For the Danish airline which formerly known as Danish Air Transport, see DAT (airline).
Delta Air Transport (abbreviated DAT) was a Belgianregional airline headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, operating scheduled and chartered flights, mostly on short-haul routes. It served a multitude of regional European destinations on behalf of Sabena during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Delta Air Transport was founded in 1966, by Frans Van den Bergh, as a provider for air taxi and charter flight services with an initial fleet of three Cessna aircraft (one each of the types Skymaster, 210 and 206). DAT's first scheduled flight from Antwerp to Amsterdam on behalf of KLM took place on 19 September 1967; for that purpose two Beechcraft Queen Air feederliners had been acquired (some sources erroneously mention three of the type). [1][2]
Operations grew when the larger Douglas DC-3 and DC-6 joined the fleet over the following years, allowing DAT to operate charter flights on behalf of KLM (which owned a 33.3 percent stake in DAT), Sabena, Crossair and BIAS. In 1973, the majority of the airline's stake was bought by Compagnie Maritime Belge.[3] During 1974, a Boeing 720 was leased, allowing DAT to offer worldwide charter flights under the Delta International branding,[4] which soon turned out to be unsuccessful, though.[5]
In 1986, Sabena acquired a 49 percent stake in DAT, and an increasing number of flights were operated on behalf of the Belgian national airline henceforth[6] (also adopting the airline codes of Sabena), using a fleet of British Aerospace 146 aircraft, in favor of which other airliners were gradually phased out. DAT became a member of the European Regional Airlines Association in 1993.[7] In 1996, Sabena bought the remaining KLM stake, thus DAT became a wholly owned Sabena subsidiary, moved its headquarters from Antwerp to Brussels[8] and was re-branded as DAT Belgian Regional Airline, offering low-cost flights. Gradually, the livery of Sabena was applied to all DAT aircraft.
On 1 November 2001, Sabena collapsed due to financial difficulties. DAT could re-launch its operations on 10 November with a flight to Geneva,[9] having received all of Sabena's slots at Brussels Airport and thus being able to maintain the successful European network.[10]Freddy Van Gaever, its former CEO, planned to merge DAT with Virgin Express and add flights to the United States using former Sabena aircraft, which was why the new DAT Plus branding was adopted.[11][12] Actually, DAT came under the umbrella of SN Airholding (the liquidator of Sabena) in 2002, and was re-organized under a new AOC as SN Brussels Airlines, which later became Brussels Airlines after indeed merging with Virgin Express, today's flag carrier of the country.[5]
Destinationsedit
In its early years, Delta Air Transport offered up to 4 daily scheduled flights between its then base at Antwerp Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on behalf of KLM (the contract lasted until 1997, when DAT had become a wholly owned Sabena subsidiary),[13] as well as a limited number of routes to the neighboring countries. During the 1990s and early 2000s, DAT was able to grow an extensive short-haul network, as more and more flights were operated on behalf of demising Sabena, eventually becoming the tenth largest regional airline of the continent, transporting more than 1.7 million passengers per year.[14] During its height, the airline had nearly 800 employees,[15] and served the following cities on a scheduled basis from its hub at Brussels Airport:[16][17][18][19]
On 4 October 1974 at 20:01 local time, the flight engineer of a DAT Douglas DC-6 (registered OO-VGB) decided to retract the nose gear during take-off run at London Southend Airport even though the aircraft had not yet lifted off, which happened due to a communication error with the pilots. The airplane slid along the runway, during which it was damaged beyond repair. 99 passengers had been on board the flight to Antwerp, one of which was severely injured (another four received minor injuries from evacuating the aircraft). The six crew members remained uninjured.[24][25]
On 2 June 1990 at 19:11 local time, a DAT Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia (registered OO-DTA) without any passengers collided with a Piper Aerostar during a low-pass manoeuvre at Antwerp International Airport, resulting in the crash of the Piper and the death of the four people on board. The two aircraft had been performing a close formation flight for aerial photographs of the DAT Embraer for advertising purposes.[26]
Referencesedit
^"flightglobal.com: 1968 issue of Flight International" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"1966 Delta Air Transport" (in Dutch). Barrois.be.
