1986-1999
SAT operated out of Kenya during the Rwandan crisis using C-130 aircraft. They also recruited and tried to recruit Canadian service members and some members of Relief Air Transport, the Canadian airline operating C-46s in Kenya, into their group.
SAT operated out of Asmara, Ethiopia, (now Eritrea), during the Ethiopian famine of the late 80's. It hauled thousands of tons of relief supplies in the middle of a hot war under contracts for the UN, Caritas, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, saving thousands of lives.
SAT was also heavily involved in famine and disaster relief efforts in other areas of Africa. SAT supported the airlift into southern Sudan from the late 80's into the middle 90's. At one time, SAT Hercules aircraft were the sole food supply for the refugee camps in the Juba, Sudan area, during the north-south war. Again, SAT provided food for the helpless and saved countless thousands of lives.
SAT's extensive operations included both offshore and domestic operations and SAT aircraft touched down on all seven continents and in well over a hundred countries. SAT aircraft were based in Papua New Guinea, the U.K, and very commonly in various African countries, as well as other offshore locations, with crews rotating in and out as demand required.
The crews were recruited from both ex-military and civilian-trained personnel. SAT consistently performed challenging tasks on a wide variety of contracts, many in disturbed areas such as Somalia, both prior to and after the Blackhawk Down incident. SAT Hercules aircraft also operated in Angola, Mozambique, Djibouti, Senegal, and the DRC.
SAT's crew training was maintained to high standards. The aircraft were consistently well-maintained, often under the most difficult of circumstances.
Prior to the military cutback during the Clinton administration, SAT supported the U.S. Air Force's Logair cargo system, as well as the U.S. Navy's Quicktrans systems, operating much more efficiently than the military could using their own airlift. SAT also flew extensively in Europe and west Asia in support of both the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, basing out of Ramstein Air Force Base near Landsthul, Germany, and RAF Mildenhall in East Anglia, U.K.
SAT carried cargo of all possible description, from hauling newspapers from the U.K. to Ireland at night in winter across the Irish sea, to carrying breeding horses to Brazil. Additionally, SAT was entrusted with King Tutankhamun's treasure. One notable 747 mission involved hauling a load of lions from Amsterdam to Johannesburg, South Africa, the lions being on loan from the Amsterdam Zoo to the Johannesburg Zoo.
SAT L-382's, 707's, DC-8's and 747's served many commercial carriers carrying outsize cargo and hazardous materials. It also performed routine U.S. Embassy supply missions throughout Latin America, covering all of Central and South America, as well as Mexico.
One of SAT's most notable accomplishments was a three year contract supporting Chevron's drilling operations in the central highlands of Papua New Guinea, operating from a base at Nadzab airport near Lae. Chevron was totally dependent on SAT L-382's, as no roads reached the massive oil recovery operation near Lake Kutubu. Papua New Guinea provides some of the world's most challenging flying conditions, due both to the rapidly changing tropical monsoons that sweep the island nation, and the rugged terrain of the country.
During the Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations, SAT's accomplishments became widely known. Both the company and the participating crew members received performance awards as members of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet from a grateful U.S. Air Force.
The airline declined during the late 1990s but continued to operate freight charter flights worldwide. In late 1998 it tried to merge with other aviation companies, but it filed for bankruptcy on October 1, the same day that the CIA released a report detailing allegations that it had been used for drug trafficking.[citation needed] These allegations were never proven.
On March 10, 1999, the assets of Southern Air Transport were purchased by Southern Air, and the new carrier began operations in November, 1999.
