SABENA
Operated from May 1923 to Nov 2001
Country of Origin – Belgium
Founders/Directors – The Government of Belgium
As one of Europe’s longest lived airlines, SABENA had already been operating for almost 35 years before opening its own, distinct entry within SEN’s 
history book. As the national airline of Belgium its pre-war flights had mostly concerned themselves with flying scheduled services to surrounding countries including the UK although over time, these were later expanded to take in Northern and Southern Europe as well as Africa. As war loomed, Belgium eventually found itself being occupied by German forces and while all commercial flights within the country itself were obviously brought to a halt, the airline continued to operate within its African colony of the Belgian Congo. However, by 1945 and with the war well and truly won, SABENA took advantage of the surplus C-47s that were at the time up for tender in huge numbers and quickly began to re-establish its European network.
While SABENA had no doubt flown to Southend during the airport’s earlier years, it was in 1957 that the 
airline’s logo would become a regular sight at SEN as it started operating its own charters to the airport. Also, having been impressed with Air Charter’s ‘Air Bridge’ success on the Ostend car-ferry service, this company decided to enter into an agreement with ACL to wet lease one Bristol Superfreighter which would then fly this route adorned in its own livery. As such, three separate aircraft would fly this service successively from April 1957 until July 1964 when the cross-Channel ferries gradually started biting into the profits of the airborne carriers, making these services increasingly uneconomical to run. Nevertheless, SABENA’s operations contributed towards ensuring that 1962 would be SEN’s busiest year ever with a total of 138 visits, the most by any international airline in one calendar year.
However, during this period leased or SABENA’s own aircraft often replaced the B170 or flew additional passenger flights. Normal operations were usually flown by C-47s although rarer types would invariably appear such as on December 3rd and 24th 1958 when two separate Convair 440s
diverted in, on July 30th 1960 when a leased Dan-Air Ambassador stood in for a C-47, on September 11th 1960 when DC-6 OO-CTI flew in on a BUA sub-charter and on July 29th 1962 when a DC-7 came to SEN as a replacement for the B170. That said, by late-1965 SABENA’s aircraft had become an infrequent sight and while flights would still occur, this was more an exception that the rule. Indeed, it wouldn’t be until the late ’70s that visits would begin to pick up again, at least for a few years as a Metro, Boeing 737s and Fokker F-27s began to arrive on cargo flights, London shopping trips and charter flights respectively, some of these being operated on behalf of British Air Ferries. However, by 1986 it was all over with B737 OO-SDE making the last Sabena visit on June 19th of that year.
SABENA fleet from 1957 to 1965 and 1978 to 1986
Douglas C-47/DC-3
OO-AUL – 2/46 to 4/64
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUL
OO-AUM – 4/46 to 8/68
DBF at Kinshasa, Congo 18/8/68
OO-AUO – 8/46 to 2/62
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-AUO
OO-AUP – 8/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUP
OO-AUV* – 2/47 to 11/59
Sold to Linair
OO-AUW – 7/46 to 7/65
Sold to BIAS
OO-AUX – 2/47 to ?/60
Sold to Air Catanga as 9Q-AUX
OO-AUY* – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BEC
OO-AUZ – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BED
OO-AWF – 8/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUF
OO-AWG* – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BEG
OO-AWJ – 7/47 to 3/66
Sold to BIAS for spares
OO-AWK – 4/47 to 10/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-306
OO-AWL – 8/47 to 12/63
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUH
OO-AWM* – 2/47 to 6/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-305
OO-AWN* – 11/50 to 10/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-307
OO-AWZ – 4/50 to 6/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-303
OO-CBB – 12/45 to 12/63
Sold to Air Zaire as 9Q-CBB
OO-CBC – 2/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CBC
OO-CBU – 1/53 to 3/69
Sold to Delta Air Transport as OO-VDH but reg ntu
OO-CBW – 3/53 to 4/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-304
OO-CBX – 3/53 to 6/73
Sold to Kerry Management Services as N6896
OO-CBY* – 6/53 to 6/68
Sold to Belgian Int Air Serv (BIAS)
OO-SBC – 9/49 to 4/65
