Southern Airways Express was founded in 2013 by Stan Little, a litigation attorney in Hernando, Mississippi. Little owned a Golden Eagle 421 which was never used by the airline, although his private pilot, Scott Honnoll, did transition to the airline and advanced to the role of assistant chief pilot before returning to general aviation in November 2015. Southern's initial funding was secured by a group of unknown investors, many of whom are believed to be connected to the University of Mississippi, the alma mater of Little and co-founder Keith Sisson.
In its first year, Southern operated as a DOT Part 380 scheduled charter provider, with the flights being operated by Executive Express Aviation of Sugar Grove, Ill. In March 2014, Southern made its first acquisition, acquiring Executive Express and its FAA charter certificate, retaining all of its employees in the process. (Executive Express Aviation was later sold to FLOAT Shuttle in 2019 for an undisclosed sum, when all Southern-operated flights were consolidated to its primary certificate.)
In the fall of 2015, Southern Airways began operating its first Essential Air Service flights on behalf of SeaPort Airlines, but it discontinued that service when Seaport Airlines filed for bankruptcy in January 2016. A year later, Southern Airways was awarded Seaport's former routes to Arkansas' Boone County Airport, Hot Springs Memorial Field Airport, and South Arkansas Regional Airport, and enplanements have grown markedly at all three cities in the years since.
On March 7, 2016, Southern announced its second acquisition, Fort Lauderdale-based Sun Air Express. Sun Air flew multiple EAS routes in the mid-Atlantic region, immediately strengthening Southern's presence in the federal program. The airline retired all of Sun Air's aging Piper aircraft in favor of the newer, turbine-powered Cessna Caravan, and it retired the Sun Air name from use in scheduled service. Following the acquisition of Sun, the operational headquarters of Southern Airways was relocated from Memphis to Pompano Beach, Florida.
In February 2019, Southern Airways acquired Mokulele Airlines, its third airline acquisition in five years. The Hawaii-based commuter airline also flew the Cessna Caravan, making it a logical target for Southern. Since the acquisition, Southern has worked to retain and strengthen the Mokulele brand in the Hawaiian islands and now serves 10 airports in the state. It is the largest inter-island carrier by daily departures. Southern recently announced its intention to bring 30-seat aircraft to its Hawaiian footprint to add to its 14 Caravans operating in the state. The Southern Airways Express Saab 340s started operating in Hawai'i in July 2022, with service linking Honolulu to Lana'i and Moloka'i. The planes will not take on the Mokulele brand, instead retaining the Southern Airways continental livery.[9] In addition, Southern/Mokulele has partnered with California-based AmpAire to bring hybrid-electric aircraft to Hawaii. The initial test flights took place in December 2020.
On April 30, 2019, it was announced that SkyWest has a strategic minority investment in the company.[10]
Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic caused a mandatory inter-island quarantine in Hawaii, Southern/Mokulele announced its fourth acquisition: Honolulu-based Makani Kai Air, a division of Schuman Aviation. CEO Richard Schuman joined Mokulele as its Executive Vice President for Hawaii, and the Makani Kai Aircraft began the transition to Mokulele livery. As of May 2021, Southern/Mokulele was operating 220 peak-day departures system-wide, with approximately 120 of those in Hawaii.[11]
On March 28, 2022, it was announced that Air Choice One was being acquired by Southern Airways Corporation (SAC), parent company of Southern Airways Express, but keeping both air operator's certificates separate.[13]
On March 30, 2023, it was announced that the Marianas Southern Airways division of the airline was withdrawing from the CNMI, citing "unwillingness of Governor Arnold Palacios to honor the contract signed by the previous administration".[14]
In July 2023, Surf Air Mobility, the parent company of Southern Airways Express, went public on the stock market through a direct listing on the New York Stock Exchange (under the ticker symbol "SRFM").
In early 2020, Southern Airways became the exclusive codeshare partner for Tailwind Air Service. Southern markets and sells the flights under its 9X code on both its reservation system and the Global Distribution Systems. Tailwind Air Service, a scheduled passenger and charter seaplane operator, is the operator of the flights.[15]
Southern provides an extra discount at select colleges/universities that participate in the Campus Connection program for students, faculty, and parents.[17]
Fleet
Southern Airways Express operates the following aircraft:[18]
Mesa Airlines, Inc., is an American regional airline based in Phoenix, Arizona. It is an FAA Part 121–certificated air carrier operating under air carrier certificate number MASA036A issued on June 29, 1979. It is a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group and operates flights as United Express via respective code sharing agreements with United Airlines. It serves more than 180 markets in the Western Hemisphere. In a 1997 article from the Journal of Air Transportation, Mesa's safety record was noted as having the fewest incidents among domestic regional airlines at that time. Mesa filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 2010, hoping to shed financial obligations for leases on airplanes it no longer needed and emerged from bankruptcy in March 2011. In November 2017, Mesa opened a new training center in Phoenix. The 23,000-square-foot facility features a full-size CRJ-200 cabin trainer aircraft, 14 classrooms, and has the capacity to train 300 crew members at one time.
Pacific Wings Airline was an American commuter airline headquartered in Mesa, Arizona, United States in Greater Phoenix. The airline operated flights under the brands New Mexico Airlines in New Mexico, GeorgiaSkies in Georgia, TennesseeSkies in Tennessee, and KentuckySkies in Kentucky, as well as under the Pacific Wings name in Hawaii. The airline was closed in 2014.
