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Solenta Aviation is an airline based in Johannesburg, South Africa, with its maintenance base at OR Tambo International Airport. The company was founded in 2000[1] and operates cargo flights on regional routes throughout the Sub-Saharan Africa on behalf of DHL Aviation. Solenta Aviation also operates extensively for the oil and gas industry ("OGP"), offering passenger charter, cargo and aircraft lease services.
 | This article needs to be updated. (August 2014) |
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| Founded | 2002 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating bases | OR Tambo International Airport Libreville International Airport Oued Irara–Krim Belkacem Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 31 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Johannesburg, South Africa | ||||||
| Website | solenta.com | ||||||
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Solenta Aviation has adopted a de-centralised business model, thus being able to offer flexible short-haul cargo flights. From its home and maintenance base at OR Tambo International Airport, it operates a number of DHL flights on regional routes to Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe using a fleet of ATR 42 and Cessna 208 Caravan cargo aircraft.[2]
There are several subsidiaries under separate airline licenses:
- In 2006, Solenta Aviation Gabon was set up, which is headquartered at Libreville and operating out of Libreville International Airport, using one ATR 42 and one Beechcraft 1900
- Solenta Aviation Côte d'Ivoire is based in Abidjan and operates one ATR 72-200F (as of August 2019).[3] It previously operated two ATR 42 aircraft for DHL Worldwide Express.[4]
- Solenta Aviation Kenya Ltd. operates two cargo configured Cessna 208 Caravan out of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi for DHL flights and aircraft lease services.[5]
- Solenta Aviation Zimbabwe operates three Cessna 208 Caravan out of Harare International Airport linking Harare, Kariba, Bumi Hills, Hwange and Victoria Falls.
- Solenta Aviation Mozambique operates 1 ATR 42-300 and 2 Embraer ERJ 145(as of August 2019).[6]
Further aircraft of Solenta Aviation are based and operated out of several other airports:
- Three Beechcraft 1900 are stationed at Kotoka International Airport in Accra, Ghana for passenger flights for the oil and tourism industries as well as on-demand charters.
- In Erbil, Iraq, one Beechcraft 1900 is based at Erbil International Airport mostly for humanitarian aid missions.
- In Conakry, Guinea, one Beechcraft 1900 is based at Conakry International Airport operated on behalf of a mining company.
- One Beechcraft 1900 is operated for the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Kabul, Afghanistan.
- Another seven Beechcraft 1900 are operated on behalf of Air Express Algeria out of Oued Irara – Krim Belkacem Airport in Hassi Messaoud.[7]
- One Beechcraft 1900 is operated for the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Peshawar, Pakistan.[8]
- Two Beechcraft 1900 are operating a network of DHL routes in Zambia and Zimbabwe out of Johannesburg International Airport.[9]
- One ATR 42 is based at Lomé-Tokoin Airport in Lomé, Togo for DHL cargo flights throughout West Africa.[10]
- Two ERJ 145's are operated for 2 oil companies out of Johannesburg International Airport.
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Current fleet
The Solenta Aviation mainline fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of March 2022):
| Aircraft | In Service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 72-201F | 1[11] | 0[11] | 0 | ZS-XCJ delivered 22/02/2017 Parked since 12/2020[11] |
| Beechcraft 1900D | 17[12] | 0[13] | 16 | |
| ATR 72-202F | 1[11] | 0[13] | 0 | ZS-XCL delivered 30/06/2017[11] |
| Embraer ERJ 145LR | 1[14] | 0[13] | 50 | ZS-BBJ delivered 01/01/2017[14] |
| Embraer ERJ 145LU | 1[14] | 0[13] | 50 | ZS-BBD delivered 11/10/2015 Parked since 12/2020[14] |
| Total | 21[13] | |||
Old Fleet
The Solenta Aviation fleet previously included the following aircraft:
- 1 ATR 42-300
- 1 ATR 42-300F
- 4 ATR 42-500
- 3 ATR 72-600
- 3 ATR 72-201F
- 1 ATR 72-212F
- 1 ATR 72-202F
- 2 ATR 72-212A[15]
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On 6 June 2011 at 10:25 local time, an Antonov An-26 (registered TR-LII) ditched into the Gulf of Guinea 2.3 kilometres off Libreville, Gabon. The aircraft was operated by Scorpion Air, a Bulgarian company, under Solenta Aviation Gabon's AOC.[16] It had been on Flight 122A for DHL Aviation from Port Gentil to Libreville.[17][18] The three crew members and one passenger on board received only minor injuries.[17] Prior to the ditching, they had reported hydraulic problems; eyewitness reports suggest that an engine failure may have occurred.[18][19] As a consequence, the Gabonese government declared a temporary ban on aircraft of the types Antonov An-12, An-24 and An-26 in the country, pending the outcome of the investigation into the cause for the crash.[20]
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