^"Sabena boss seeks more work for less, Flight International, October 1995". flightglobal.com. 1995-10-24. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"DAT Plus gets airborne as Virgin Express signs interim co-operation agreement, Flight International, November 2001". flightglobal.com. 2001-11-26. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"Delsey folds its wings, Flight International, November 2002". flightglobal.com. 2002-11-18. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"3748.html?search=Delta Air Transport flightglobal.com: "Ex-DAT Boss to Plug Belgian Gap", Flight International, Nov/Dec 2001 issue". Flightglobal.com. 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"0071.html?search=Delta Air Transport flightglobal.com: "Virgin Express Begins Merher Talks", Flight International, Jan 2002 issue". Flightglobal.com. 2010-06-14. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"DAT Disposal, Flight International, February 1997". flightglobal.com. 1997-02-25. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"The World's Top Regional Airlines by Passenger Numbers, Flight International, May 1999". flightglobal.com. 1999-05-11. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"DAT's entry in the World Airlines Directory, Flight International, March/April 2000". flightglobal. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"Selected DAT fleet listing (1990 onwards) at". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"Flight International, Dec 1989/Jan 1990 issue, "News In Brief" section, page 10". flightglobal.com. 1989-12-20. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^ ab"Delta Air Transport re-equips, Flight International, April 1977". flightglobal.com. 1977-04-30. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"Flight International, August 1987. "Marketplace" section on page 6". flightglobal.com. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"DAT 1974 accident at the Aviation Safety Network". Aviation-safety.net. 1974-10-04. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"Official report of the 1974 DAT accident at Southend Airport" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-09-23.
^"DAT 1990 incident at the Aviation Safety Network". Aviation-safety.net. 1990-06-02. Retrieved 2013-09-23.
Further readingedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Delta Air Transport.
Aeronews of Belgium. Antwerpen-Deurne, Belgium: Aviation Society of Antwerp. 2010. pp. 15, 16. ISSN 0772-6198.
May 12, 2024
delta, transport, confused, with, delta, lines, danish, airline, which, formerly, known, danish, transport, airline, abbreviated, belgian, regional, airline, headquartered, antwerp, belgium, operating, scheduled, chartered, flights, mostly, short, haul, routes. Not to be confused with Delta Air Lines For the Danish airline which formerly known as Danish Air Transport see DAT airline Delta Air Transport abbreviated DAT was a Belgian regional airline headquartered in Antwerp Belgium operating scheduled and chartered flights mostly on short haul routes It served a multitude of regional European destinations on behalf of Sabena during the 1990s and early 2000s Delta Air TransportIATA ICAO Callsign QGSN DEDATSAB DELTAIRFounded1966 1966 Commenced operations19 September 1967 1967 09 19 Ceased operationsFebruary 2002 2002 02 re organized as SN Brussels Airlines HubsAntwerp International AirportFocus citiesBrussels AirportParent companyCompagnie Maritime Belge 1973 1996 Sabena 1996 2001 HeadquartersAntwerp Contents 1 History 2 Destinations 3 Fleet 4 Accidents and incidents 5 References 6 Further readingHistory editDelta Air Transport was founded in 1966 by Frans Van den Bergh as a provider for air taxi and charter flight services with an initial fleet of three Cessna aircraft one each of the types Skymaster 210 and 206 DAT s first scheduled flight from Antwerp to Amsterdam on behalf of KLM took place on 19 September 1967 for that purpose two Beechcraft Queen Air feederliners had been acquired some sources erroneously mention three of the type 1 2 nbsp Delta Air Transport Douglas DC 3 arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in June 1972 on a scheduled service from Antwerp Airport Operations grew when the larger Douglas DC 3 and DC 6 joined the