Sudan Airways
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Sudan Airways (Template:Langx) is the national airline of Sudan,[1] headquartered in Khartoum. Since 2012, the company has been fully owned by the Government of Sudan.[2]
One of the oldest African carriers,[1] it was formed in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". and started scheduled operations in July the following year. since December 2011[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Sudan Airways had 1,700 employees.[3] The airline has been included in the list of air carriers banned in the European Union since Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..
History
An Air Advisory Board was formed in 1945 to assess on the feasibility of starting air services in the country, recommending to set up an air company with the aid of foreign carriers that would provide their technical and management expertise. Initially, the new airline would restrict its operations to on-demand services.Template:Sfnp Sudan Airways was formed in February 1946 with the technical assistance of Airwork Limited, and the commercial support of Sudan Railways.[4]Template:Rp
The initial fleet was composed of four de Havilland Doves, with test flights commencing in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..Template:Sfnp The first scheduled operations were launched in July the same year,[4]Template:Rp with the first timetable being published in September.Template:Sfnp Khartoum became Sudan Airways' hub from the very beginning. From there, the carrier started flying four different services all across the Sudanese territory, as well as to the not yet independent Eritrea. The first routes the company flew linked Khartoum with Asmara, Atbara, El Fashir, El Obeid, Geneina, Juba, Kassala, Malakal, and Port Sudan, all of them served by de Havilland Dove aircraft.[4]Template:Rp An Airwork Viking flew the Blackbushe–Khartoum long-haul route. A fifth Dove was ordered in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".. That year, a route to Wadi Halfa was launched. Sudan Railways withdrew from the airline's management in 1949; the government and Airwork continued running the company thereafter.Template:Sfnp
Kassala and Asmara were removed from the airline's list of destinations in 1952. In February that year, a fifth Dove was phased in. There was such a demand for flying that the toilets on the Doves were removed to make room for more seats, with these aircraft even carrying passengers in the cockpit. This prompted the airline to look for newer and bigger airliners, with the Douglas DC-3 and the de Havilland Heron being under consideration.Template:Sfnp Flown with Austers and Doves, by Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". the carrier was operating a domestic network that was Script error: No such module "convert". long.[5] That year, the carrier incorporated the first four DC-3s into the fleet.Template:Sfnp The boost in capacity allowed the company to carry both passengers and mail, to introduce new regular routes to Cairo and Wad Medani,[4]Template:Rp and to carry out aerial survey tasks for the government.Template:Sfnp Also in 1953, the Chadian city of Abeche was made part of the route network, whereas regular flights to Jeddah were launched in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..Template:Sfnp Services to Athens commenced in the mid-1950s. Two more DC-3s were bought in 1956.Template:Sfnp In 1958, after taking office, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces decided to expand the carrier's international operations.[4]Template:Rp A seventh DC-3 was incorporated into the fleet that year.Template:Sfnp Long-haul services started in June 1959 between Khartoum and London via Rome –the so-called "Blue Nile" service[6]– using a Viscount 831 that was acquired new earlier that year in a joint venture with British United Airways.[4]Template:Rp Beirut was added to the destination network in November the same year.Template:Sfnp Also in 1959, the airline joined IATA.[7]
By Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the fleet included seven DC-3s, four Doves, and a Viscount 831.[9] The latter aircraft was used to resume operations to Asmara in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..Template:Sfnp Aimed at replacing the DC-3s and the Doves in domestic and regional routes,[4]Template:Rp[10] the airline acquired three Fokker F27s in October that year;Template:Sfnp these were delivered in early 1962,[11] with the first of them being deployed on domestic routes, making Sudan Airways the first African airline in operating the type.Template:Sfnp Also in 1962, two Comet 4Cs were bought in May,[6] intended as a replacement of the Viscount service;[12] Sudan Airways had considered the acquisition of two jets for deployment on the ″Blue Nile″ route since the frequency on the service was increased to twice weekly in 1961.Template:Sfnp The airline took delivery of the first Comet in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".,[8] and the second aircraft of the type was delivered a month later.Template:Sfnp Comets commenced flying the ″Blue Nile″ service in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".; that year, the frequency was again increased to operate three times a week. The ″Blue Nile″ service first served Frankfurt in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..Template:Sfnp Also in Template:YEAR, a fourth Friendship was ordered.[13] In 1967, the company became a corporation run on a commercial basis;[14]Template:Rp also, three Twin Otters were ordered as a replacement for the DC-3s.Template:Sfnp The first of these aircraft joined the fleet in 1968;[14]Template:Rp the second aircraft of the type delivered to the company was the Script error: No such module "Ordinal". produced by de Havilland Canada.[15]
By Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the route network totaled Script error: No such module "convert"., with international destinations including Aden, Addis Ababa, Asmara, Athens, Beirut, Cairo, Entebbe, Fort Lamy, Jeddah, London, Nairobi and Rome. At this time, the fleet was composed of two Comet 4Cs, three DC-3s, four F-27s and three Twin Otters.[17] The last passenger DC-3 left the fleet in 1971.Template:Sfnp In 1972, the Comets were put on sale and were replaced by two Boeing 707s leased from British Midland.Template:Sfnp[16][18] Sudan Airways ordered two Boeing 707-320Cs in 1973, for delivery in June and Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..[16] Pending delivery of two Boeing 737-200Cs ordered a year earlier,[19] the two Boeing 707-320Cs were part of the fleet by Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., along with five F-27s, three Twin Otters, and a single DC-3.[20]
