A set of national and International flights of DC-3 Airways with Swiss Air
Lines timetable of Apr 15, 1951.
Airport Zürich Kloten was inaugurated as base of operations in 1948.
Routes cover only DC-3 and DC-4 flights. No Convairs or others types.
Swiss Air Lines DC-3s replaced and complement DC-2s fleet(1934 to 1952) and
were in service from 1937 to 1969. DC-3s allowed Swiss Air Lines to
introduce in 1937 a new nonstop Zürich-London route.
The
first Swiss Air Lines DC-3 was delivered from Fokker on Jun 10, 1937. The
price: 527,000 Swiss Francs. This aircraft, DC-3-216 HB-IRA(CN 1945)after a
long career was retired in 1955 and sold to Ozark. With this operator flew
first under the registration N2815D and then N141D.
Other three aircrafts were also sold to Ozark in 1955. HR-IRE(CN 2121)became
N2818D (after N144D), HB-IRI(CN 1946) became N2816D (after N142D) and
HB-IRO(CN 2054) became N2817D (after N143D).
All this four aircrafts were Fokker´s models builded in 1937-1939, types
DC-3-216 (HB-IRA and HB-IRI),DC-3-276 (HB-IRE) and DC-3-227A (HB-IRO).
The 5th and last Fokker DC-3 delivered was HB-IRU (CN 2132). This aircraft
was not so lucky. Sold to the Swedish Airlines ABA in 1940, registered as
SE-BAG , was shot down by a Luftwaffe JU 88 on Oct
22, 1943. Only two of the 15 persons onboard survived.
This four DC-3s were the complete fleet of Swiss Air Lines by the darks days
of WWII.
By 1946-1947 new aircrafts arrived.
HB-IRB (CN 42969), ex N34973, was one of the two new builded by Douglas
DC-3D received. Was sold in 1962 to Norway. HB-IRC (CN 42978), ex NC34982
flew until 1964. Then, retired, was sold in 1969 to South Africa.
The other aircrafts delivered in 1946-1947 were wartime C-47Bs and
registered as HB-IRD, HB-IRF, HB-IRG, HB-IRL, HB-IRM, HB-IRN and HB-IRX.
Prices about this times for this aircrafts was by the 283,000 CHF/piece. The
most expensive was the HB-IRD and the airline pay CHF 600,000 for him.
On Sep 1947 another C-47B (CN 20737) integrated the fleet as HB-IRK. This
aircraft had a tragic end. In 1957 went into a spin and crashed into the
waters of Lake Constance leaving no survivors.
Last ,one A (C-47A )was leased temporally from Aug 24, 1951 to Sep 26, 1952.
This aircraft, HB-IRH (42-93558 or RAF KG666)was returned to Ethiopian
Airlines this year of 1952 and re-registered with his old registration
ET-T-15.