Air Siam

Air Siam
IATA code :	VG
ICAO code :	VG
Call sign :	AIRSIAM
Founding:	1965
Operation stopped:	1977
Seat:	Bangkok , Thailand
Home airport :	Don Mueang Airport
Fleet size:	1
Aims:	Hong Kong , Honolulu , Tokyo
Air Siam ceased operations in 1977. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation.

Air Siam (officially Air Siam Air Company ) was an international Thai scheduled airline that ceased operations in January 1977.

history

Operations began in 1970 with Douglas C-54 cargo aircraft .

Air Siam was founded on September 15, 1965 under the name Varan-Air-Siam by the Thai Prince Varananda Dhavaj , who held 90 percent of the company shares. Only after the US-American Overseas National Airways ( ONA ) provided organizational support to the company from 1969 onwards, operations began in February 1970 with Douglas C-54 piston-engine aircraft . These were used on scheduled cargo flights from Bangkok to Hong Kong . In the same year Air Siam received route rights for scheduled flights from Bangkok to Los Angeles . The route went through Hong Kong, Tokyo and Honolulu . Because the company did not have its own long -haul aircraft , ONA used a Douglas DC-8-63CF in wet lease for Air Siam on the newly opened route from March 1971 . The connection to the USA was given up on January 15, 1972 due to insufficient traffic. At the same time, Air Siam completely stopped flight operations.

Scheduled flights to Hong Kong were resumed in the summer of 1972 with a leased BAC 1-11 . From December 1972, Tokyo was also flown to again with a rented Boeing 707 . From September 1973, Air Siam used a Boeing 747-100 leased long-term from Aer Lingus on three weekly flights from Bangkok via Tokyo to Honolulu. In fiscal 1973, the company carried 116,000 passengers and made a profit of $ 228,000.

At the beginning of 1974 the fleet consisted of a Boeing 747 and two Boeing 707s. To replace these aircraft, the company ordered two Airbus A300B4s and a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 . From October 17, 1974 , Air Siam temporarily rented an Airbus A300B2 from the manufacturer, making it the second operator of these wide-body aircraft after Air France . On November 25, 1974, the company took over a leased brand new McDonnell Douglas DC-10, with which Los Angeles was again served from the beginning of December 1974. Air Siam was the first airline to operate two, three and four-engine wide-body aircraft at the same time. In the spring of 1975 the company planned to set up scheduled flights from Bangkok via Athens to Frankfurt am Main and via Singapore to Melbourne . To this end, the company sought a collaboration with Air Ceylon in 1976 , with which a technical cooperation already existed.

Air Siam made an average loss of around $ 2.5 million per month in the fall of 1976 and defaulted on leasing payments for its two aircraft. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was returned to the manufacturer on November 10, 1976 and flight operations ceased in early December 1976. With the last remaining machine, a Boeing 747-200 leased by KLM , flights again briefly took place from January 5, 1977 from Bangkok via Tokyo to Honolulu. The financial situation finally led to the permanent cessation of operations in mid-January 1977, and in early February 1977 to the withdrawal of the operating license and the bankruptcy of the company.

fleet

Air Siam took over a leased Airbus A300 from the manufacturer on October 17, 1974 for one year. She canceled the order for her two machines of this type.

In the course of its history, the company operated a total of twelve aircraft:

Aircraft type	Mark	cn / sn	Duration of use	Further information
Airbus A300B2-1C	HS-VGD	008	1974-1975	leased from the manufacturer
BAC 111-416EK	9V-BEV	166	1972-1973	leased
Boeing 707-131	HS-VGA	17666/32	1972-1973	leased from Trans World Airlines
Boeing 707-131	HS-VGC	17663	1973-1975	leased from Israel Aircraft Industries
Boeing 747-148	HS-VGB	19744/84	1973-1976	leased from Aer Lingus
Boeing 747-148	HS-VGF	19745/108	1975	leased from Aer Lingus
Boeing 747-206B	HS-VGG	20399/156	1976-1977	leased from KLM , last aircraft to cease operations
Douglas C-54A	HS-VGX	7466	1970-1974	used for cargo flights
Douglas C-54B	HS-VGY	27245	1970-1972	used for cargo flights
Douglas DC-4-1009	HS-VGZ	42922	1970-1973	used for cargo flights
Douglas DC-8-63CF	N863F	46001	1971-1972	leased from Overseas National Airways , first passenger aircraft
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30	HS-VGE	47887/125	1974-1976	leased from the manufacturer

See also

• Former Airlines List (Asia)

Web links

• Article about Air Siam on ATWOnline.com (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Flight International, March 21, 1974
2. ^ Flight International, March 9, 1972
3. ^ Flight International, July 6, 1972
4. ^ Flight International, July 25, 1974
5. ^ Flight International, October 17, 1974
6. ↑ rzjets.net, Air Siam, McDonnell Douglas DC-10
7. ^ Flight International, March 20, 1975
8. ^ Flight International, March 20, 1976
9. ^ Flight International, November 27, 1976
10. ^ Flight International, April 9, 1977
11. ^ Flight International, 15. January 1977
12. ^ Flight International, February 5, 1977