Solenta Aviation

Solenta Aviation
IATA ICAO Callsign
- SET SOLENTA
Founded2002
Operating basesOR Tambo International Airport
Libreville International Airport
Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport
Fleet size31
HeadquartersJohannesburg, South Africa
Websitesolenta.com

Solenta Aviation is an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with its maintenance base at OR Tambo International Airport. The company was founded in 2000[1] and operates cargo flights on regional routes throughout the Sub-Saharan Africa on behalf of DHL Aviation. Solenta Aviation also operates extensively for the oil and gas industry ("OGP"), offering passenger charter, cargo and aircraft lease services.

Operations[edit]

Many Solenta Aviation aircraft feature the DHL logo and livery.
A Solenta Aviation ATR 42 in DHL colors at Port Harcourt International Airport in 2005.
Beech 1900s on the flight line in Hassi Messaoud, operated for Air Express Algeria

Solenta Aviation has adopted a de-centralised business model, thus being able to offer flexible short-haul cargo flights. From its home and maintenance base at OR Tambo International Airport, it operates a number of DHL flights on regional routes to Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe using a fleet of ATR 42 and Cessna 208 Caravan cargo aircraft.[2]

There are several subsidiaries under separate airline licenses:

Further aircraft of Solenta Aviation are based and operated out of several other airports:

Fleet[edit]

Current fleet[edit]

The Solenta Aviation mainline fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2022):

Solenta Aviation Fleet
Aircraft In
Service 		Orders Passengers Notes
ATR 72-201F 1[11] 0[11] 0 ZS-XCJ delivered 22/02/2017 Parked since 12/2020[11]
Beechcraft 1900D 17[12] 0[13] 16
ATR 72-202F 1[11] 0[13] 0 ZS-XCL delivered 30/06/2017[11]
Embraer ERJ 145LR 1[14] 0[13] 50 ZS-BBJ delivered 01/01/2017[14]
Embraer ERJ 145LU 1[14] 0[13] 50 ZS-BBD delivered 11/10/2015 Parked since 12/2020[14]
Total 21[13]

Old Fleet[edit]

The Solenta Aviation fleet previously included the following aircraft:

Accidents and incidents[edit]

On 6 June 2011 at 10:25 local time, an Antonov An-26 (registered TR-LII) ditched into the Gulf of Guinea 2.3 kilometres off Libreville, Gabon. The aircraft was operated by Scorpion Air, a Bulgarian company, under Solenta Aviation Gabon's AOC.[16] It had been on Flight 122A for DHL Aviation from Port Gentil to Libreville.[17][18] The three crew members and one passenger on board received only minor injuries.[17] Prior to the ditching, they had reported hydraulic problems; eyewitness reports suggest that an engine failure may have occurred.[18][19] As a consequence, the Gabonese government declared a temporary ban on aircraft of the types Antonov An-12, An-24 and An-26 in the country, pending the outcome of the investigation into the cause for the crash.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "About Us". Solenta Aviation. Archived from the original on Aug 4, 2023.
  2. ^ "Johannesburg, South Africa". Solenta Aviation. Archived from the original on 2012-03-25.
  3. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 12.
  4. ^ Solenta Aviation in Côte d'Ivoire Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Solenta in Nairobi Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 21.
  7. ^ Solenta in Algeria Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Solenta Aviation in Pakistan Archived 2011-09-04 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Solenta in Zimbabwe Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Solenta in Togo Archived 2012-03-25 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ a b c d e "Solenta Aviation Flota de ATR (Activo) | Airfleets aviación". www.airfleets.es. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  12. ^ "Solenta Aviation Flota de BEH (Activo) | Airfleets aviación". www.airfleets.es. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  13. ^ a b c d e "Solenta Aviation Flota | Airfleets aviación". www.airfleets.es. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  14. ^ a b c d "Solenta Aviation Flota de E145 (Activo) | Airfleets aviación". www.airfleets.es. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  15. ^ "Solenta Aviation Flota de ATR (Historia) | Airfleets aviación". www.airfleets.es. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  16. ^ "Solenta operating Antonovs now? [Archive] - PPRuNe Forums". www.pprune.org. Retrieved 2022-08-28.
  17. ^ a b "DHL cargo plane crashes in Gabon, no fatalities". BNO News. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  18. ^ a b Hradecky, Simon. "Accident: Solenta AN26 near Libreville on Jun 6th 2011, ditched in the sea". The Aviation Herald. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  19. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Antonov 26 TR-LII Libreville Airport (LBV)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2017-08-31.
  20. ^ "Gaboneco.com - Gabon : Interdiction de vol et survol aux Antonov 12, 24 et 26". Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2011-06-08. gaboneco.com: French news article on Flight 122A]

External links[edit]

Media related to Solenta Aviation at Wikimedia Commons

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