Aviation History
Suriname's civil aviation began with the private Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company in 1953, which the government purchased in 1962 and renamed Surinam Airways (SLM). SLM became the country's designated flag carrier at independence from the Netherlands in 1975 and remains the state-owned national airline, though it has faced persistent financial difficulties in recent years.
Entrepreneurs Rudi Kappel and Herman van Eyck founded Suriname's first airline, the predecessor to Surinam Airways.
Scheduled flights started using Cessna 170Bs between Paramaribo and Moengo, Suriname's first regular passenger air service.
The Surinamese government acquired the carrier and renamed it Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij (Surinam Airways), still operating today.
Upon Suriname's independence from the Netherlands, SLM was designated the national flag carrier and launched service to Amsterdam.
A SLM DC-8 crashed near Zanderij Airport (now Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport) on approach, killing 175 of 187 occupants, one of the deadliest accidents in the country's history.
SLM was placed on the EU's list of airlines subject to operating restrictions, reflecting ongoing financial and regulatory challenges; this status is subject to change as the airline addresses compliance issues.
Surinam Airways (SLM) · Gum Air
Wikipedia, airline corporate history, EU Air Safety List
Aviation Firsts
Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (Zanderij) — Paramaribo (1947): Zanderij sahası en azından 1930'ların başından/ortasından itibaren bir hava alanı olarak kullanılıyordu (Pan American World Airways 1928'de Zanderij üzerinden Miami–Paramaribo posta uçuşlarına başladı, pilotlar 1934/1938'de oraya iniş yaptığını bildirdi). ABD ordusu 1941-42'de bir II. Dünya Savaşı üs anlaşması kapsamında modern pistleri inşa etti, saha 22 Ekim 1947'de Hollanda sivil otoritelerine iade edildi — burada kesintisiz sivil operasyonun başlangıcı olarak ele alınıyor, ama 1928 PAA posta servisi göz önüne alındığında belgelenmemiş daha erken bir sivil açılış (1930'lardan önce) makul. · Wikipedia ↗
Surinam Airways (SLM) (1953): 1953'te Rudi Kappel ve Herman van Eyck tarafından Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company (Luchtvaartbedrijf Kappel-Van Eyck) olarak kuruldu; tarifeli yurt içi servise (Paramaribo–Moengo) Ocak 1955'te iki Cessna 170B ile başladı. Hükümet 1962'de şirketi satın alıp Surinam Airways olarak yeniden adlandırdı. Mevcut kaynaklarda daha eski bir Surinam havayolu bulunamadı. · PY ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
No documented foreign entrant found. The only ground/cargo handler listed for Johan Adolf Pengel/Zanderij International Airport is Surinam Airways (SLM) itself — the domestic flag carrier's in-house unit, excluded per the rules. One side lead — a 2013 report that "DAE forces SLM to provide ground handling services in Zanderij" — turned out to describe a foreign carrier (DAE) compelling the domestic carrier SLM to handle its own flights, not a foreign ground-handling company entering the market, so it doesn't qualify either. No Swissport/dnata/Menzies/Çelebi/Havaş/WFS/NAS presence found for Suriname.