Deccan Airways
 | |
| Founded | September 1945[1] |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | July 1946 |
| Ceased operations | 1953 |
| Hubs | Begumpet Airport |
| Headquarters | Hyderabad |
Deccan Airways Limited was a commercial airline based at Begumpet Airport[2] in the former Hyderabad State in India. It was owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Tata Airlines.[3]
History
[edit]Founded in 1945, Deccan was one of the nine airlines that existed in India during independence. The airline was a joint venture of Nizam Government of the Hyderabad State and Tata Airlines. 71% of Deccan Airways was owned by the Nizam's Government and the rest by Tata Sons and others. Commercial operations were launched with a fleet of three aircraft in July 1946, operating a biweekly service between Madras and Delhi via Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, and Gwalior. It also flew a biweekly Hyderabad-Bangalore flight.[4] By March 1947, the airline had seven aircraft in its fleet and was operating the Madras-Delhi flight daily as well as a daily Hyderabad-Bombay flight.[5] Between July 1946 and May 1947, the airline had carried more than eleven thousand passengers, 51 tonnes of freight, and almost seven tonnes of mail.[6]
Post-Annexation
[edit]After the September 1948 Operation Polo, a military operation through which India annexed Hyderabad State, the airline was owned by the Government of India. By 1952, the Government of India held 78% of the shares of Deccan Airways. The shares were acquired from the Hyderabad Government & Nizam State Railways. 13% of the shares was still held by Tatas & 9% by the general public.[7]
Nationalization
[edit]In 1953, Deccan Airways Limited, along with seven other airlines under the Air Corporations Act, were merged to form a single domestic carrier, Indian Airlines. On 10 October 1953, Deccan Airways resigned its associate membership of IATA.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
Fleet
[edit]When Deccan was merged with Indian Airlines in 1953, it had a fleet of thirteen Douglas DC-3 'Dakota' aircraft. The DC-3 aircraft were brought from US Air Force at a throw away price after they were left unused in Assam after World War II.
Accidents and incidents
[edit]- 5 April 1950
- A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-CJD) crashed at Hatiara while attempting to return to Dum Dum Airport after an engine failed, killing all three crew;[14]
- 21 November 1951
- A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AUO) crashed at Dum Dum Airport while attempting to land was made in extremely poor visibility conditions, killing all four crew and thirteen passengers.[15]
- 19 February 1952
- A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AXE) crashed on landing at Sonegaon Airport due to pilot error and possible misread altimeter, killing three of 16 on board.[16]
- 30 April 1952
- A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AUN) crashed at Safdarjung Airport, Delhi, due to engine failure, killing four crew and five passengers.[17]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "A tome on the aviation history of the Deccan". The Hindu. 26 May 2001. Retrieved 15 February 2019.[dead link]
- ^ "Civil Aviation News". FlightGlobal. 10 January 1946. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "A Story of Flight". The Indian Express. 27 July 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Brevities". FlightGlobal. 1 August 1946. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Civil Aviation News". FlightGlobal. 13 March 1947. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Brevities". FlightGlobal. 7 August 1947. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
- ^ "Economic Weekly" (PDF). The Economic Weekly. 29 March 1952. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ^ "Hyderabad, The City Of Wings As Well". The New Indian Express. 15 March 2014. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014.
- ^ "100 Years of Civil Aviation in India - Milestones". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 25 January 2011.
- ^ "A tome on the aviation history of the Deccan". The Hindu. 25 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Commercial Aviation in India: A Multifaceted Story". India Strategic. March 2014. Archived from the original on 26 June 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "PM Reddy: An aviator and engineer par excellence". Times of India. 4 May 2014.
- ^ IATA Bulletin, Volume 15-22. International Air Transport Association. 1952. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ Accident description for VT-CJD at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
- ^ Accident description for VT-AUO at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
- ^ Accident description for VT-AXE at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 18 May 2013.
- ^ Accident description for VT-AUN at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
