Photos © R.Leeuw
Photos © R.Leeuw
Boeing 767-330(ER) OO-SLT (c/n 25208/381) is seen here on take off with its nosewheel just lifting...
Titles on the fuselage include "Bridge to Curacao" and "Operated by Sobelair".
Amsterdam IAP 28Oct03
Dutch Caribbean Airlines Inc. ceased operations on 09Oct04 and after having filed for bankruptcy on 01Oct04 (which the courts confirmed in November).
The airline had formerly been operating as Air ALM and ALM Antillean Airlines.
DCA had been operating long-haul flights to Amsterdam with Boeing 767s of Air Holland, but when this company went bankrupt it turned to Sobelair.
Sobelair was looking for its own destiny after the bankruptcy of parent company Sabena and indeed could use such a long-term contact; during 2003 Boeing 767-300(ER) OO-SLT was painted in DCA's colourscheme. Unfortunately, Sobelair went bankrupt as well and this was the final blow to struggling DCA.
Airliner service from Amsterdam to the Dutch Antilles date from the very first years of commercial aviation. It started with KLM stationing a Fokker F-XVIII (tri-engine) at Curacao, which landed 8 days after take-off from Schiphol, on 22Dec34 (after a trip of 11,000 kms...4,000 over water!). The flight carried mail.
Services were maintained by the KLM during W.W.2. After the war trial services were made via Dakar and Paramaribo, but during 1946 was changed for a routing vi aNew York. Douglas DC-3s and DC-4s were used in the immediate post-war period, but were replaced by Convair CV340s in 1954 (when the Dutch Colonies were given the full status of provinces of the Netherlands.
On 01Aug64 the West Indies Division of KLM was converted into the wholly-owned subsidiary ALM-Antilliaanse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Antillean Aviation Company) and Convair CV880 jetss joined the fleet.ALM became independent on 01Jan69.
The Convair CV340s were replaced by, initailly Fokker F.27s, but in 1971 these were again replaced by Douglas DC-9s so at that point ALM had an all-jets fleet.
In 1978, KLM restarted more extensive cooperation with ALM. 2 DC8s were brought into service and served the route Curaçao-New York JFK, where KLM handled the ground services.
| Registration | Aircraft Type | Construction number |
| PJ-ALM | Beech 65 Queen Air B80 | LD213 |
| PJ-BOA | Boeing 727-173C | 19506 |
| PJ-SNA | Douglas DC-9-32 | 47648 |
| PJ-SNB | Douglas DC-9-32 | 47666 |
| PJ-SNC | Douglas DC-9-32 | 47669 |
| PJ-SND | Douglas DC-9-32 | 47639 |
| -- | Short SD-330 | on order |
| -- | Short SD-330 | on order |
| PJ-TOC | De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter Srs 300 | 371 |
| PJ-TOD | De Havilland DHC-6-300 Twin Otter Srs 300 | 675 |
| PJ-SNK | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 48144 / 1039 |
| PJ-SNL | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 48154 / 1046 |
| PJ-SNM | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 48139 / 1024 |
| PJ-SNN | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 48138 / 1021 |
| PJ-SEF | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 49123 / 1075 |
| PJ-SEG | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 49124 / 1077 |
| PJ-SEH | McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 49661 / 1452 |
Sources:
Airlines of Latin America since 1919, by R.E.G. Davies (Paladwr Press, 1997)
World Airline Fleets, 1978, by Gunther G. Endress
JP Airline Fleets 2004
Links :
From KLM to DCA
