| Airline: | Gum Air |
| Fleet Size: | 11 |
| Icao: | GUM |
| Callsign: | GUMAIR |
| Headquarters: | Paramaribo, Suriname |
| Key People: | Dean Gummels (MD) |
| Bases: | Zorg en Hoop Airport |
Gum Air is a Surinamese airline based in Paramaribo, Suriname. Gum Air cooperates with Trans Guyana Airways to provide daily flights between Zorg en Hoop Airport in Paramaribo, Suriname and Ogle Airport in Georgetown, Guyana.
Gum Air was founded in 1971 by six brothers of the Gummels family. The company they started in March 1964, was agriculture airspray company named Surinam Sky Farmers and Gum Air its offspring focused more on domestic flights and regional charters.[1] Whereas Surinam Sky Farmers has its base in the rice district of Nickerie at the Wageningen Airstrip together with Overeem Air Service maintaining Grumman Ag Cat aircraft, Gum Air has set up its domestic airline at the Zorg en Hoop Airport in the city.
Gum Air has its base at Zorg en Hoop airfield in the capital city Paramaribo and now mainly flies with single engine Cessna airplanes and twin-engined de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.
Gum Air also owns dedicated Heliport, Gummels Heliport Paramaribo, built in Suriname at the Gummelsweg in the neighborhood of Kwatta near the city of Paramaribo, Suriname. Privately owned by the Gummels family the heliport is mainly used for helicopter charters and primarily for offshore development activities within the country.
Besides charter flights within Suriname Gum Air also operates scheduled interior services from Paramaribo to places like Benzdorp, Cottica, Gabaka, Drietabbetje and Stoelmanseiland.
Internationally Gum Air has an agreement with Trans Guyana Airways and together they provide regular scheduled flights between Zorg en Hoop Airport, Paramaribo (Suriname) and Ogle Airport of Georgetown (Guyana).[2]
Gum Air has flown various unique types of STOL Short Take Off & Landing aircraft from Suriname in the past such as Dornier DO 28D-1 Skyservant, GAF Nomad, Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander and also helicopter types such as Agusta-Bell 204B & Bell 206B Jet Ranger II.
In September 2021, Gum Air placed an order at Cessna for a new Cessna 408 SkyCourier to become the first operator in the Caribbean and Latin America for this new type of twin engine turboprop aircraft planned for delivery in 2023. Gum Air is currently constructing a new 3600-foot runway at its Gummels Heliport Paramaribo, and plans to utilize the SkyCourier for flights between Paramaribo, Georgetown, Port of Spain, and Cayenne. The new airport will mainly support the Oil & Gas, and Cargo sectors with charter flights.[3] [4]
Gum Air today owns a fleet of eight aircraft plus three helicopters, consisting of four types of aircraft varying from five to 19 seats. One Cessna SkyCourier is on order for delivery in 2023.[5]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | On Order | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cessna U206B/G Stationair 6/Super Skywagon | 2 | 1 pilot plus 5 passengers | |||
| Cessna 208B Grand Caravan | 4 | 1-2 pilots plus 8-9 passengers | (Max 14 passengers with FAR Part 23 waiver) | ||
| De Havilland Canada DHC-6-300 Twin Otter | 2[6] | 2 pilots plus 19 passengers | |||
| Cessna 408 SkyCourier | 1[7] | 2 pilots plus Cargo (19 passengers) | |||
| Robinson R44 Raven I | 2 | 1-pilot plus 3 passengers | |||
| Bell 505 Jet Ranger X | 1 | 1-pilot plus 4 passengers | |||
| Total | 11 | 1 | |||