The Luchtvaartdienst Suriname is the Civil Aviation Department of the Suriname Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism. [1] [2] It is responsible for the regulation of all aviation activities in the country, and ensures that all activities are carried out in compliance with international standards. It is a member of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
In April 2010, John Veira, the head of Luchtvaartdienst Suriname, was killed in his home by gunmen. [3]
Luchtvaartdienst Suriname operates the following domestic airports and airstrips:
Para is a district of northern Suriname. Para's capital city is Onverwacht, with other towns including Paranam, and Zanderij. Para has a population of 24,700 and an area of 5,393 km2. The district is the mining and forestry centre of Suriname, with many large bauxite mining operations operating. The district is a mixture of forest and savannas.
Soewondo Air Force Base is currently the military airbase of Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. Before 2013, this airport served commercial flights, and was known as Polonia International Airport which was the principal airport that served Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia, about 2 km from the downtown, and used to serve flights to several Indonesian and Malaysian cities, along with a flight to Singapore and Thailand. Previous international flights had been opened to Hong Kong, Taipei, Amsterdam, Phuket, Chennai, Johor Bahru, Malacca and Ipoh.
The Antonov An-28 is a twin-engined light turboprop transport aircraft, developed from the Antonov An-14M. It was the winner of a competition against the Beriev Be-30, for use by Aeroflot as a short-range airliner. It first flew in 1969. A total of 191 were built and 16 remain in airline service as at August 2015. After a short pre-production series built by Antonov, it was licence-built in Poland by PZL-Mielec. In 1993, PZL-Mielec developed its own improved variant, the PZL M28 Skytruck.
Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) is the airport authority that owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Van Nuys Airport (VNY) for the city of Los Angeles, California. LAWA also owns and manages aviation-related property near the Palmdale Regional Airport (PMD).
Kawemhakan, formerly also known as Anapaikë, is a Wayana village in the Sipaliwini District of Suriname. The village lies on the banks of the Lawa River, which forms the border with French Guiana.
Lawas Airport is a Short Take-off and Landing (STOL) airport serving Lawas, a town in Limbang Division, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Blue Wing Airlines n.v. is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname. The airline started operations in January 2002 and operates charter and scheduled services from Paramaribo to destinations in the interior of Suriname, Guyana, Brazil, Venezuela and the Caribbean area. Its main base is Zorg en Hoop Airport. The airline is on the list of air carriers banned in the EU for safety violations. They were temporarily removed from the list on 28 November 2007 after implementing a corrective action plan ordered by the EU Transportation Commission. However, on 6 July 2010, the airline was banned again from European and French territory airspace as a result of three accidents involving Blue Wing Airlines: one on 3 April 2008 with 19 fatalities, another accident on 15 October 2009 that led to four unspecified injuries, and a third incident on 15 May 2010 with 8 fatalities.
Rudi Kappel Airstrip is located 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) south of the Tafelberg tepui in Suriname. It was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It used to be named Tafelberg Airstrip, but was renamed Rudi Kappel Airstrip, after the co-pilot of a flight that crashed near Vincent Fayks Airport on 6 October 1959.
Gross Rosebel Airstrip serves the Gross Rosebel mine, in the Brokopondo District of Suriname. The Rosebel concession owns this airstrip. The airstrip is mostly used for emergencies and charters.
Lawa Anapaike Airstrip is an airstrip serving the Wayana village of Kawemhakan on the Lawa River in Suriname. The airstrip of this relatively modern indigenous village is named after its former chief Anapaike.
Lawa Antino Airstrip is an airstrip serving the gold mining concessions near the town of Benzdorp in Suriname. The runway is 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) southwest of the town.
Lawa Cottica Airstrip, is an airstrip serving Cottica, Suriname. Cottica is on the Lawa River, which forms part of the eastern border of Suriname.
Lawa Tabiki Airstrip is a small airstrip serving Benzdorp, Suriname. The runway is on an island in the Lawa River, which forms the border between Suriname and French Guiana.
Vincent Fajks Airstrip is an airstrip serving Paloemeu, Suriname. The airport was constructed as part of Operation Grasshopper. It was named after the Polish pilot Vincent Fajks who crashed with co-pilot Ronald Kappel with their Aero Commander AC 520 (PZ-TAG) airplane at the site in October 1959, while trying to deliver building materials for the airport. They both received a state funeral in Paramaribo on 11 October 1959. There is a jungle resort on the Tapanahony River near Paloemeu.
Kampala Airport, commonly known as Kololo Airstrip and officially as Kololo Ceremonial Grounds, was an airport in Uganda. It was one of the forty-seven airports in the country.
Caricom Airways, which stands for Caribbean Commuter Airways, was a regional airline from the Caribbean, with the headquarters of the company at Paramaribo, Suriname. From the down-town Zorg en Hoop Airport in Suriname, Caricom Airways mainly flew charter flights to various destinations in the interior of Suriname, the Caribbean and Northern Brazil.
Avanavero Airstrip, near Avanavero, Suriname. It was one of the airstrips constructed in the aftermath of Operation Grasshopper.
The Suriname Air Force is the air component of the Military of Suriname. All aircraft of the Suriname Air Force undertake border patrols, utility transport, and search and rescue missions from Zorg en Hoop Airport, the Air Force's main base. Aircraft are occasionally transferred to other air bases in the nation, which include Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport, Major Fernandes Airfield, Albina Airstrip, and Moengo Airstrip. The head of the Suriname Air Force is the Commander of the Air Force, currently Lieutenant Colonel Marven van Huisduinen, who took over the role in March 2019 from former Commander Robert Kartodikromo. The Air Force is further split into several wings, including the Helicopter Wing, the current Commander of which being Captain John-Marc Arron.