Deccan Airways
 | |
| Founded | September 1945[1] |
|---|---|
| Commenced operations | July 1946 |
| Ceased operations | 1953 |
| Hubs | Begumpet Airport |
| Headquarters | Hyderabad |
Deccan Airways Limitedwas a commercial airline based atBegumpet Airport[2]in the formerHyderabad State.It was owned by theNizam of HyderabadandTata Airlines.[3]
History[edit]
Founded in 1945, Deccan was one of the nine airlines that existed in India during independence. The airline was ajoint ventureofNizam Governmentof the former Hyderabad State and Tata Airlines. 71% of Deccan Airways was owned by the Nizam's Government and the rest was owned by Tata Sons and others. Commercial operations were launched with a fleet of three aircraft in July 1946, operating a biweekly service betweenMadrasandDelhiviaHyderabad,Nagpur,Bhopal,andGwalior.It also flew a biweekly Hyderabad-Bangaloreflight.[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-Bombayflight.[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]
AfterOperation Poloand the annexation of Hyderabad State, the airline was owned by theGovernment 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 byTatas& 9% by the general public.[7]
Nationalization[edit]
In 1953, Deccan Airways Limited, along with seven other airlines under theAir Corporations Act,were merged to form a single domestic carrier,Indian Airlines.On 10 October 1953, Deccan Airways resigned its associate membership ofIATA.[8][9][10][11][12][13]
Fleet[edit]
When Deccan was merged withIndian Airlinesin 1953, it had a fleet of thirteen DouglasDC-3'Dakota' aircraft. The DC-3 aircraft were brought fromUS Air Forceat 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 atHatiarawhile attempting to return toDum Dum Airportafter an engine failed, killing all three crew;[14]
- 21 November 1951
- A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AUO) crashed atDum Dum Airportwhile 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 atSonegaon Airportdue 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 atSafdarjung 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.Retrieved15 February2019.[dead link]
- ^"Civil Aviation News".FlightGlobal.10 January 1946.Retrieved15 February2019.
- ^"A Story of Flight".The Indian Express.27 July 2009.Retrieved15 February2019.
- ^"Brevities".FlightGlobal.1 August 1946.Retrieved15 February2019.
- ^"Civil Aviation News".FlightGlobal.13 March 1947.Retrieved15 February2019.
- ^"Brevities".FlightGlobal.7 August 1947.Retrieved15 February2019.
- ^"Economic Weekly"(PDF).The Economic Weekly. 29 March 1952.Retrieved13 September2014.
- ^"Hyderabad, The City Of Wings As Well".The New Indian Express.15 March 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 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 fromthe originalon 23 August 2014.
- ^"Commercial Aviation in India: A Multifaceted Story".India Strategic. March 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.Retrieved10 September2009.
- ^Accident description for VT-CJDat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
- ^Accident description for VT-AUOat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
- ^Accident description for VT-AXEat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 18 May 2013.
- ^Accident description for VT-AUNat theAviation Safety Network.Retrieved on 25 August 2014.
