Until 1960 Transair had operated from Bromma Airport in Stockholm. Now, it became desirable and advantageous to move the base to the southern part of Sweden, and in 1960 the company moved to Bulltofta, Malmö which became the center of its operations.
With the Douglas DC 6 forming the backbone of the fleet, TSA found it could undertake flights on a worldwide basis. The first world tour made by a TSA aircraft, chartered by a group of passengers, took place in 1960.
Before the new hangar was built all overhauls was performed by Svenska Flygverkstäderna at their base in Malmö.
Also in 1960 TSA was asked by the United Nations to assist with air transportation in the Congo. In 1960 the UN chartered two Curtiss C 46 with crews and technical staff. See more info at “Congo Operations”, available from the “Operations” link.
As time went on carrying capacity increased and in 1961 the company bought another four DC 6B aircraft. In addition, TSA built a hangar with attached component overhaul shops in Malmö at a cost of about 1,000,000 US dollars. The hangar went into operation in 1963 making it possible to do most of the servicing of the TSA fleet under the company´s own management.
The ramp at Bulltofta Airport with DC 3 (commuterflight for Copenhagen) and two DC 6.
In 1963 the company purchased two more DC 6B’s, bringing the total of this type of aircraft to six, plus three DC 6’s and ten Curtiss C 46. By the next year, the company was employing more than 600 people, and the turnover was 13,000,000 US dollars.
Late in 1964 TSA traded its nine DC 6 and DC 6B aircraft for eleven former Eastern Airlines DC 7B´s.
First delivered DC 7B became SE-ERA and was named Stockholm. Here it is parked outside the hangar.
The second aircraft became SE-ERB and got the name Göteborg. Seen here in the new “jet” colour scheme outside the TSA hangar.
The construction of medium size and medium range jet aircraft with moderate runway requirements, such as the Boeing 727, made available to charter airlines a business tool that outmatched piston-powered equipment. Accordingly, TSA found it advisable and necessary to re-equip its fleet to include Boeing 727-100 aircraft. These gradually replaced the DC 7B equipment.
After an extensive period of planning, which started as early as 1965, and training of flight and ground crews, Transair took delivery of its first Boeing 727-134 in November 1967 followed by a second one in December 1967. The third one, a B 727-134QC aircraft was delivered in September 1968.
Before take off from Seattle. From left: Chief Steward Hans Peters, Captain Tage Sundman, Navigator Allan Wilhelmsson, F/E Bengt Högberg, A/H Margaretha Eriksson and Captain Tage Wallin.
The DC 7B aircrafts were withdrawn from use one by one and were offered for sale, but not a single one of the aircraft was sold. They were all put into storage before ending up as scrap.
However some of the aircrafts got a new task during 1968 when TSA actively operated into Biafra shipping necessities. See pictures below from the ramp during the flights for the Biafra lift.
The last passengerflight with a TSA DC 7B took place the 31st of October 1969.
From the 1st of November 1969 Transair was an all-jet operating airline based on Bulltofta. It kept operating from Bulltofta until the airport was shut down on November 30th, 1972. When the newly constructed airport Malmö-Sturup opened on December 1st, 1972 all the operations were moved there, into a new building consisting of both hangars and offices.
Bulltofta postcards:
A postcard from Bulltofta Airport with Transair C 46 and DC 6 together with an SAS CV 440. Photo: Svenska Biblioteksförlaget
Another postcard from Bulltofta with two Transair DC 6. Photo: Alice Strid
Postcard from Bulltofta with Transair DC 6 SE-BDM and Linjeflyg Convair Metropolitan. Photo: Giovanni Trimboli
Another postcard from Bulltofta with TSA DC 7B SE-ERC together with an SAS DC 7C and an Internord DC 7B. Photo: Berndt Johnsson AB