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The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle is a French
jet airliner A jet airliner or jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (passenger jet aircraft). Airliners usually have twinjet, two or quadjet, four jet engines; trijet, three-engined designs were popular in the 1970s but are less common today. Air ...
produced by
Sud Aviation Sud Aviation (, 'Southern Aviation') was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating in the merger of Sud-Est ( SNCASE, or ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du sud-est'') and Sud-Ouest ( SNCASO or ''Société nat ...
. It was developed by
SNCASE SNCASE (abbreviated from ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Est'') or Sud-Est was a French aircraft manufacturer. The company was formed on February 1, 1937, by the nationalization and merger of Lioré et Olivier, Pote ...
in the early 1950s, and made its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
on May 27, 1955. It included some
de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...
designs and components developed for the
de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four ...
, the first jet airliner. SNCASE merged into the larger Sud Aviation conglomerate before the aircraft entered revenue service on April 26, 1959, with
Scandinavian Airlines System The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the Flag carrier, national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna Municipality, Solna, Sweden. Including ...
(SAS); 282 were built until production ended in 1972. It was ordered by airlines on every continent and operated until its retirement in 2005. The short-range, five-abreast airliner is powered by two aft-mounted
Rolls-Royce Avon The Rolls-Royce Avon was the first axial flow jet engine designed and produced by Rolls-Royce. Introduced in 1950, the engine went on to become one of their most successful post-World War II engine designs. It was used in a wide variety of ai ...
turbojet engines, allowing a clean low wing. The configuration was later retained in many
narrow-body aircraft A narrow-body aircraft or single-aisle aircraft is an airliner arranged along a single aisle, permitting up to 6-abreast seating in a cabin less than in width. In contrast, a wide-body aircraft is a larger airliner usually configured with m ...
and
regional jet A regional jet (RJ) is a jet airliner, jet-powered regional airliner usually defined by having fewer than 100 seats. The first aircraft considered part of this category was the Sud-Aviation Caravelle in 1959, followed by Douglas DC-9, BAC O ...
s. The initial I, III and VI variants could seat 90 to 99 passengers over . The later, slightly longer 10/11 variants could seat 99 to 118 passengers over and were powered by
Pratt & Whitney JT8D The Pratt & Whitney JT8D is a low-bypass (0.96 to 1) turbofan engine introduced by Pratt & Whitney in February 1963 with the inaugural flight of the Boeing 727. It was a modification of the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which powered the ...
low-bypass turbofans. The stretched Caravelle 12 could seat 131 over .


Development


Origins

On 12 October 1951, the ''Comité du matériel civil'' (civil aircraft committee) published a specification for a medium-range aircraft, which was later sent to the aviation industry by the ''Direction technique et industrielle''. This called for an aircraft capable of carrying 55 to 65 passengers and of cargo on routes up to with a cruising speed of about . The type and number of engines were not specified. Since 1946, various design studies for aircraft in this category had already been underway at several of the leading French aircraft manufacturing organisations, and had resulted in some ambitious concepts being mooted. None of these firms possessed the financial power to independently embark on the substantial development work involved, let alone to establish a manufacturing line for the construction of such aircraft. The response to the specification from the French industry was strong, it has been claimed that every major manufacturer submitted at least one proposal; a total of 20 different designs were ultimately received. The majority of these proposals were powered by all-
turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...
engine arrangements, although Breguet had entered a number of designs that were powered by both turbojet and
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
engines; among these was one for a
Snecma Atar The Snecma Atar is a French axial-flow turbojet engine built by Snecma. It was derived from the German World War II BMW 018 design, and developed by ex-BMW engineers through a progression of more powerful models. The name is derived from it ...
-powered tri-jet to be developed in association with the
SNCA du Nord Nord-Aviation () was a state-owned French aircraft manufacturer. The bulk of its facilities were based on the site of Bourges airport, in the département of Cher, in central France. On 1 October 1954, Nord Aviation was created as a result of t ...
and a turboprop type; all of the different designs were designated as ''Br. 978''. Hurel-Dubois had entered several turboprop designs based on a narrow fuselage and shoulder-mounted wing, similar to many regional propliners. Proposals from
SNCASO SNCASO (abbreviated from ''Société nationale des constructions aéronautiques du Sud-Ouest'' ), or commonly ''Sud-Ouest'', was a French aircraft manufacturer. Created during 1936 as one of seven nationalised aeronautical manufacturing companie ...
included the S.O.60 with two Rolls-Royce Avon RA.7 engines, outfitted with two smaller
Turbomeca Marboré The Turbomeca Marboré is a small turbojet engine that was produced by Turbomeca from the 1950s into the 1970s. The most popular uses of this engine were in the Fouga CM.170 Magister and the Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris. It was also licensed f ...
s as auxiliaries. SNCASE had also returned a number of designs from the X-200 to X-210, all of these being purely jet-powered. On 28 March 1952, after studying the various entries, the ''Comité du Matériel Civil'' announced that it had produced a short list of three entrants: the four-engined Avon/Marbore SNCASO S.0.60, the twin-Avon Hurel-Dubois project, and the three-engined Avon SNCASE X-210. At this point, British engine manufacturer
Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
had already begun to offer a new version of the Avon that was to be capable of developing 9,000 lbf (40 kN) of thrust, which would render the auxiliary engines of the S.O.60 and the third engine featured on the X-210 unnecessary. The Committee issued a request for SNCASE to re-submit its X-210 proposal as a twin-Avon design. In doing so, SNCASE decided to not remove the remaining engines from their rear-mounted position; most designs had placed the engines underneath the wing, where they could be mounted on the spar for lower overall weight, but it was felt that these weight savings were not worth the effort. This turned out to be a benefit to the design, as the cabin noise was greatly reduced as a result. In July 1952, the revised X-210 design with twin Avons was re-submitted to the
Secretariat General for Civil and Commercial Aviation The Directorate General for Civil Aviation (, DGAC) is the French civil aviation authority. Its headquarters are in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, 50 Henry-Farman. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and E ...
(SGACC).


