Surinam Airways, also known by its initials SLM, is the flag carrier of Suriname, based in the capital city Paramaribo.[1] It operates regional and long-haul scheduled passenger services. Its hub is at Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (Zanderij). Surinam Airways is wholly owned by the Government of Suriname.
History
Foundation and early years
The airline was established in 1953 by private entrepreneurs Rudi Kappel and Herman van Eyck as the Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company, aimed at operating feeder flights from a domestic network. Scheduled operations started with two Cessna 170Bs in January 1955 with domestic flights between Paramaribo and Moengo. From 1955 until 2005 Surinam Airways operated an extensive domestic network.
On 30 August 1962, the company was purchased from Herman van Eyck by the Surinamese government and renamed Surinam Airways or in Dutch SLM – Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij. The logo of Surinam Airways depicts a 'Sabaku', which is a Surinamese word for cattle egret. From 1964 Surinam Airways started scheduled international operations to