestic services to Apoera, Avanavero, Bakhuys, Djoemoe, Ladouanie, Moengo and Nieuw Nickerie. From 1955 til 2005 Surinam Airways operated an extensive domestic network. Now, since 2013 Caricom Airways is operating as a feeder commuter airline from the hinterland of Suriname, using two Britten Norman BN2 Islanders and a Cessna 206, as Surinam Airways Commuter. On 7 June 1989, a Douglas DC-8-62 crashed on approach to Zanderij Airport, killing 175 occupants on board.
, the airline had 543 employees.
In early 2009, Surinam Airways ordered two Boeing 737-300s to replace its McDonnell Douglas MD-82s. In the same year, the carrier retired the 2011-bought Boeing 747-300s from service. It was replaced by the end of 2009 with a 317-seater Airbus A340. A new Boeing 737-700 was ordered on lease from DAE Capital and arrived on 30 April 2018 in Suriname this plane was also formerly flown by Air China.
Corporate affairs
At one time the company had its head office at Mr. Jagernath Lachmonstraat 136., Surinam Airways was the owner of both the only terminal in Zanderij Airport and the only ground handling company in that airport.Destinations
Surinam Airways operates scheduled services to the following destinations, as of 2019. Terminated destinations are also listed.| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
| Aruba | Oranjestad | Queen Beatrix International Airport | — | |
| Barbados | Bridgetown | Grantley Adams International Airport | ||
| Brazil | Belém | Val de Cães International Airport | — | |
| Curaçao | Willemstad | Hato International Airport | — | |
| France, French Guiana | Cayenne | Cayenne – Félix Eboué Airport | ||
| Guyana | Georgetown | Cheddi Jagan International Airport | — | |
| Haiti | Port-au-Prince | Toussaint Louverture International Airport | ||
| Netherlands | Amsterdam | Amsterdam Airport Schiphol | — | |
| Suriname | Avanavero | Avanavero Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Bakhuys | Bakhuys Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Djoemoe | Djoemoe Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Ladouanie | Laduani Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Moengo | Moengo Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Nieuw Nickerie | Major Henk Fernandes Airport | ||
| Suriname | Paramaribo | Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport | ||
| Suriname | Paramaribo | Zorg en Hoop Airport | ||
| Suriname | Stoelmanseiland | Stoelmans Eiland Airstrip | ||
| Suriname | Wasjabo | Washabo Airport | ||
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | Piarco International Airport | — | |
| United States | Miami | Miami International Airport | — | |
| United States | Orlando | Orlando Sanford International Airport | — |
Codeshare agreements
- TUI fly Netherlands
Fleet
Current
, the Surinam Airways fleet comprises the following aircraft:Retired
Surinam Airways operated the following aircraft throughout its history:- Airbus A340-300
- Beech G-18S
- Bell 47G Helicopter
- Boeing 707-320C
- Boeing 737-200
- Boeing 737-300
- Boeing 747-200B
- Boeing 747-300SCD
- Boeing 777-200ER
- Cessna UC-78C Bobcat
- Cessna 170B
- Cessna 206
- de Havilland Canada DHC6-100 Twin Otter
- de Havilland Canada DHC6-300 Twin Otter
- DHC-8-300
- Douglas C-47A
- Douglas C-47B
- Douglas DC-6A
- Douglas DC-6B
- Douglas DC-8 Series 50
- Douglas DC-8 Super 60 Series
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub
- Piper PA-23-160 Apache E
Accidents and incidents
- On 5 May 1978, a Douglas DC-6 from the Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij, registered N3493F was damaged beyond repair while landing at Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport on a cargo flight from Curaçao Hato International Airport. All 3 occupants survived.
- On 7 June 1989, Flight 764, a US-registered Douglas DC-8, crashed west of Zanderij Airport, on approach, due to a pilot error. Out of 176 occupants on board, only 11 people survived the accident, which remains the worst in Suriname's history.
Citations