Leased from Sobelair – Ret to lessee 7/59 to 2/61
OO-SBE – 1/53 to ?/60
Leased from Sobelair
OO-SBH – 9/61 to 3/69
DBR in forced landing while on lease to BIAS 28/3/69
OO-UBJ – 3/47 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUS
OO-UBT – 4/47 to 7/65
Sold to BIAS
Douglas DC-6
OO-CTH – 4/53 to 2/63
Sold to Transair Sweden as SE-CCY
OO-CTI*– 4/53 to 2/63
Sold to Transair Sweden as SE-CCZ
OO-CTK*– 5/53 to 10/69
Sold to Inair
OO-CTL – 5/53 to 6/66
Sold to Sobelair
OO-CTM – 1/54 to 5/65
Sold to the Luftwaffe as CA+024
OO-CTN – 2/54 to 8/71
WFU 10/70 – Sold to Gabonair as TR-LQD
OO-CTO – 5/54 to 12/59
TFR to the Belgian Air Force as KY-3
OO-CTP – 7/54 to 12/59
TFR to the Belgian Air Force as KY-4
OO-SDD – 5/50 to 12/65
Sold to Aerofina Luxembourg 1/58 – Leased back from 1/58 to 12/60 – Repurchased 4/62 – Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CLA
OO-SDE – 6/50 to 7/65
Sold to Aerofina Luxembourg 1/58 – Leased back from 1/58 to 12/60 – Repurchased 4/62 – Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CLB
OO-SDG – 4/53 to 4/65
Sold to the Luftwaffe as CA+023
OO-SDQ – 5/55 to 6/69
Sold to Jean-Claude Bergey as TR-LOX
Convair 440
OO-SCJ* – 6/56 to 6/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APT
OO-SCK – 6/56 to 11/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APV
OO-SCL – 7/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73160
OO-SCM – 8/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73161
OO-SCN – 9/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73162
OO-SCO – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73163
OO-SCP* – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73164
OO-SPQ – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73165
OO-SCR – 11/56 to 12/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APU
OO-SCS – 11/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73166
OO-SCT – 12/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73167
OO-SCV – 12/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73168
Bristol 170 Superfreighter
G-AOUV* – 6/57 to 11/59
Leased from Air Charter Ltd
G-APAU* – 11/59 to 5/62
Leased from Air Charter/Channel Air Bridge
G-APAV* – 5/62 to 7/64
Leased from Channel Air Bridge
Douglas DC-7
OO-CFF – 1/57 to 1/64
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-CFH – 3/58 to 1/63
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-CFJ – 3/58 to 5/63
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-SFB – 12/56 to 4/61
Sold to Persian Air Services as EP-AEP
OO-SFC* – 12/56 to 9/69
Sold to Spantax as EC-BSQ
OO-SFD – 1/57 to 3/62
Crashed at Douala, Cameroon – 4/3/62
OO-SFE – 1/57 to 12/57
Sold to Locavia (Luxembourg)
OO-SFG – 2/58 to 1/66
Sold to Caledonian Airways as G-ARYE
OO-SFK – 4/58 to 10/69
Sold to Spantax as EC-BDM
Swearingen Metro
OO-JPK* – ?/79 to ?/86
Leased from European Air Transport
Fairchild FH-227
OO-DTC* – ?/80 to ?/81
Leased from Delta Air Transport
Boeing 737-200
OO-SDA – 4/74 to 3/92
Sold to Sobelair
OO-SDB – 5/74 to 3/88
Sold to Trans European Airways
OO-SDC* – 5/74 to 4/88
Sold to Trans European Airways
OO-SDD – 6/74 to 9/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYRI
OO-SDE* – 6/74 to 6/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAC
OO-SDF* – 7/74 to 1/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAE
OO-SDG – 6/75 to 8/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAH
OO-SDJ – 7/75 to 7/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BZKP
OO-SDK – 3/75 to 11/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYYK
OO-SDL – 6/75 to 6/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAG
OO-SDM – 7/75 to 9/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAD
OO-SDN – 12/75 to 2/01
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAI
OO-SDO – 12/75 to 11/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAJ
OO-SDP – 11/75 to 12/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYZN
OO-SDR – 5/79 to 11/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYYF
Recorded SEN Movements for SABENA Aircraft
Douglas C-47/DC-3
OO-AUY
1962 Visits
Daily from 8/6 to 13/6 (OST-OST) – 14/6 (OST-BRU)
OO-AUZ
1962 Visits
29/6 – 30/6 (All OST-OST)
OO-AWG
1962 Visits
15/6 – 16/6 – Daily from 18/6 to 21/6 – 23/6 – 24/6 – 25/6 (All OST-OST)
Douglas DC-7
OO-SFC
1962 Visit
29/4 (OST-OST)
Do you have any other, interesting snippets of information about this airline’s SEN history or indeed, any pictures or paraphernalia that you would like to share? If so, then please contact us on saadinfomail@gmail.com
Many thanks from the SAAD Admin Team.
