PARAMARIBO- After the Surinamese Airways had to do without its own aircraft for nearly a full year, it looks like the airline will be able to use an aircraft in its own colours again on the relatively short term.

In recent months, the SLM has been completely dependent on so-called ‘wet-lease’ or ACMI constructions, in which aircraft including crew are hired from third operators. Such constructions are generally only intended for a relatively short term, because of the high costs involved.

Surinam Airways, lost their last aircraft on June 12, 2021 due to arrears of lease payments.

Boeing

The newly leased aircraft, which will be used for among other flights from Suriname to Curaçao and Aruba, according to a report from Dagblad Suriname would be a Boeing 737-800. That aircraft is almost identical to the Boeing 737-700 with which the company previously flew. By leasing an aircraft for the longer term, via a so-called ‘dry-lease’ construction, Surinam Airways own flight and cabin crew can be deployed again for the first time in nearly a year. 

With the single plane, Surinam Airways will still be just a shadow of its former self. In the recent past the airline used to posess 3 dry-leased Boeing 737 aircraft for regional operations, as was as respectively a Boeing 747, Airbus-340 and Boeing 777. The wide-body aircraft served the route to Amsterdam. Reportedly, the SLM is also in the process of acquiring a new wide-body aircraft for that Mid-Atlantic route.