The company had 2,362 employees at Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., with an aircraft park that included one Airbus A300-600, one Airbus A300-600R, three Boeing 707-320Cs, one Boeing 727-200, one Boeing 737-200C and one Fokker F27-600. By this time, the airline provided scheduled services to Abu Dhabi, Addis Ababa, Al Ain, Amman, Bangui, Cairo, Damascus, Doha, Dongola, Dubai, El Fasher, El Obeid, Eldebba, Geneina, Istanbul, Jeddah, Juba, Kano, Lagos, London, Malakal, Merowe, Muscat, Ndjamena, Niamey, Nyala, Paris, Port Sudan, Riyadh, Sanaa, Sharjah, Tripoli, Wadi Halfa and Wau.[21] In 2007, the Sudanese government privatised the airline, maintaining only a 30% stake of the national carrier.[22][23] The Kuwaiti private group that owned 49% of the shares since then sold its stake back to the state in 2011.[3]
In the wake of the crash of Flight 109, in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". the airline was grounded following an indefinite suspension of its operating certificate by the Sudanese government,[24][25][26] despite the fact that it was stated as not being in connection with the accident.[27] This decision was later rolled back, and the company was allowed to resume operations.[28][29]
In 2017, it was announced that the Sudanese President Omar al Bashir signed several cooperation agreements with King Salman of Saudi Arabia during a visit to Riyadh. Among the agreements was a pledge from the Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation to restructure SAR22.5 million riyals (US$6 million) worth of debt. In addition, provisions for fleet renewal at Sudan Airways were also made. It was reported Saudi Arabia may equip the Sudan Airways with fourteen aircraft including three B777s, three A320-200s, six Embraer Regional Jets, and two A330-200s.[30]
Following the lifting of American sanctions in 2017, Sudan Airways announced plans to revive its fleet.[31]
European Union ban
In late Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., all Sudan-based airlines were banned by the European Union (EU) from flying into or within the member states due to safety concerns.[32][33] All the subsequent released ban lists included all airlines with an operator's certificate issued in Sudan as banned to operate into the member countries of the EU.
| Date of release of ban list | Ban status | Refs |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Dts | Not banned | [34] |
| Template:Dts | Not banned | [35] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [36] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [37] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [38] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [39] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [40] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [41] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [42] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [43] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [44] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [45] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [46] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [47] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [48] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [49] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [50] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [51] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [52] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [53] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [54] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [55] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [56] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [57] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [58] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [59] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [60] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [61] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [62] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [63] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [64] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [65] |
| Template:Dts | Banned | [66] |
Corporate affairs
Key people
since December 2020[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the CEO position was held by Yasir Timo.[67][68]
Headquarters
Sudan Airways has its headquarters in Khartoum.[69][70]
Destinations
Following is a list of destinations served by Sudan Airways, since February 2023[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"..[71] Terminated destinations are also shown.
![[76]](#cite_note-sd68-3.jpg-76){kind=link}
Fleet
Current
since August 2025[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., Sudan Airways operates the following aircraft:[82]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 180Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 1 | — | 138Script error: No such module "Unsubst". | |
| Total | 2 | 0 | ||
Retired
Script error: No such module "Multiple image". The company has flown the following aircraft throughout its history:[83]
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- Airbus A300B4-600R[70][84]
- Airbus A300-600[21]
- Airbus A300-600F
- Airbus A310-200
- Airbus A310-300
- Antonov An-24T
- Antonov An-24RV
- Antonov An-74TK
- Boeing 707-120B
- Boeing 707-320B
- Boeing 707-320C
- Boeing 720-020
- Boeing 727-200
- Boeing 737-200
- Boeing 737-200C
- Boeing 737-400
- Boeing 737-500[85]
- Boeing 757-200
- C-130H
- Comet 4C[4]Template:Rp
- de Havilland Dove[4]Template:Rp
- DHC-6 Twin Otter[86][14]Template:Rp
- Douglas C-47B
- Douglas DC-8-30
- Douglas DC-8-60
- DC-9-80
- Fokker F27-200
- Fokker F27-400
- Fokker F27-500
- Fokker F27-600
- Fokker 50[87]
- Ilyushin Il-18D
- Ilyushin Il-18V
- L-1011-1
- L-1011-500
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
- Viscount 800[4]Template:Rp
- Yak-42D
Accidents and incidents
According to Aviation Safety Network, since December 2011[update]Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Sudan Airways records 21 accidents/incidents, 7 of them leading to fatalities.[88] The worst accident experienced by the company took place in Script error: No such module "Date time".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". near Port Sudan, when 117 people lost their lives on an emergency landing. All events included in the list below carried with the hull-loss of the aircraft involved.
