View Full Version : Pan Am Cargo at Singapore
9vspotter
9th Oct 2011, 01:24
Pan Am re-started scheduled passenger services to Singapore in 1949 after the war.
Would anyone know when did Pan Am launched the first all cargo flight to Singapore and on what aircraft type?
All I can tell you is that in Pan Am timetables for 1950, 1958, 1963 and 1973 there are no cargo services shown to Singapore, and there were not many to the region. Pan Am was always quite precise in showing cargo flight schedules in their main timetables.
All through the prop era Singapore seems to have been operated as a low-frequency appendage, changing aircraft at Hong Kng from the main transpacific type. There was just one DC4 a week in 1950, and 2 DC6Bs a week in 1958. By 1963 there were 3 707s a week coming down through Guam, Manila and Saigon, one of which went on to Jakarta, and jet cargo flights had come to the region but these were not scheduled west of Saigon.
By 1973 Pan Am had given up Singapore completely, despite still serving Bangkok, Saigon and Jakarta in the area.
9vspotter
9th Oct 2011, 11:35
Checked the news archives and confirmed that PanAm was back in Singapore by 1979.
As for cargo flights, attached herewith is a photo of a PanAm Cargo 747 landing at Paya Lebar Airport in Singapore, date unknown... but with the Garuda DC-9 in the foreground in its old livery, am guessing its about mid/late 1970s.
http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b42/9Vspotter/PanAmCargo_PLA_comp.jpg
By the way, anyone know the registration of the first Pan Am Boeing 747 to land at Paya Lebar Airport on 2nd July 1971?
9vspotter
9th Oct 2011, 12:22
From the news archives, Pan Am's break in service to Singapore was from Oct 1971 to Jan 1973. Would be great if this can also be confirmed.
Pan Am 1973 system timetable I described above is dated April 29 to July 31 1973, and does not feature Singapore.
9vspotter
17th Oct 2011, 00:49
Got this from the Straits Times news archives dated 4 March 1974:
Pan Am resumes flight to Singapore on 3 March 1974. A Boeing 707 with 52 passengers touched down at Paya Lebar at 8.30am.
Pan Am flights will call on Sundays and Tuesdays.
Pan Am passenger services were suspended in October 1971 but maintained airfreight services.
Lukeafb1
18th Oct 2011, 12:10
May not be the right thread, but it does concern Pan Am.
Two years ago on landing at Antigua, there was a Pan Am aircraft on the pan. When I asked about it, I was told that Pan Am had been 'revived' as a semi-domestic airline in the Southern U.S. and Carribbean. Same colour scheme as before. What is the story?