Editing SAHSA

{{Short description|National airline of Honduras, 1945–1994}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline        = Servicio Aéreo de Honduras (SAHSA)
| image          = Sahsa80s.png
| image_size     = 190
| IATA           = SH
| ICAO           = SHA
| callsign       = SAHSA
| founded        = 1945
| ceased         = 1994
| hubs           = [[Toncontín International Airport]]
| secondary_hubs = [[Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport]]
| focus_cities   = [[Tegucigalpa]], [[San Pedro Sula]], [[Managua]], [[New Orleans]]
| frequent_flyer = 
| lounge         = 
| alliance       = Tan-Sahsa
| subsidiaries   = 
| fleet_size     = 41
| destinations   = 40 destinations: Central America, North America, South America & the Caribbean
| parent         = [[Pan American Airways]]
| headquarters   = [[Tegucigalpa]], [[Honduras]]
| key_people     = [[Oswaldo López Arellano]]
| website        = 
}}

'''''Servicio Aéreo de Honduras [[S.A. (corporation)|S.A.]]''''' {{airline codes|SH|SHA}}, otherwise known as '''SAHSA Airlines''', was the national [[flag carrier]] [[airline]] of [[Honduras]] from October 22, 1945, to January 14, 1994. The airline was a subsidiary of [[Pan American Airways]] and merged with ''[[Transportes Aéreos Nacionales]]'' (TAN) to form '''TAN-SAHSA''' in November 1991.

==History==
[[File:Sahpilots.jpg|right|thumb|Sahsa Airlines pilots]]
SAHSA was founded on January 2, 1945, with help from [[Pan American Airways]] under the name ''Servicio Aéreo de Honduras S.A.'' (SAHSA). [[Pan American Airways]] owned 40%, the [[Honduras/Government|Honduran government]] owned 40% and 20% was owned by private investors.
[[File:Lockheed L-188A HR-SAV SAHSA MIA 18.07.76 edited-2.jpg|thumb|right|SAHSA [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] [[combi aircraft]] operating a mixed passenger-freight schedule at [[Miami International Airport]] in July 1976]]
The airline began operations on October 22, 1945, using a [[Douglas DC-2]] (XH-SAA) to fly to destinations within [[Honduras]]. By October 1945, SAHSA had also acquired a [[Douglas DC-3]] and a [[Beechcraft Model 18]]. In 1953, SAHSA acquired rival airline ''TACA de Honduras'', by which time SAHSA was operating the Douglas DC-2, Douglas DC-3, and [[C-46 Commando|Curtis C-46 Commando]].

Equipment with modern pressurised airliners began in the mid-1960s with the [[Convair 340]], [[Convair 440]] and [[Douglas DC-6B]] being added to the fleet. The turboprop [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] joined the company in 1969.<ref>Sherlock, 1977, p. 23</ref>

In 1970, Pan Am gave up its stake in SAHSA and TAN took over, but SAHSA continued to operate independently. TAN acquired the first jet airliner in Honduras, a [[Boeing 737-200]], in 1974, and started international operations between [[Miami]] and Honduras. SAHSA acquired a Boeing 737-200 in October 1974 and later acquired [[Boeing 727-200]]s. SAHSA began operations between [[Costa Rica]], [[Nicaragua]], [[Belize]] and [[New Orleans]].

The owner of TAN-SAHSA, [[Oswaldo López Arellano]], was a two-term president of Honduras. To keep business in Honduras, no U.S. airlines were given permission fly to or from Honduras. Once Arellano was thrown out of power, several U.S. based airlines, such as [[Eastern Airlines]], [[Pan Am]] and [[Air Florida]], were allowed to operate to and from Honduras.

SAHSA and TAN [[merger|merged]] into TAN-SAHSA on 1 November 1991. It was based at [[Toncontín International Airport]] in [[Tegucigalpa]] and flew from Honduras to various destinations throughout Central and North and South America. The TAN-SAHSA name was used between 1990 and 1991 when the name TAN disappeared. The airline continued to operate as SAHSA until its demise in 1994. The collapse was partly due to [[corruption]] and partly to the airline's poor safety record. The airline experienced several accidents during its operational life, including a major crash of a 727 in 1989 in Honduras, killing 131 of 146 passengers aboard, and a subsequent emergency landing incident on a Houston-bound 737 plane in 1993, after which the airline lost its FAA Air Operations Certificate and with it its operating privileges to the United States. No longer able to fly to the United States, financial pressures caused the airline to cease flight operations in late 1993 and it was disbanded in January 1994. Following the collapse of SAHSA, Honduras had no national airline until 2002, when [[Sol Air]] commenced operations.

