SNETA
Encyclopedia
SNETA is a former Belgian airline which operated from 1919 to 1923 in order to pioneer commercial aviation in Belgium
. In 1923 it ceased operations and merged into the newly founded national carrier SABENA
.
. It operated from the airfield at Haren
, near Brussels, and flew to London
, Paris
and Amsterdam
. Amongst the pilots of SNETA was Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov
. It's initial fleet was made up out of surplus airplanes from the First World War. The company used a mix of British, French and German planes. The first 9 acquired airplanes were:
Later the company also acquired Farman F.60 Goliath
s and Fokker D.VII
s.
In 1921 the company started operating in the Belgian Congo
through its subsidiary CENAC (Comité d' Etude pour la Navigation Aérienne du Congo) flying to Matadi
, Léopoldville
and Stanleyville
using the Lévy-Le Pen.
On 27 September 1921 a wooden hangar burned out destroying 7 of SNETA's 23 airplanes.
By 1 June 1922 enough information was gathered and all experimental flights were suspended. This cleared the way to start up a real Belgian commercial operator, SABENA, which came into being on 23 May 1923 and into which SNETA merged.
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In 1923 it ceased operations and merged into the newly founded national carrier SABENA
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
.
History
The company was founded on 31 March 1919 by Georges Nélis with the support of King Albert I of BelgiumAlbert I of Belgium
Albert I reigned as King of the Belgians from 1909 until 1934.-Early life:Born Albert Léopold Clément Marie Meinrad in Brussels, he was the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders, and his wife, Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen...
. It operated from the airfield at Haren
Haren, Belgium
Haren is an old municipality of Brussels in Belgium, that was merged into the municipality of the City of Brussels in 1921...
, near Brussels, and flew to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. Amongst the pilots of SNETA was Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov
Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov
Ivan Vasilyevich Smirnov was a famous Russian aviator of the 1st Combat Air Group in the Imperial Russian Army.-Early life and World War I accomplishments:...
. It's initial fleet was made up out of surplus airplanes from the First World War. The company used a mix of British, French and German planes. The first 9 acquired airplanes were:
- 3 Breguet 14Breguet 14-See also:-References:*Tomasz J. Kowalski, Samolot Breguet 14, TBiU no.197, Warsaw 2002, ISBN 83-11-09461-6...
- 3 De Havilland Airco DH.9Airco DH.9The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
- 3 Rumpler C.IVRumpler C.IV-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. London, Putnam, 1962.* Munson, Kenneth. Aircraft of World War I. London: Ian Allan, 1967. ISBN 07110 0356 4....
.
Later the company also acquired Farman F.60 Goliath
Farman F.60 Goliath
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.-Design and development:...
s and Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
s.
In 1921 the company started operating in the Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
through its subsidiary CENAC (Comité d' Etude pour la Navigation Aérienne du Congo) flying to Matadi
Matadi
Matadi is the chief sea port of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the capital of the Bas-Congo province. It has a population of 245,862 . Matadi is situated on the left bank of the Congo River from the mouth and below the last navigable point before rapids make the river impassable for a...
, Léopoldville
Kinshasa
Kinshasa is the capital and largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The city is located on the Congo River....
and Stanleyville
Kisangani
Kisangani is the capital of Orientale Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the 3rd largest urbanized city in the country and the largest of the cities that lie in the tropical woodlands of the Congo....
using the Lévy-Le Pen.
On 27 September 1921 a wooden hangar burned out destroying 7 of SNETA's 23 airplanes.
By 1 June 1922 enough information was gathered and all experimental flights were suspended. This cleared the way to start up a real Belgian commercial operator, SABENA, which came into being on 23 May 1923 and into which SNETA merged.
Fleet
- 3x Bréguet 14
- 6x Airco de Havilland DH.9
- 5x Airco de Havilland DH.4
- 10x Rumpler C.IV
- 1x Luft-Verkehrs Gesellschaft LVG C.IVLVG C.II|-See also:-References:*Donald, David, The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft . . Prospero Books. ISBN 1-85605-375-X*van Wyngarden, G . Early German Aces of World War I, Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 1-841-76997-5...
- 6x Luft-Verkehrs Gesellschaft LVG C.VILVG C.VI|-See also:-References:-Sources:*Heinonen, Timo: Thulinista Hornetiin - Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseon julkaisuja 3, Keski-Suomen ilmailumuseo, 1992, ISBN 951-95688-2-4...
- 6x Farman F-60 Goliath
- 1x Ansaldo A.300-CAnsaldo A.300-See also:...
- 6x Blériot-SPAD S.33Blériot-SPAD S.33The Bleriot-SPAD S.33 was a small French airliner developed soon after World War I. A great success, the S.33 dominated its field throughout the 1920s, initially on CMA's Paris-London route, and later on continental routes serviced by Franco-Roumaine...
- Operated by CENAC: 6x Levy-Le Pen flying boats.