fleet over the following years allowing DAT to operate charter flights on behalf of KLM which owned a 33 3 percent stake in DAT Sabena Crossair and BIAS In 1973 the majority of the airline s stake was bought by Compagnie Maritime Belge 3 During 1974 a Boeing 720 was leased allowing DAT to offer worldwide charter flights under the Delta International branding 4 which soon turned out to be unsuccessful though 5 In 1986 Sabena acquired a 49 percent stake in DAT and an increasing number of flights were operated on behalf of the Belgian national airline henceforth 6 also adopting the airline codes of Sabena using a fleet of British Aerospace 146 aircraft in favor of which other airliners were gradually phased out DAT became a member of the European Regional Airlines Association in 1993 7 In 1996 Sabena bought the remaining KLM stake thus DAT became a wholly owned Sabena subsidiary moved its headquarters from Antwerp to Brussels 8 and was re branded as DAT Belgian Regional Airline offering low cost flights Gradually the livery of Sabena was applied to all DAT aircraft On 1 November 2001 Sabena collapsed due to financial difficulties DAT could re launch its operations on 10 November with a flight to Geneva 9 having received all of Sabena s slots at Brussels Airport and thus being able to maintain the successful European network 10 Freddy Van Gaever its former CEO planned to merge DAT with Virgin Express and add flights to the United States using former Sabena aircraft which was why the new DAT Plus branding was adopted 11 12 Actually DAT came under the umbrella of SN Airholding the liquidator of Sabena in 2002 and was re organized under a new AOC as SN Brussels Airlines which later became Brussels Airlines after indeed merging with Virgin Express today s flag carrier of the country 5 Destinations editIn its early years Delta Air Transport offered up to 4 daily scheduled flights between its then base at Antwerp Airport and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on behalf of KLM the contract lasted until 1997 when DAT had become a wholly owned Sabena subsidiary 13 as well as a limited number of routes to the neighboring countries During the 1990s and early 2000s DAT was able to grow an extensive short haul network as more and more flights were operated on behalf of demising Sabena eventually becoming the tenth largest regional airline of the continent transporting more than 1 7 million passengers per year 14 During its height the airline had nearly 800 employees 15 and served the following cities on a scheduled basis from its hub at Brussels Airport 16 17 18 19 Austria Vienna Bulgaria Sofia Croatia Zagreb Czech Republic Prague Denmark Copenhagen Finland Helsinki France Bordeaux Paris Lyon Marseille Nice Strasbourg Toulouse Germany Berlin Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanover Munich Stuttgart Greece Athens Hungary Budapest Ireland Dublin Italy Bologna Florence Milan Naples Rome Turin Venice Luxemburg Luxembourg Netherlands Amsterdam Norway Oslo Poland Warsaw Portugal Lisbon Porto Romania Bucharest Spain Barcelona Bilbao Madrid Malaga Seville Valencia Sweden Gothenburg Stockholm Switzerland Basel Geneva Zurich United Kingdom Birmingham Bristol Edinburgh Glasgow Leeds London Manchester Newcastle upon Tyne nbsp A DAT Douglas DC 6 at Antwerp Airport in 1976 nbsp An Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia of Delta Air Transport at Stuttgart Airport in 1988Fleet edit nbsp A DAT Fokker F28 Fellowship at Stuttgart Airport in 1991 nbsp An Avro RJ100 in the latest livery of Delta Air Transport at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in 2001 Over the years Delta Air Transport operated the following aircraft types 5 20 This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items July 2011 Aircraft Introduced Retired Aerospatiale N 262 1976 Beechcraft Queen Air 1967 Boeing 720 1974 1975 British Aerospace 146 various versions 1989 21 2002 Cessna 206 1966 Cessna 210 1966 Cessna Skymaster 1966 Convair CV 440 1972 1977 22 Dash 8 300 2001 2002 Douglas DC 3 1968 1972 Douglas DC 4 Douglas DC 6 1978 Douglas DC 8 1973 4 Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia 1988 23 1997 Fairchild Hiller FH 227 1977 22 Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner Fokker F28 Fellowship 