==Destinations==
SAHSA was initially established as a national airline to operate domestic flights with aircraft such as the [[Douglas DC-2]] and [[Douglas DC-3]]. Initial routes were limited to [[Tegucigalpa]], [[San Pedro Sula]], [[Puerto Cortés]], [[La Ceiba]], [[Marcala]], [[Intibucá]], [[Santa Rosa de Copán]], [[Ocotepeque]] and [[Santa Bárbara, Honduras|Santa Bárbara]].

The first U.S. route operated by SAHSA was to New Orleans in 1974 with [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] propjet service being flown on a daily route of [[New Orleans]]-[[Belize]]-[[San Pedro Sula]]-[[Tegucigalpa]] with continuing service three days a week being operated to [[San Jose, Costa Rica]] by this Electra flight.<ref>http://www.timetableimages.com, June 1, 1974 SAHSA system timetable</ref>

Following the acquisition of [[Boeing]] jet aircraft in the mid 1970s, the airline expanded its international routes. In addition to New Orleans, Belize, Guatemala City and San Jose, CR, new destinations included [[Houston]], [[Miami]], [[Grand Cayman]], [[Managua]], [[Guatemala City]], [[San Salvador]], [[Panama]], [[Colombia]] and [[Peru]].

===Known destinations===
;Domestic
*Comayagua – [[Comayagua International Airport]]
*Erandique – [[Erandique Airport]]
*Gracias – [[Gracias Airport]]
*La Ceiba – [[Golosón International Airport]]
*La Esperanza – [[La Esperanza Airport (Intibucá)]]
*Marcala – [[Marcala Airport]]
*Ocotepeque – [[Ocotepeque Airport]]
*Puerto Cortes – [[Puerto Cortes Airport]]
*Roatan – [[Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport]]
*Santa Bárbara – [[Santa Bárbara Airport (Honduras)|Santa Bárbara Airport]]
*San Pedro Sula – [[Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport]] – '''Secondary Hub'''
*Santa Rosa de Copán – [[Santa Rosa de Copán Airport]]
*Tegucigalpa – [[Toncontín International Airport]] – '''Hub'''

===International===
;Belize
*Belize City – [[Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport]]

;Colombia
*Bogotá – [[El Dorado International Airport]]
*San Andrés – [[Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport]]

;Costa Rica
*San José – [[Juan Santamaría International Airport]]

;Guatemala
*Guatemala City – [[La Aurora International Airport]]

;Nicaragua
*Managua – [[Augusto C. Sandino International Airport]]

;Panama
*Panama City – [[Tocumen International Airport]]

;United States
*Houston – [[George Bush Intercontinental Airport]]
*Miami – [[Miami International Airport]]
*New Orleans – [[Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport]]

== Fleet ==
SAHSA's fleet consisted of the following aircraft:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Aircraft
! Total
! Routes
|-
| [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]]
| 4
| short and medium haul
|-
| [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]
| 2
| short and medium haul
|-
| [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]] 
| 6
| short and medium haul
|-
| [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-400]]
| 2
| medium haul
|-
| [[Convair CV-240|CV-340]]
| 2
| short haul
|-
| [[Convair CV-240|CV-440]]
| 2
| short haul
|-
| [[Convair CV-240|CV-580]]
| 2
| short haul
|-
| [[Douglas DC-3]]
| 10
| short haul
|-
| [[Lockheed L-188|Lockheed L-188 Electra]]
| 4
| short and medium haul
|}

===Previously operated===
The airline also operated:
*[[Douglas DC-2]]
*[[Douglas DC-6]]
*[[C-46 Commando|Curtiss C-46 Commando]]
*[[de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7]]

