Soundair (ICAO: SDR, call sign: SOUNDAIR), previously Owen Sound Air Services, dba Soundair Express, was a freight airline based in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. The airline was the parent company of Air Toronto and Odyssey International and operated freight flights under the brand Soundair Express.[1]
| |||||||
| Commenced operations | 1973 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | April 1990 | ||||||
| Subsidiaries | |||||||
| Fleet size | See Fleet below | ||||||
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | ||||||
History
editIn 1973, Owen Sound Air Services was founded as a flying school and charter airline.[2] Over the years, the airline grew by flying cargo for Purolator, Airborne Express, and Emery using Douglas DC-3s. In 1984, Soundair Corp. was created as a parent company. That same year, the airline acquired Aero Trades Western as well as its DC-3s and DC-4s.[3]
In 1984, Soundair created two new airlines, Commuter Express and Odyssey International. Commuter Express was to provide local airline service to Toronto Pearson International Airport. In 1986, The DC-4s were replaced with Convair CV-580s and the DC-3s with Fokker F27 Friendships.[4][5]
In 1988, Commuter Express became an Air Canada Connector and was renamed to Air Toronto. That same year, Odyssey International, a Toronto-based leisure airline, was founded and contracted cargo flights were rebranded as Soundair Express.
In 1990, the company entered receivership due to financial troubles and fell under control of Ernst & Young. Odyssey and Soundair Express ceased operations in April 1990 when Odyssey was purchased by Nation Air and Soundair Express was purchase by Canair Cargo.[1]
In 1991, Air Toronto was purchased by Ontario Express (Air Ontario) in November of that year.
Fleet
editFleet as of receivership
edit| Aircraft | Total |
|---|---|
| Dassault Falcon 2000 | 2 |
| Douglas DC-8 | 1 |
Historic fleet
edit,_Montreal_-_Dorval,_August_1987._(5535161783).jpg)
| Aircraft | Total |
|---|---|
| Douglas DC-4 | 3 |
| Douglas DC-3 | 5 |
| Piper PA-31T Cheyenne | 1 |
Subsidiary fleet
edit| Aircraft | Total | Airline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swearingen Merlin IV/Metro | 9-11 | Air Toronto | Replaced by Jetstream 31s |
| BAe Jetstream 31 | 15 | ||
| Convair 340/440/580/640 | 3 | ||
| Fairchild F-27 | 1 | ||
| Boeing 757 | 5 | Odyssey International | |
| Boeing 737 -200 & -300 | 3 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Soundair Express history from Americas, Canada". Airline History. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ "OSAS (Owen Sound Air Services) history from Americas, Canada". Airline History. Retrieved 2020-10-09.
- ^ a b c "Soundair". rzjets.net. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ a b "Air Toronto". rzjets.net. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
- ^ a b "Odyssey International". rzjets.net. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
