History

Over 60 Years and Counting

Southern Air has a long and rich history as an industry pioneer dating over sixty years. Originally founded in 1947 as Southern Air Transport in Miami, Florida, the company quickly established itself as a leading air cargo carrier. Offering an array of air cargo solutions across the globe and utilizing a variety of purpose built cargo aircraft, Southern Air quickly built a reputation as being one of the world’s most innovative and dependable operators.

Fast forward to the present and Southern Air continues to innovate by being the world’s only ACMI provider of 777 freighters, offering the most versatile and efficient cargo solutions available. Our rich history has brought us to where we are today – the leading provider of contract air carriage for many of the world’s largest air carriers, shippers, government agencies and freight forwarding agents, assuring our clients greater flexibility, responsiveness and value.

Throughout our history, we have achieved and maintained the highest standards of flight safety and maintenance reliability. We know what it takes to deliver the consistent superior performance our partners count on to power and grow their markets. Around the clock and around the globe, we have brought safety and reliability to some of the most challenging regions in the world.

Travel Through Southern Air’s History

SOUTHERN AIR TRANSPORT (SAT)
1947	SAT founded		1965-1974	SAT operates Air America.
1985	Industry's first ACMI contract signed		1992	First B747-200F added to fleet.
SOUTHERN AIR INC (SAI)
1999	Southern Air Inc. certified		2004	Multi-year, multi-aircraft contract signed with Korean Air.
2007	Oak Hill Capital acquires majority ownership of Southern Air holdings. Multi-year, multi-aircraft contract signed with Ethiopian Airlines, the premier pan-African carrier.		2008	Cargo360 merged into Southern Air. Southern Air adds six B747-200F. B747F fleet now at 17.
2009	SAI becomes proud member of IOSA registry, the internationally recognized benchmark of exceptional performance. Southern Air signs B777-200F contact with Thai Airways Cargo.		2010	Southern Air signs contract with MASkargo. First two of six B777F's enters service with Thai Airways Cargo.
2011	DHL signs multiple B777F deal with Southern Air Oak Hill Capital funds Southern Air with $55 million Southern Air contracts with Air Castle for 4 B747-400BCFs