Samoa Air
Encyclopedia
Samoa Air was a scheduled and charter passenger airline based in Pago Pago, American Samoa
.
. For a short period of time, the airline attempted to provide services to Honolulu, Hawaii
with a leased Boeing 707
, but the route was quickly discontinued and the plane disposed of. Since then, the airline confined itself to operating a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
. The financially troubled carrier sought bankruptcy protection in 2003, with hopes of restarting operations in 2004. Samoa Air ceased operations in Sept. 2003.
Pago Pago, American Samoa
Pago Pago , also spelled ', is the capital of American Samoa. In 2000, its population was 11,500. The city is served by Pago Pago International Airport. Tourism, entertainment, food, and tuna canning are the primary industries here. From 1878 to 1951, this was a coaling and repair station for the...
.
History
Samoa Air started operations on January 18, 1987, mainly serving the community needs of American Samoa from its base at Pago Pago. Besides interisland flying to communities in American Samoa, the airline also served Western Samoa and TongaTonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
. For a short period of time, the airline attempted to provide services to Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. Honolulu is the southernmost major U.S. city. Although the name "Honolulu" refers to the urban area on the southeastern shore of the island of Oahu, the city and county government are consolidated as the City and...
with a leased Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
, but the route was quickly discontinued and the plane disposed of. Since then, the airline confined itself to operating a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC...
. The financially troubled carrier sought bankruptcy protection in 2003, with hopes of restarting operations in 2004. Samoa Air ceased operations in Sept. 2003.