Selection

Two months later, SNCASE received official notification that its design had been accepted. On 6 July 1953, the SGACC placed a formal order for the construction of a pair of prototypes along with a pair of static airframes for
fatigue testing Fatigue testing is a specialised form of mechanical testing that is performed by applying cyclic loading to a ''coupon'' or structure. These tests are used either to generate fatigue life and crack growth data, identify critical locations or de ...
. SNCASE's design licensed several fuselage features from British aircraft company
de Havilland The de Havilland Aircraft Company Limited (pronounced , ) was a British aviation manufacturer established in late 1920 by Geoffrey de Havilland at Stag Lane Aerodrome Edgware on the outskirts of North London. Operations were later moved to ...
, the two companies already having had dealings in respect to several earlier designs. The nose area and cockpit layout were taken directly from the
de Havilland Comet The de Havilland DH.106 Comet is the world's first commercial jet airliner. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland in the United Kingdom, the Comet 1 prototype first flew in 1949. It features an aerodynamically clean design with four ...
jet airliner, while the rest of the airliner was locally designed. A distinctive design feature was the cabin windows in the shape of a curved triangle, which were smaller than conventional windows but gave the same field of view downwards. On 21 April 1955, the first prototype of the Caravelle (F-WHHH), launched by Madame de Gaulle, was rolled out. On 27 May 1955, the first prototype conducted its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
, powered by a pair of British Rolls-Royce RA-26 Avon Mk.522, capable of providing of unitary thrust. For the maiden flight, which had a total duration of 41 minutes, the crew consisted of Pierre Nadot (Captain), André Moynot (First Officer), Jean Avril (mechanic), André Préneron (radio operator) and Roger Beteille. Almost one year later, on 6 May 1956, the second prototype made its first flight. The first prototype had been fitted with a cargo door located on the lower left side of the fuselage, but this door was removed in the second prototype in favour of an all-seating arrangement. By October 1956, both prototypes had accumulated in excess of 1,000 flight hours. By the end of 1956, the two aircraft had visited various locations across
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...
; and trials were already underway for French carrier
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
. During 1957, the second prototype accumulated roughly 2,500 flight hours across various flights conducted throughout North America and
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
. In 1956, the type received its first order from Air France; it was followed by
Scandinavian Airlines System The Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), commonly known as Scandinavian Airlines, is the Flag carrier, national airline of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It is part of SAS Group and is headquartered in Solna Municipality, Solna, Sweden. Including ...
(SAS) in 1957. More orders followed, which had been partially driven by a campaign of direct presentations held at airshows and dedicated flight demonstrations using the two prototypes to potential customers. Also during 1956, SNCASE (Sud-Est – Southeast) had merged with SNCASO (Sud-Ouest – Southwest) and several other French aircraft manufacturers to become Sud Aviation; however, the original SE designation assigned to the airliner was retained. In May 1959, the Caravelle received its airworthiness certification, enabling the type to enter passenger service. On 26 April 1959, the Caravelle performed its first flight with paying passengers on board for Scandinavian operator SAS; shortly thereafter, the type commenced operations with Air France as well.


