Deccan Airways Explained

Airline:Deccan Airways
Founded:[1]
Commenced:July 1946
Ceased:1953
Headquarters:Hyderabad

Deccan Airways Limited was a commercial airline based at Begumpet Airport[2] in the former Hyderabad State in India. It was owned by the Nizam of Hyderabad and Tata Airlines.[3]

History

Founded in 1945, Deccan was one of the nine airlines that existed in India during independence. The airline was a joint venture of Nizam Government of the Hyderabad State and Tata Airlines. 71% of Deccan Airways was owned by the Nizam's Government and the rest by Tata Sons and others. Commercial operations were launched with a fleet of three aircraft in July 1946, operating a biweekly service between Madras and Delhi via Hyderabad, Nagpur, Bhopal, and Gwalior. It also flew a biweekly Hyderabad-Bangalore flight.[4] By March 1947, the airline had seven aircraft in its fleet and was operating the Madras-Delhi flight daily as well as a daily Hyderabad-Bombay flight.[5] Between July 1946 and May 1947, the airline had carried more than eleven thousand passengers, 51 tonnes of freight, and almost seven tonnes of mail.[6]

Post-Annexation

After the September 1948 Operation Polo, a military operation through which India annexed Hyderabad State, the airline was owned by the Government of India. By 1952, the Government of India held 78% of the shares of Deccan Airways. The shares were acquired from the Hyderabad Government & Nizam State Railways. 13% of the shares was still held by Tatas & 9% by the general public.[7]

Nationalization

In 1953, Deccan Airways Limited, along with seven other airlines under the Air Corporations Act, were merged to form a single domestic carrier, Indian Airlines. On 10 October 1953, Deccan Airways resigned its associate membership of IATA.[8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]

Fleet

When Deccan was merged with Indian Airlines in 1953, it had a fleet of thirteen Douglas DC-3 'Dakota' aircraft. The DC-3 aircraft were brought from US Air Force at a throw away price after they were left unused in Assam after World War II.

Accidents and incidents

5 April 1950: A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-CJD) crashed at Hatiara while attempting to return to Dum Dum Airport after an engine failed, killing all three crew;
  • 21 November 1951: A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AUO) crashed at Dum Dum Airport while attempting to land was made in extremely poor visibility conditions, killing all four crew and thirteen passengers.
  • 19 February 1952: A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AXE) crashed on landing at Sonegaon Airport due to pilot error and possible misread altimeter, killing three of 16 on board.
  • 30 April 1952: A Deccan Airways C-47A (registration VT-AUN) crashed at Safdarjung Airport, Delhi, due to engine failure, killing four crew and five passengers.

    • Notes and References

    1. Web site: A tome on the aviation history of the Deccan. The Hindu. 15 February 2019 . 26 May 2001.
    2. Web site: Civil Aviation News. FlightGlobal. 15 February 2019 . 10 January 1946.
    3. Web site: A Story of Flight . The Indian Express. 15 February 2019 . 27 July 2009.
    4. Web site: 1 August 1946 . Brevities . 15 February 2019 . FlightGlobal.
    5. Web site: 13 March 1947 . Civil Aviation News . 15 February 2019 . FlightGlobal.
    6. Web site: 7 August 1947 . Brevities . 15 February 2019 . FlightGlobal.
    7. Web site: Economic Weekly. The Economic Weekly. 13 September 2014. 29 March 1952.
    8. Web site: Hyderabad, The City Of Wings As Well . https://web.archive.org/web/20140905021844/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/Hyderabad-The-City-Of-Wings-As-Well/2014/03/15/article2110181.ece1. dead. 5 September 2014. The New Indian Express. 15 March 2014.
    9. Web site: 100 Years of Civil Aviation in India - Milestones. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. 25 January 2011.
    10. Web site: A tome on the aviation history of the Deccan. https://archive.today/20140823051234/http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/2001/05/26/stories/0426403g.htm. dead. 23 August 2014. The Hindu. 25 May 2014.
    11. Web site: Commercial Aviation in India: A Multifaceted Story. India Strategic. March 2014.
    12. Web site: PM Reddy: An aviator and engineer par excellence. Times of India. 4 May 2014.
    13. Book: IATA Bulletin, Volume 15-22. International Air Transport Association. 10 Sep 2009. 1952.

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