Hana Airport is a regional public use airport of the State of Hawaiʻi on the east shore of the island of Maui, three nautical miles northwest of the unincorporated town of Hana. The airport was officially opened on November 11, 1950. It is primarily a commuter facility used by unscheduled air taxis and general aviation. As air traffic increases, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature will consider future improvements including the construction of a taxiway paralleling the runway, widening of access roads and expansion of passenger terminals and parking facilities.
Kalaupapa Airport is a regional public use airport of the state of Hawaii, located on the northern peninsula of the island of Molokaʻi, two nautical miles north of Kalaupapa Settlement, in Kalawao County. Most flights to Kalaupapa originate from Molokai Airport or from airports on the other Hawaiian islands by unscheduled air taxis and general aviation. It is also used as a cargo facility carrying goods for Kalaupapa, which has no road access from the rest of Molokai.
Lanai Airport, also written as Lānaʻi Airport, is a state-owned public-use airport located three nautical miles or about 3.4 miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Lanai City, in Maui County, Hawaii. The airport began regular operations in 1930. It is the only airport serving the island of Lanai (Lānaʻi).
Molokai Airport, also known as Hoolehua Airport is a state-owned, public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of Kaunakakai, on the island of Molokai in Maui County, Hawaii, United States. It is the principal airport of the island. The largest plane to ever fly here regularly was a Boeing 737-200 jet, which seats 127 passengers.
Waimea-Kohala Airport is a state-owned public-use airport located one nautical mile southwest of Waimea, an unincorporated town in Hawaii County, Hawaii, United States.
Shuttle America Corporation was an American regional airline based in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. It fed United Airlines flights at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) under the United Express brand, as well as Delta Air Lines flights at Atlanta (ATL), New York-LaGuardia (LGA), and New York-JFK under the Delta Connection brand. Shuttle America also operated two of three Delta Shuttle East Coast routes, serving Washington, D.C., and Chicago from New York-LaGuardia.
Empire Airlines is a passenger and cargo airline based in Hayden, Idaho, near Coeur d'Alene. It operates over 120 scheduled cargo flights a day in 18 US states and Canada. Empire also started passenger service within Hawaii, under the name "Ohana by Hawaiian", which was run from 2014-2021. Its main base is Coeur d'Alene Airport with a hub at Spokane International Airport. The company slogan is We Can Do That.
Mesa Air Group, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation commercial aviation holding company with headquarters in Suite 700 at 410 North 44th Street in the Camelback East area of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The company operates one regional airline subsidiary: Mesa Airlines which operates as United Express and as American Eagle under contractual agreements with United Airlines and American Airlines respectively.
Imperial County Airport is a county-owned public-use airport in Imperial County, California, United States. Also known as Boley Field, it is mostly used for general aviation, but has scheduled passenger service from one commercial airline. Service is subsidized by the Essential Air Service program.
Santa Maria Public Airport is three miles (5 km) south of Santa Maria, in northern Santa Barbara County, California, United States.
Princeville Airport is a private airport located 3 nautical miles east of the central business district (CBD) of Hanalei, a village on the island of Kaua‘i in Hawaii, United States. The airport covers 29 acres (12 ha) and has one runway.
Go! was a regional brand of Arizona-based Mesa Airlines. Go! operated inter-island services within Hawaii. Its main base was Honolulu International Airport. It was a division within the Mesa Airlines subsidiary of Mesa Air Group and its flights were operated by Mesa Airlines. The airline ceased operations in Hawaii on April 1, 2014. The company slogan was Hawaii's Low Fare Airline.
Mokulele Airlines is a regional airline operating in Hawaii. The airline scheduled inter-island and charter flights, primarily between smaller airports and its hubs at Kahului Airport on the island of Maui and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu on the island of Oahu. The airline was acquired by Southern Airways Express in 2019 but continues to operate under its own brand. Both Southern Airways and Mokulele Airlines are subsidiaries of Surf Air Mobility, which purchased Southern in 2023.
Go!Express was the brand name for the regional airline service of go!, rather than a certificated airline carrier. Mokulele Airlines was the sole operator of Go!Express between April 17, 2007 and March 24, 2009, when their contract was canceled due to Mokulele's partnership with Shuttle America. On the same day, Go! began selling flights operated by Island Air as Go!Express. Rather than using dedicated aircraft on flights sold exclusively as Go!Express, Island Air's Go!Express service was provided by the carrier's existing flights and aircraft.
Trans Executive Airlines of Hawaii is an American airline headquartered at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, Hawaii, operating cargo flights under the name Transair and passenger air charter and tour flights under the name Transair Global. The airline was started in 1982 by Teimour Riahi. As of 2019, the airline operated a fleet of six Boeing 737-200 and four Short 360 aircraft.
Makani Kai Air, was an FAA Part 135 scheduled air carrier based in Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a subsidiary of Schuman Aviation Company as well as Mokulele Airlines.
Star Marianas Air, Inc. is a U.S. commuter airline headquartered at Tinian International Airport in Tinian Municipality, Northern Mariana Islands. It operates scheduled and charter passenger service in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, both U.S. territories in the Pacific Ocean.
The Ampaire Electric EEL is a hybrid electric aircraft developed by U.S. startup Ampaire, established in Hawthorne, California. The forward piston engine of a Cessna 337 Skymaster is replaced by an electric motor powered by a battery, in a parallel hybrid configuration. The demonstrator first flew on 6 June 2019.
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