Sudan Airways

Sudan Airways is the national airline of Sudan, headquartered in Khartoum. As of October 2012, the company is fully owned by the Government of Sudan.

The carrier was formed in February 1946 and started scheduled operations in July the following year. It is a member of the International Air Transport Association, of the Arab Air Carriers Organization since 1965, and of the African Airlines Association since 1968, becoming a founding member along with another ten companies. As of December 2011, Sudan Airways had 1,700 employees. The airline has been included in the list of airlines banned in the EU since March 2010.

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. Sudan Airways was formed in February 1946 with the technical assistance of Airwork Limited, and the commercial support of Sudan Railways. The initial fleet was composed of four de Havilland Doves, with test flights commencing in April 1947.

The first scheduled operations were launched in July the same year, with the first timetable being published in September. 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 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 with de Havilland Dove equipment. An Airwork Viking flew the Blackbushe–Khartoum long-haul route. A fifth Dove was ordered in January 1948. 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.