Operated from May 1923 to Nov 2001
Country of Origin – Belgium
Founders/Directors – The Government of Belgium
As one of Europe’s longest lived airlines, SABENA had already been operating for almost 35 years before opening its own, distinct entry within SEN’s 
history book. As the national airline of Belgium its pre-war flights had mostly concerned themselves with flying scheduled services to surrounding countries including the UK although over time, these were later expanded to take in Northern and Southern Europe as well as Africa. As war loomed, Belgium eventually found itself being occupied by German forces and while all commercial flights within the country itself were obviously brought to a halt, the airline continued to operate within its African colony of the Belgian Congo. However, by 1945 and with the war well and truly won, SABENA took advantage of the surplus C-47s that were at the time up for tender in huge numbers and quickly began to re-establish its European network.
While SABENA had no doubt flown to Southend during the airport’s earlier years, it was in 1957 that the 
airline’s logo would become a regular sight at SEN as it started operating its own charters to the airport. Also, having been impressed with Air Charter’s ‘Air Bridge’ success on the Ostend car-ferry service, this company decided to enter into an agreement with ACL to wet lease one Bristol Superfreighter which would then fly this route adorned in its own livery. As such, three separate aircraft would fly this service successively from April 1957 until July 1964 when the cross-Channel ferries gradually started biting into the profits of the airborne carriers, making these services increasingly uneconomical to run. Nevertheless, SABENA’s operations contributed towards ensuring that 1962 would be SEN’s busiest year ever with a total of 138 visits, the most by any international airline in one calendar year.
However, during this period leased or SABENA’s own aircraft often replaced the B170 or flew additional passenger flights. Normal operations were usually flown by C-47s although rarer types would invariably appear such as on December 3rd and 24th 1958 when two separate Convair 440s
diverted in, on July 30th 1960 when a leased Dan-Air Ambassador stood in for a C-47, on September 11th 1960 when DC-6 OO-CTI flew in on a BUA sub-charter and on July 29th 1962 when a DC-7 came to SEN as a replacement for the B170. That said, by late-1965 SABENA’s aircraft had become an infrequent sight and while flights would still occur, this was more an exception that the rule. Indeed, it wouldn’t be until the late ’70s that visits would begin to pick up again, at least for a few years as a Metro, Boeing 737s and Fokker F-27s began to arrive on cargo flights, London shopping trips and charter flights respectively, some of these being operated on behalf of British Air Ferries. However, by 1986 it was all over with B737 OO-SDE making the last Sabena visit on June 19th of that year.
SABENA fleet from 1957 to 1965 and 1978 to 1986
Douglas C-47/DC-3
OO-AUL – 2/46 to 4/64
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUL
OO-AUM – 4/46 to 8/68
DBF at Kinshasa, Congo 18/8/68
OO-AUO – 8/46 to 2/62
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-AUO
OO-AUP – 8/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUP
OO-AUV* – 2/47 to 11/59
Sold to Linair
OO-AUW – 7/46 to 7/65
Sold to BIAS
OO-AUX – 2/47 to ?/60
Sold to Air Catanga as 9Q-AUX
OO-AUY* – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BEC
OO-AUZ – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BED
OO-AWF – 8/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUF
OO-AWG* – 2/47 to 6/66
Sold to Spantax as EC-BEG
OO-AWJ – 7/47 to 3/66
Sold to BIAS for spares
OO-AWK – 4/47 to 10/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-306
OO-AWL – 8/47 to 12/63
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUH
OO-AWM* – 2/47 to 6/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-305
OO-AWN* – 11/50 to 10/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-307
OO-AWZ – 4/50 to 6/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-303
OO-CBB – 12/45 to 12/63
Sold to Air Zaire as 9Q-CBB
OO-CBC – 2/46 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CBC
OO-CBU – 1/53 to 3/69
Sold to Delta Air Transport as OO-VDH but reg ntu
OO-CBW – 3/53 to 4/69
Sold to the Nigerian Air Force as NAF-304
OO-CBX – 3/53 to 6/73
Sold to Kerry Management Services as N6896
OO-CBY* – 6/53 to 6/68
