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A GLIMPSE OF THE HISTORY OF SUDAN AIRWAYS

"FLYING FOR 50 YEARS"

Sudan Airways started its flights in July 1947 with a fleet of 4 planes of the make De Haviland. These were small size airplanes with 8 seats each. A fifth plane of the same make was added later.

When it was first established, the Sudan Airways was annexed to the Sudan Railways. It used to cover all parts which were out of reach for Sudan Railways, such as, remote regional towns. The purpose was to link them to the Capital - Khartoum . In the first year, thus , its small fleet of airplanes managed to carry 736 passengers and 1543 kgs of cargo.

In 1952. Sudan Airways stared to ad 7 D.C. 3 airplanes to its fleet, of the capacity of 26 seats. It thence started its first international flights to Cairo in November 1954. Then flights were extended to Antebe, Asmara, Aden Beirut and Jeddah in 1955 .

The first step towards development, though started in June 1959. In that year , Sudan Airways started its Blue Nile Flights to the European cities, using Vickers Via- Count, in June of that year, 3 flights were organized weekly to London, Rome. Athens, Cairo, Beirut and then to Nairobi vis Addis Ababa. Sudan Airways was the first non- British airliner to use Gatwick Airport ( London ) . Its vaicont and surpassed all standard in the number of passengers carries, and the distance travelled

In 1959, Sudan Airways became a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the Arab Air Transport Association (AATA) and the African Aviation Companies Association (AFROA). After ten years of continuous service, it changed its Dakota DC 3s planes, to planes of type Fokkers F27. The Sudan Airways was the first airline to use these airplanes. In the same year, it changed its Vai-count planes with planes of the type of De-Haviland Commmect . These These latter planes continued to operate successfully for 11 years in the Blue Nile flights, between Khartoum and London, and in local (internal) flights too. In 1968, 3 De-Haviland Twin were bought. Thus, Gineina, Fasher and Atbara added to Sudan Airways schedule.

In 1973, for reasons of development and expansion in Sudan Airways services, 2 Boeing 737-200 were added to the fleet, to develop its capabilities to meet the demand on its services. Since that date, Sudan Airways continued to develop and modernize its fleet by all available means, until April 1987. Then the Company endeavoured to acquire a more capacious and wider airplanes. So, it managed to hire a Tri-Star airplane and operated it through joint operations with the Royal Jordanian Company Airlines, to cover the European flights. But this did not continue for long. The company also tried to hire the same size of planes for the summer and Haj flights, so as to meet the demand by travellers.

In 1987, the Company started to support its internal fleet by adding two Fokker 50s, by purchasing them in 1989. Efforts continued to support the Company's international fleet with modern planes of the same wider dimensions.

In 1992, the Sudan Airways managed to implement an ambitious programme to develop and renew its fleet. It achieved great success by supporting its fleet with the first Airbus 320 A plane, by hire-purchase, and financing by Credit Agricol (A French bank).

The development programme, thus, continued and with the modernization of the fleet. Hence, another Airbus plane of the same make was added in November 1992. This has opened changes for cooperation and financing from the Western financial institutions. The Company's success in operating these planes commercially, made Airbus Company to offer Sudan Airways another Airbus 320, which joined the fleet in August 1993. The plan for development and modernization, according to set programmes and the scientific approach, did not stop, thus a fourth Airbus plane joined the fleet, in May 1994.

The Sudan Airways also established a section for private air service. This section included 2 twin planes and 2 King Air planes. This section is efficiently operating now to satisfy the needs of the companies, corporations and international organizations inside Sudan. Thus, the Company's fleet has become composed of an Airbus 300-6--, two Airbus planes A 310, one Airbus A 320, two 737, three Boeing 707, Fokker 50 planes, 2 King Air planes and 2 Twin.

The Rehabilitation and modernization programme was not confined to the fleet. Plans were set in order to include all the Company. The major part of this programme centring on manpower investment, was achieved. This include training engineers, technicians, pilots and the introduction of the computers methods. All employees in the Company were trained on the computer. Also, a modern system of automatic reservation and travel was applied. Thus, all procedures pertaining to tickets, reservation and travel are done on the computer. In addition, all accounting and clerical work is now done on the computer. This experiment was designed by the Company and applied to a number of travel and tourism agencies. The Company trained its emloyees in a project which was inaugurated in the beginning of July 1994. The Company, thus, became a member in the international reservation network.

Modernization covered all the Company's offices, workshops and equipment. A large number of reservation offices were modernized and work is in progress in the remaining offices. The offices of the HQs of the Company were rehabilitated in a modern manner, together with workshops and cargo depots. There are also ambitious plans to develop services in the field of air hosting, supply cleanliness, reading, music and video to cope with contemporary huge developments.

The Company, likewise, confronted all critical national situations; such transporting millet seeds from West Africa and the war-injured from the South. Likewise, the Company's role during the Gulf War was a peak of pride for it, and made it excell all international airliners. It managed to transport all Sudanese citizens from the war zone in a record time and a very high efficiency and burdening the high international insurance risks, for the sake of the homeland and the citizen.

Thus, the Sudan Airways Company has started to progress in positive steps, by the efforts and efficient and high qualifications of its sons who managed to break the circle of economic and financing embargo, by convincing the Western financing institutions, through the studied scientific plans, to support the fleet and modernize the Company. All these steps need the collaboration of everybody, so as to achieve better services, full support and development of the national transporter and for more solidarity and collaboration between all the country's men and women all over the world.