Sudan Airways

Sudan Airways is the national airline of Sudan. It was formed by Sudan Railways in 1947 to serve parts of the country that no railways reached. The initial fleet was four De Havilland Doves. In 1952 the airline acquired its first DC-3 and expanded to seven aircraft. These were used for international services to Aden, Asmara, Beirut, Cairo and Jeddah. In 1959 the Vickers Viscount was added to the fleet and the Blue Nile flights to European destinations started. Also 1959, Sudan Airways joined IATA. By 1967 the airline had replaced its DC-3s with Fokker F27s and Vickers Viscounts with the De Havilland Comet. Suubsequently the fleet was modernised with Boeing 707, Boeing 737, Airbus A310, Fokker 50 and more recently has acquired through lease-finance, three Airbus A320s.

The airline has had the following three fatal crashes:

• December 6 1971 - Fokker F27 ST-AAY - Tikaka - forced landing after hijack - 10 fatalities
• August 16 1986 - Fokker F27 ST-ADY - Malakal - shot down by SPLA rebels - 60 fatalities
• July 8 2003 - Boeing 737-200 ST-AFK - Port Sudan - 116 fatalities

Sudan continues to suffer a civil war which restricts areas of the country that can be served. In addition there is a UN embargo against the country resulting in curtailment of European services and the sale of two Fokker 50s.