Sold to Belgian Int Air Serv (BIAS)
OO-SBC – 9/49 to 4/65
Leased from Sobelair – Ret to lessee 7/59 to 2/61
OO-SBE – 1/53 to ?/60
Leased from Sobelair
OO-SBH – 9/61 to 3/69
DBR in forced landing while on lease to BIAS 28/3/69
OO-UBJ – 3/47 to 2/61
Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CUS
OO-UBT – 4/47 to 7/65
Sold to BIAS
Douglas DC-6
OO-CTH – 4/53 to 2/63
Sold to Transair Sweden as SE-CCY
OO-CTI*– 4/53 to 2/63
Sold to Transair Sweden as SE-CCZ
OO-CTK*– 5/53 to 10/69
Sold to Inair
OO-CTL – 5/53 to 6/66
Sold to Sobelair
OO-CTM – 1/54 to 5/65
Sold to the Luftwaffe as CA+024
OO-CTN – 2/54 to 8/71
WFU 10/70 – Sold to Gabonair as TR-LQD
OO-CTO – 5/54 to 12/59
TFR to the Belgian Air Force as KY-3
OO-CTP – 7/54 to 12/59
TFR to the Belgian Air Force as KY-4
OO-SDD – 5/50 to 12/65
Sold to Aerofina Luxembourg 1/58 – Leased back from 1/58 to 12/60 – Repurchased 4/62 – Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CLA
OO-SDE – 6/50 to 7/65
Sold to Aerofina Luxembourg 1/58 – Leased back from 1/58 to 12/60 – Repurchased 4/62 – Sold to Air Congo as 9Q-CLB
OO-SDG – 4/53 to 4/65
Sold to the Luftwaffe as CA+023
OO-SDQ – 5/55 to 6/69
Sold to Jean-Claude Bergey as TR-LOX
Convair 440
OO-SCJ* – 6/56 to 6/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APT
OO-SCK – 6/56 to 11/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APV
OO-SCL – 7/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73160
OO-SCM – 8/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73161
OO-SCN – 9/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73162
OO-SCO – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73163
OO-SCP* – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73164
OO-SPQ – 10/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73165
OO-SCR – 11/56 to 12/59
Sold to Aviaco as EC-APU
OO-SCS – 11/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73166
OO-SCT – 12/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73167
OO-SCV – 12/56 to 9/67
Sold to Frontier Airlines as N73168
Bristol 170 Superfreighter
G-AOUV* – 6/57 to 11/59
Leased from Air Charter Ltd
G-APAU* – 11/59 to 5/62
Leased from Air Charter/Channel Air Bridge
G-APAV* – 5/62 to 7/64
Leased from Channel Air Bridge
Douglas DC-7
OO-CFF – 1/57 to 1/64
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-CFH – 3/58 to 1/63
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-CFJ – 3/58 to 5/63
Leased from IALCO Bell Inc
OO-SFB – 12/56 to 4/61
Sold to Persian Air Services as EP-AEP
OO-SFC* – 12/56 to 9/69
Sold to Spantax as EC-BSQ
OO-SFD – 1/57 to 3/62
Crashed at Douala, Cameroon – 4/3/62
OO-SFE – 1/57 to 12/57
Sold to Locavia (Luxembourg)
OO-SFG – 2/58 to 1/66
Sold to Caledonian Airways as G-ARYE
OO-SFK – 4/58 to 10/69
Sold to Spantax as EC-BDM
Swearingen Metro
OO-JPK* – ?/79 to ?/86
Leased from European Air Transport
Fairchild FH-227
OO-DTC* – ?/80 to ?/81
Leased from Delta Air Transport
Boeing 737-200
OO-SDA – 4/74 to 3/92
Sold to Sobelair
OO-SDB – 5/74 to 3/88
Sold to Trans European Airways
OO-SDC* – 5/74 to 4/88
Sold to Trans European Airways
OO-SDD – 6/74 to 9/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYRI
OO-SDE* – 6/74 to 6/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAC
OO-SDF* – 7/74 to 1/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAE
OO-SDG – 6/75 to 8/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAH
OO-SDJ – 7/75 to 7/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BZKP
OO-SDK – 3/75 to 11/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYYK
OO-SDL – 6/75 to 6/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAG
OO-SDM – 7/75 to 9/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAD
OO-SDN – 12/75 to 2/01
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAI
OO-SDO – 12/75 to 11/00
Sold to European Air Charter as G-CEAJ
OO-SDP – 11/75 to 12/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYZN
OO-SDR – 5/79 to 11/99
Sold to European Air Charter as G-BYYF
Recorded SEN Movements for SABENA Aircraft
Douglas C-47/DC-3
OO-AUY
1962 Visits
Daily from 8/6 to 13/6 (OST-OST) – 14/6 (OST-BRU)
OO-AUZ
1962 Visits
29/6 – 30/6 (All OST-OST)
OO-AWG
1962 Visits
15/6 – 16/6 – Daily from 18/6 to 21/6 – 23/6 – 24/6 – 25/6 (All OST-OST)
Douglas DC-7
OO-SFC
1962 Visit
29/4 (OST-OST)
Do you have any other, interesting snippets of information about this airline’s SEN history or indeed, any pictures or paraphernalia that you would like to share? If so, then please contact us on saadinfomail@gmail.com
Many thanks from the SAAD Admin Team.