| Date | Location | Aircraft | Tail number | Aircraft damage | Fatalities | Description | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | Douglas C-47B | ST-AAM | W/O | Template:Nts/2 | During a training flight, lost height on approach and hit the roof of two houses and a truck before crashing. The instructor was killed. | [89][90] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKapoeta | F27-200 | ST-AAY | W/O | Template:Nts/42 | The aircraft was flying a domestic scheduled Khartoum–Malakal passenger service when it ran out of fuel, sinking into trees following a forced landing near Kapoeta. After the accident, the survivors were held captive by tribesmen. | [91][92][93] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconEl Obeid | F27-400M | ST-ADX | W/O | Template:Nts/4 | Overran the runway on landing at El Obeid Airport with a feathered propeller. | [94][95] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconDinder National Park | Twin Otter 100 | ST-ADB | W/O | Template:Nts/6 | Crashed during an inspection flight. | [96][97] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconEl Fasher | F27-400M | ST-ADW | W/O | Template:Nts/39 | The nosewheel collapsed on takeoff from El Fasher Airport. | [98][99] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | Boeing 707-320C | ST-AIM | W/O | Template:Nts/11 | The aircraft that was on final approach to Khartoum Airport inbound from Jeddah, when it landed in the River Nile after the pilots mistook the moonlit waters with the adjacent runway. | [100][101]Template:Rp |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconMerowe | F27-200 | ST-AAS | W/O | Template:Nts/20 | Resulted damaged beyond repair upon landing at Merowe Airport. | [102] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconEl Debba | F27-200 | ST-AAR | W/O | Template:Nts/31 | Hard landing at El Debba Airport. | [103] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconMalakal | F27-400M | ST-ADY | W/O | Template:Nts/60 | The airplane was en route a domestic scheduled Malakal–Khartoum passenger service, when it was shot down with an SA-7 near Malakal by SPLA rebels. | [104][105][106] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | F27-200 | ST-AAA | W/O | Template:Nts | The aircraft made a belly landing at Khartoum Airport, after it was unable to get fully airborne during take-off. | [107][108] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | Boeing 737-200C | ST-AFL | W/O | Template:Nts | Suffered a hydraulic malfunction shortly after take-off that prompted the pilots to return to the airport of departure. A tyre burst occurred upon landing. The aircraft overran the runway and came to rest in a ditch. Due to operate a scheduled domestic Khartoum–Dongola passenger service. | [109][110]Template:Rp |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | F27-600 | ST-SSD | W/O | Template:Nts/2 | Tyres burst after a rejected take-off at Khartoum Airport during a training flight, making the aircraft to drift to the right. The landing gears resulted damaged when the aircraft skidded off the runway. | [111][112]Template:Rp |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconPort Sudan | Boeing 737-200C | ST-AFK | W/O | Template:Nts/117 | Due to operate a domestic scheduled Port Sudan–Khartoum service as Flight 139. Some 15 minutes after take-off, one of the engines lost power and prompted the crew to return to make an emergency landing. However, the runway was missed and the aircraft descended until it hit the ground, Script error: No such module "convert". east of Port Sudan. | [113] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconKhartoum | A310-300 | ST-ATN | W/O | Template:Nts/214 | The aircraft was operating an international scheduled Amman–Damascus–Khartoum passenger service as Flight 109, when it crashed and subsequently burst into flames upon landing amid stormy weather at the final destination airport, after it veered off the runway. The plane had 214 people on board; despite most of them managed to escape from the burning aircraft, the accident claimed 30 lives. | [114] |
| Template:Dts | Template:FlagiconSharjah | Boeing 707-320C | ST-AKW | W/O | Template:Nts/6 | Crashed into a desert zone Script error: No such module "convert". northwest of Sharjah International Airport immediately after take-off. The aircraft had been leased by Sudan Airways from Azza Transport, and was due to operate a scheduled Sharjah–Khartoum freighter service as Flight 2241. | [115][116][117][118] |
See also
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Notes
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References
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Bibliography
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External links
- Script error: No such module "Official website".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".
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