==Accidents and incidents==
Sahsa Airlines was involved in several incidents and accidents, the most notable being:
* On 7 June 1962, a SAHSA [[Curtiss C-46 Commando]] (HR-SAL); a cargo flight, crash landed at Toncontin when the left side undercarriage strut collapsed on touchdown. Both crew members survived but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.<ref name="aviation-safety.net">{{Cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/airport/airport.php?id=TGU|title = Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport profile - Aviation Safety Network}}</ref>
* On 20 February 1967, SAHSA Flight 203, a [[Douglas DC-6]] (HR-SAS) had an accident at [[Toncontin International Airport]] because of a reverse prop system failure, during forced braking two main gear tires caught fire, the plane overran the runway and caught fire killing 4 passengers.<ref>[https://asn.flightsafety.org/Accident aviation-safety.net] and incidents reportdatabase/record.php?id=19670220-0</ref>
* On 13 September 1969, a SAHSA [[Douglas DC-3]] was hijacked at [[Comalapa International Airport]]. The hijacking lasted less than one day and there were no fatalities.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/database/operators/5436|title = Aviation Safety Network > ASN Aviation Safety Database > Operator index > Honduras > SAHSA - Servicio Aéreo de Honduras SA}}</ref>
* On 25 November 1969, a SAHSA [[Douglas DC-3]] (HR-ANA) crashed whilst attempting to land on runway 01 at Toncontin. Strong gusts of wind upset the aircraft attitude during its flare which pushed the aircraft towards the terminal buildings. The crew forced a turn away from the buildings and crashed. All 15 passengers and 3 crew survived.<ref name="aviation-safety.net"/>
* On 28 May 1980, a SAHSA [[Douglas DC-3]] (HR-SAC) was damaged beyond repair when part of its landing gear struck a wall whilst on approach to [[Utila Airport]] in Honduras.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* On 8 January 1981, a [[Lockheed L-188 Electra]] (HR-SAW) crashed at [[Guatemala City]] whilst on a ferry flight to [[Tegucigalpa]] for repairs, the plane took off with only three engines and one of the electrical generators malfunctioning, shortly after take off the plane lost hydraulic pressure and tried return to [[La Aurora International Airport]], but the plane lost altitude and crashed into some houses 1 mile west of the airport, killing the 6 crew members on board.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/328169|title=ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-188A Electra HR-SAW Guatemala City-La Aurora Airport (GUA)}}</ref>
* On 27 March 1981, a SAHSA Boeing [[737-200]] was hijacked in [[Panama]] by terrorists demanding the release of prisoners. The hijackers surrendered after 2 days. There were no fatalities.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* On 21 October 1989, [[Tan-Sahsa Flight 414]] a [[Boeing 727-200]] (N88705) crashed at the "Cerro de Hula" mountain ridge after an unsuccessful approach, killing 131 people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/326183|title=ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-224 N88705 Tegucigalpa-Toncontin Airport (TGU)}}</ref>
* On 18 March 1990, a SAHSA [[Douglas DC-3]] (HR-SAZ) overran the runway on landing at [[Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport]], [[Roatán]] and ended up in the sea. The aircraft, performing a domestic scheduled passenger flight, was damaged beyond repair but all 32 people on board escaped.<ref name=AH180390>{{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/326076 |title=HR-SAZ Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=24 June 2010}}</ref>
* On 17 November 1991, a SAHSA [[Boeing 737-200]] landed hard on the right main gear strut at [[Juan Santamaria International Airport]] casing the right landing gear strut to collapse. All 36 passengers and 6 crew escaped.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* On 18 July 1993, a SAHSA [[Boeing 737-200]] was damaged beyond repair during a hard landing at [[Managua Airport]] in [[Nicaragua]] the aircraft skidded to the right, off the runway. The nosegear collapsed and both engines were torn off. The aircraft came to rest 200 feet right of the runway.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book|last=Sherlock|first=Jay. L|title=Lockheed L-188 Electra and Orion|year=1977|publisher=Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd|isbn=0-85130-058-8}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|SAHSA}}
*[http://rzjets.net/operators/operator.php?opid=1149/ Code and fleet data]{{dead link|date=April 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110218232857/http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=5436/ Accident and incidents report]
*[http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?airlinesearch=SAHSA&distinct_entry=true/ Airliners.net picture]
*[http://sanpedrosula-airport.tripod.com/misshonduras.html/ Short history and pictures]

{{Portalbar|Companies|Aviation}}

[[Category:SAHSA| ]]
[[Category:Defunct airlines of Honduras]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1945]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 1994]]
[[Category:1945 establishments in Honduras]]
[[Category:1994 disestablishments in North America]]