Further development

Within four years of entering airliner service, a total of 172 Caravelles had been sold to a range of operators.Dougal 1963, p. 456. Aviation writer M.G. Douglas attributed the type's favourable early sales record to the effective marketing campaign of performing demonstrations to prospective customers using the two prototypes, as well to the Caravelle having effectively no jet-powered rivals, being the only short-haul jetliner for several years following its introduction. Several models of the Caravelle were developed and produced over the lifetime of the production run, often in response to the increasing power of the available engines, which allowed higher takeoff weights to be adopted. By 1963, there were a total of six different versions of the Caravelle in production, designated ''III'', ''VI-N'', ''VI-R'', ''10A'', ''10B'', and ''X-BIR''. Of these, the Caravelle III was considered to be the basic version of the airliner, while the other variants featured an increasing number of improvements. The Caravelle VI-N was equipped with more powerful Avon 531 engines and an additional
heat exchanger A heat exchanger is a system used to transfer heat between a source and a working fluid. Heat exchangers are used in both cooling and heating processes. The fluids may be separated by a solid wall to prevent mixing or they may be in direct contac ...
for the
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
, while the Caravelle VI-R, which had come about as a result of demands by U.S. carrier
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
, was furnished with
thrust reverser Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to ...
-equipped Avon 352s, a revised windscreen design,
soundproofing Soundproofing is any means of impeding sound propagation. There are several methods employed including increasing the distance between the source and receiver, decoupling, using noise barriers to reflect or absorb the energy of the sound waves, ...
, a new luggage compartment door, and wing spoilers. The Caravelle 10A and 10B, which differed only in the engines used and were commonly referred to as the ''Super Caravelle'' (not to be confused with the later supersonic transport design), featured the improvements of the VI-R in addition to a high degree of further design changes. The more high-profile modifications included a stretch of the fuselage by ; a highly altered wing; an aerodynamic fairing behind the fin of the tailplane; expanded cargo capacity via raised floor support struts; and higher cabin windows. Other changes included the adoption of variable-displacement pumps for the
hydraulic Hydraulics () is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concer ...
system and the use of AC-based generators in place of earlier DC counterparts along with an
auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...
(APU). The redesigned wing was equipped with double-slotted
Fowler flap A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landin ...
s, additional and repositioned stall vanes, aerodynamic improvements to the
wing root The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage,Peppler, I.L.: ''From The Ground Up'', page 9. Aviation Publishers Co. Limited, Ottawa Ontario, Twenty Seventh Revised Edition, 1 ...
and adjustments to the
leading edge The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil sectio ...
that improved the performance of the wing during the crucial takeoff and landing phases of flight. Despite its commercial success, however, the Caravelle was soon displaced from being the focus of Sud Aviation's development efforts as the majority of the company's design engineers were progressively reallocated onto an entirely new project that was intended to produce a successor to the Caravelle. The project was relatively ambitious, having the aim of producing a viable
supersonic transport The ogive.html" ;"title="Concorde supersonic transport had an ogive">ogival delta wing, a slender fuselage and four underslung Rolls-Royce/Snecma Olympus 593 engines. file:Tu-144.jpg, The Tupolev Tu-144 was the first SST to enter service and th ...
that possessed the same general size and range as the Caravelle. It was decided that the envisioned supersonic airliner should be naturally named after the firm's recent success, thus the Super-Caravelle name was applied to the design. Ultimately, the work on the Super-Caravelle would be merged with similar work that had been undertaken by Britain's
Bristol Aeroplane Company The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aircraft engines. Notable ...
, and would result in the development of
Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
. In total, 282 Caravelles of all types were manufactured (2 prototypes or pre-production aircraft and 280 production aircraft); reportedly, Sud Aviation's projected break-even point for the type had been forecast to be around the 200-unit mark.


