Set up during the first quarter of 1979 to provide scheduled passenger and cargo flights linking the company’s Oxnard, California, base with Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Las Vegas. Employing a pair of Piper PA-31-310 Navajos, the company launches revenue flights on April 15, maintaining them until it goes out of business on March 1, 1980.
DESERT SUN AIRLINES (1): United States (1982-1984). Desert Sun is founded at Long Beach in the summer of 1982. Sixty-one employees are hired and a fleet is assembled comprising 2 Beech 99s and 5 Piper PA-31-350 Navajo Chieftains. These are employed to initiate revenue flights from Blythe to Los Angeles via Riversdie on August 25. At year’s end, a total of 1,000 passengers have been flown.
Service is inaugurated to Inyokern, Palmdale, and Lancaster in 1983 as bookings rise to 3,200. Although plans are made to expand to the Arizona communities of Havasu City and Bullhead City in the fall of 1984, these cannot be fulfilled because the company ceases operations in September.
DESERT SUN AIRLINES (2): United States (1995-1997). Established at Phoenix as a new Mesa Air Group division in 1995, Desert Sun, under the direction of President George Lippemeier, is equipped in April with a pair of Fokker 70 jetliners, the first to be flown by a North American carrier. As part of a code-sharing agreement with America West Airlines, the first machine begins “America West Express” service from its base to Des Moines on June 12.
With both aircraft available, daily frequencies link the Arizona base with Spokane beginning on July 10 and Des Moines with Las Vegas four times per week as of July 13. Fresno will join the Fokker network in August. Traffic figures are, like other Mesa subsidiaries, reported with those of the parent.
In early 1996, plans are made to return the two Dutch-made jetliners and replace them with up to eight Canadair RJs. Seattle joins the route network.
Early in 1997, Mesa Air Group is reorganized into four new divisions: “America West Express,” Independent, “United Express,” and “USAirways Express.” The new arrangement also merges the marketing and customer-service departments of Air Midwest and WestAir Commuter Airlines. Desert Sun is absorbed into the new America West Express division.
DESTINAIR AIRLINES, LTD.: Canada (1993-1995). Destinair Airlines is established at Ottawa late in 1993 to provide nonscheduled passenger and cargo services to Canadian destinations. Operations commence in early 1994 with a single leased Boeing 727-200, but cease within a year.
DETA MOZAMBIQUE AIRLINES, S. A.: Mozambique (19361980). Early in 1937, the Mozambique Railway Administration establishes an aerial section, Divisao de Exploracao dos Transportes Aereos (DETA) to carry out the company’s previous air charter work on a scheduled basis. Once a fleet of two each de Havilland DH 87 Hornet Moths and DH 89 Dragon Rapides is assembled, airmail service is inaugurated on December 22 over a Lourenco Marques to Johannesburg route. Passenger flights follow shortly thereafter.
An agreement is signed in early 1938 with Imperial Airways, Ltd. whereby passengers flying into and within the Portuguese colony from Lourenco Marques will be carried by DETA.
An additional Hornet Moth is delivered in March, followed by two DH 89As in April, and the summer arrival of another DH 87, two more DH 89As, and three Junkers Ju-52/3ms. The “Iron Annies” are among the last propeller-driven trimotors to serve in any scheduled airline operation, not being retired until the mid-to-late 1950s. Also during the summer, a Lourenco Marques to Quelimane route is started via Inham-bane and Beira. In October, the Quelimane service is extended to Mozambique town and Porto Amelia.
Operations continue apace in 1939-1940 and, on June 2-3 of the latter year, three new Lockheed Model 14H Super Electras, including the last manufactured, are placed into service. Routes and frequencies are improved, but not significantly increased. Service is largely suspended during World War II.
In November 1946, the suspended route from Lourenco Marques to Johannesburg is restarted under the leadership of new the general manager, Lt. Col. Pinho da Cunha.
At the beginning of 1947, the Ju-52/3ms start a new service from Beira to Salisbury, Rhodesia. In February, flights are also launched to Durban and Madagascar.
The fleet is changed little during the end of the decade and into the early 1950s; DH-89A Dragon Rapides replace the Hornet Moths and are in turn succeeded by six Douglas DC-3s, a de Havilland DH 104 Dove, and a de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver.
Service is inaugurated during 1954 from Mozambique town and Vila Cabral via Nampula and three bush stops. The Nampula to Vila Cabral segment of this new route is dropped a couple of years later, but will be reinstated before decade’s end as a destination on a new service from Beira with stops at Vila Pery, Tete, and Vila Coutinho. During these years, three more DH 104 Doves are added to the fleet. Three Fokker
F.27-200 Friendships are ordered in July 1961 and begin to enter service in September 1962. Service continues apace in 1963.
Airline employment stands at 682 in 1964. In cooperation with Air Malawi, Ltd., a service is inaugurated from Blantyre to Beira. Air Malawi DC-3s operate the route on Saturdays and DETA flies it on Wednesdays.
Enplanements for the year total 58,000 and operating revenues of $2.6 million are generated.
Nova Freixo joins the route network in 1965 as a stop on the Nampula to Vila Cabral run. Twice-daily flights commence in November between Lourenco Marques and Beira, where a new DC-3 maintenance base is opened.
Passenger boardings this year climb to 62,005.
Service is launched to Matasapa, Swaziland, in 1966 and the fleet now comprises 1 DHC-2 Beaver, 6 DC-3s, 1 DH-104 Dove, and 3 F.27-200s. In late 1967, a third F.27-200 is ordered, as bookings for the year reach 90,749.
Airline employment is 811 in 1968 as Fernando A. Seares-Seixas becomes director general. Orders are placed for four Boeing 727-2B1Cs.
Passenger boardings climb 16.9% to 109,205 and operating revenues of $4.91 million are earned.
During 1969-1977, additional F.27-200s completely replace the DC-3s (which are converted to freighters) on domestic passenger services. The first of four Boeing 727-2B1Cs is received in 1970.
An F.27-200 with three crew crashes while on a training flight from Gago Coutinho on March 27, also in 1970; there are no survivors.
Substantial route expansion occurs following Mozambique independence in June 1975, particularly to neighboring African states.
In 1978, Director General Antonio Oriente-Barone’s company employs 2,078 workers. Three more B-727-2B1Cs have arrived in the years since the first.
Enplanements in 1979 are 284,686 and another Boeing jetliner is ordered. On June 14, 1980, DETA is renamed LAM (Linhas Aereas de Mocambique).
World History
