SAHSA

Servicio Aéreo de Honduras SA 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 to form TAN-SAHSA in the late 1980s.

History

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 Honduran government owned 40% and 20% was owned by private investors.

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 Curtis C-46 Commando.

In 1970 Pan Am gave up its stake in SAHSA and TAN (Transportes Aéreos Nacionales) took over, but SAHSA continued to operate independently. TAN acquired the first Jet airliner in Honduras, a Boeing 737-200 in June 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 long term dictator of Honduras. As a result of this no U.S. Airlines were given permission fly to or from...
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