DAS Air Cargo was a Ugandan cargo airline based at Entebbe as Dairoo Air Services. It operated all-cargo services between Europe and 20 cities throughout Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Entebbe was a major hub for business in east and southern Africa and also for flights from Bangkok which stage through Dubai. Its main bases were London Gatwick Airport and Entebbe International Airport, with hubs at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Dubai International Airport and Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos.[1] The European office was at Crawley, England

DAS Air Cargo
IATA ICAO Call sign
WD DSR DAIRAIR
Founded1983
Commenced operationsJune 1983
Ceased operations17 September 2007
Hubs
Secondary hubs
SubsidiariesRoyal Daisy Airlines
Fleet size1
Destinations15
HeadquartersEntebbe, Uganda
Key peopleJoseph Roy (Chairman and CEO)
Daisy Roy (Managing Director)
Employees228 (at March 2007).[1]
Websitewww.dasair.com

History

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DAS Air Cargo 707-320C

The airline was established in 1983 in Ghana and started operations in June 1983. It initially provided ad hoc charters and wet-lease flying for established operators.[1] In 1987 it began regular cargo services between London and Lagos and Entebbe. In 1990, the DAS Air Cargo USA division was opened to operate cargo operations there for the airline. The division was based in Miami, Florida, and shared its offices with DAS Air Cargo's main business partner, passenger charter airline First Choice Airways-another airline which later went bankrupt.

DAS Air Cargo also had an EASA 145 approved maintenance facility at Kent International Airport in the UK. The facility was used for maintenance on their own aircraft as well as those of World Airways, Gemini Air Cargo and Avient Aviation.

In 2006 DAS Air Cargo was banned from conducting flights within the European Union. On 6 March 2007, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, removed DAS Air Cargo from its list of banned aircraft after they made safety improvements.[2]

The company called in the administrators on 17 September 2007 and all flying stopped. Their aircraft were stored at Manston, England, which subsequently closed in 2015.

On 20 November 2007, it was announced on that Continental Aviation Services (Nigeria) Ltd bought all of the business and assets (including the sole remaining DC-10), however the liabilities remain with Das Air Ltd.[3]

Destinations

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  • Belgium - Brussels, Ostend
  • China- Shanghai
  • Finland Hensinki
  • France - Bâle/Basel, Chalons-Vatry
  • Ghana - Accra
  • Hungary - Budapest
  • Italy - Rome
  • Malta - Luqa
  • Serbia - Belgrade
  • South Africa - Johannesburg
  • United Kingdom - London-Gatwick, Manchester
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai, Sharajah

Fleet

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DAS Air Cargo DC-10

DAS Air Cargo consisted of the following aircraft:[4][5]

President Airlines fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Boeing 707-320C 8 1984 2002
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F 9 1995 2007

Accidents and incidents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 71.
  2. ^ European Union Press Release
  3. ^ http://www.dasair.com/news/news-item.asp?id=7[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "DAS Air Cargo Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved August 30, 2022.
  5. ^ "DAS Air Cargo". Aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F N800WR Entebbe Airport (EBB)". Aviation-safety.net. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
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