1997Accidents and incidents editOn 4 October 1974 at 20 01 local time the flight engineer of a DAT Douglas DC 6 registered OO VGB decided to retract the nose gear during take off run at London Southend Airport even though the aircraft had not yet lifted off which happened due to a communication error with the pilots The airplane slid along the runway during which it was damaged beyond repair 99 passengers had been on board the flight to Antwerp one of which was severely injured another four received minor injuries from evacuating the aircraft The six crew members remained uninjured 24 25 On 2 June 1990 at 19 11 local time a DAT Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia registered OO DTA without any passengers collided with a Piper Aerostar during a low pass manoeuvre at Antwerp International Airport resulting in the crash of the Piper and the death of the four people on board The two aircraft had been performing a close formation flight for aerial photographs of the DAT Embraer for advertising purposes 26 References edit flightglobal com 1968 issue of Flight International PDF Retrieved 2013 09 23 1966 Delta Air Transport in Dutch Barrois be World Airlines Directory Flight International 1974 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 a b World Airline Directory Flight International July 1973 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 a b c Information about DAT at SkyStef s Aviation Page Skystef be Retrieved 2013 09 23 Sabena sizes down Flight International March 1986 flightglobal com 1986 03 25 Retrieved 2013 09 23 European regionals log healthy growth Flight International October 1993 flightglobal com 1993 10 12 Retrieved 2013 09 23 Sabena boss seeks more work for less Flight International October 1995 flightglobal com 1995 10 24 Retrieved 2013 09 23 DAT Plus gets airborne as Virgin Express signs interim co operation agreement Flight International November 2001 flightglobal com 2001 11 26 Retrieved 2013 09 23 Delsey folds its wings Flight International November 2002 flightglobal com 2002 11 18 Retrieved 2013 09 23 3748 html search Delta Air Transport flightglobal com Ex DAT Boss to Plug Belgian Gap Flight International Nov Dec 2001 issue Flightglobal com 2010 06 14 Retrieved 2013 09 23 0071 html search Delta Air Transport flightglobal com Virgin Express Begins Merher Talks Flight International Jan 2002 issue Flightglobal com 2010 06 14 Retrieved 2013 09 23 DAT Disposal Flight International February 1997 flightglobal com 1997 02 25 Retrieved 2013 09 23 The World s Top Regional Airlines by Passenger Numbers Flight International May 1999 flightglobal com 1999 05 11 Retrieved 2013 09 23 DAT s entry in the World Airlines Directory Flight International March April 2000 flightglobal Retrieved 2013 09 23 World Airlines Directory Flight International March April 1995 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 World Airlines Directory Flight International March April 1997 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 World Airline Directory Flight International March 1998 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 World Airlines Directory Flight International March April 2002 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 Selected DAT fleet listing 1990 onwards at Planespotters net Retrieved 2013 09 23 Flight International Dec 1989 Jan 1990 issue News In Brief section page 10 flightglobal com 1989 12 20 Retrieved 2013 09 23 a b Delta Air Transport re equips Flight International April 1977 flightglobal com 1977 04 30 Retrieved 2013 09 23 Flight International August 1987 Marketplace section on page 6 flightglobal com Retrieved 2013 09 23 DAT 1974 accident at the Aviation Safety Network Aviation safety net 1974 10 04 Retrieved 2013 09 23 Official report of the 1974 DAT accident at Southend Airport PDF Retrieved 2013 09 23 DAT 1990 incident at the Aviation Safety Network Aviation safety net 1990 06 02 Retrieved 2013 09 23 Further reading edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Delta Air Transport Aeronews of Belgium Antwerpen Deurne Belgium Aviation Society of Antwerp 2010 pp 15 16 ISSN 0772 6198 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Delta Air Transport amp oldid 1216851718 History, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