Design

The Caravelle belongs to the first generation of passenger aircraft to use newly developed jet propulsion technology, and it was the first jet airliner developed specifically for the short/medium-range sector of the market. Early in the Caravelle's career, its chief competitors were propeller-driven aircraft, such as the British-built
Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...
and the U.S.-built Convair CV-440. Reportedly, the Caravelle proved to be a highly reliable airliner during its early years of service. The low accident rate for the type led to lower than average insurance premiums for Caravelle operators. The Caravelle was typically powered by a pair of British-built Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines, installed in a rear-mounted position close to the tail unit. Various models of the Avon engine were adopted for different versions of the airliner, often with increased thrust and additional features such as thrust reversers. Alternative powerplants were adopted or proposed for some Caravelle models, such as the U.S.-built Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 and General Electric CJ-805-23C engines. The Caravelle was designed to maximise passenger comfort and operator convenience. The rear entry door had built-in stairs that, while adding structural complexity, meant that mobile airport stairs were unnecessary. On later variants, soundproofing in the form of readily removable mattress-like rolls that fixed in place via existing brackets was added to the design. In some configurations, the Caravelle's cabin was furnished with a number of rearward-facing passenger seats, which was an uncommon arrangement amongst civil aircraft. From September 1963 onwards, an
autoland In aviation, autoland describes a system that fully automates the landing procedure of an aircraft's flight, with the flight crew supervising the process. Such systems enable airliners to land in weather conditions that would otherwise be danger ...
ing capability (via two separate systems, of which one was self-contained while the other was integrated with the airliner's
autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of a vehicle without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allow ...
), was made available for the Caravelle by Sud Aviation.Dougal 1963, p. 458. The final assembly line for the Caravelle was at Sud Aviation's factory at Blagnac Airport near
Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
. Much of the aircraft was manufactured at other sites across France and in other countries, however.Dougal 1963, pp. 456–457. The production of large portions of the Caravelle had been subcontracted to other manufacturers; these included the Italian aircraft manufacturer
Fiat Aviazione Fiat Aviazione was an Italian aircraft manufacturer, at one time part of the Fiat S.p.A., Fiat group, focused mainly on military aviation. After World War I, Fiat consolidated several Italian small aircraft manufacturers, like Fabbrica Aeroplani I ...
, which produced the aircraft's tailplane, fin,
aileron An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in roll (or movement aroun ...
s, and engine
nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a streamlined container for aircraft parts such as Aircraft engine, engines, fuel or equipment. When attached entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached with a Hardpoint#Pylon, pylo ...
s; and French aviation firm Breguet Aviation, which performed the outfitting of the rear fuselage; while much of the ancillary equipment of the Caravelle originated from either British or U.S. manufacturers. Sud Aviation constructed and outfitted the nose section, along with manufacturing the tailcone, rudder,
Fowler flap A flap is a high-lift device used to reduce the stalling speed of an aircraft wing at a given weight. Flaps are usually mounted on the wing trailing edges of a fixed-wing aircraft. Flaps are used to reduce the take-off distance and the landin ...
s, both the leading edges and
trailing edge The trailing edge of an aerodynamic surface such as a wing is its rear edge, where the airflow separated by the leading edge meets.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 521. Aviation Supplies & Academics, 1997. ...
s of the wing, and the majority of the fuselage.


Variants

;Caravelle I : Similar to the original prototypes; first flew on 14 May 1958. This variant was powered by two Rolls-Royce RA-29 Avon Mk.522 with of unitary thrust and a capacity of 80 passengers. French certification was obtained on 2 April 1959, and U.S. certification was obtained six days later. The first revenue flight took place that year with
Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...
on the Paris-Rome-Athens–Istanbul route. Air France Caravelle registration F-BHRB "
Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...
" was introduced in the Paris-London route on 27 July 1959. : Sales: 20 were sold; to Air France (10), SAS (6),
Air Algérie Air Algérie SpA (, ) is the flag carrier of Algeria, with its head office in the El-Djazair office block in Algiers. With flights operating mostly from Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers and Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Oran, Air Algérie op ...
(2) and
VARIG VARIG (''Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense'', 'Rio Grandean Airways') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judici ...
(2). One of the VARIG aircraft was leased by Sud to
Air Vietnam Active from 1951 to 1975, Air Viet Nam (Air VN) () was South Vietnam's first commercial air carrier, headquartered in District 1, Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City). Established under a decree by Chief of State Bảo Đại, the airline flew over ...
and
Middle East Airlines Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. (), more commonly known as Middle East Airlines (MEA) (), is the flag carrier of Lebanon, with its head office in Beirut, near Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport. It operates scheduled internat ...
before delivery to
Royal Air Maroc Royal Air Maroc (RAM, ; ; ) is the Morocco, Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country largest airline, ranking among the largest in Africa. RAM is wholly owned by the Cabinet of Morocco, Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters o ...
. In Australia,
Trans Australia Airlines Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), renamed Australian Airlines in 1986, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its merger with Qantas in September 1992. As a result of the "COBRA" (or Common Bran ...
had planned to re-equip with the Caravelle but as Ansett felt this was too advanced at that stage for its own needs, under Australia's Two Airlines Policy both airlines were required to purchase the Ansett preference (the less-advanced turbo-prop
Lockheed L-188 Electra The Lockheed L-188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed. First flown in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner built in the United States. With its fairly high power-to-weight ratio, huge pro ...
). ;Caravelle IA : This variant had the same external configuration as variant I but with more powerful engines, the Rolls-Royce Avon RA-29/1 Mk.526 giving improved capabilities. The first flight took place on 11 February 1960. Caravelle I and IA aircraft were later converted to the III variant. : Sales: 12 built. Deliveries were to Air France, SAS, Air Algérie,
Finnair Finnair Plc (, ) is the flag carrier and largest full-service legacy airline of Finland, with headquarters in Vantaa on the grounds of Helsinki Airport, its airline hub, hub. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both domestic and international ...
, and Royal Air Maroc. ;Caravelle III : Later improvements to the Avon led to the Caravelle III. It first flew on 30 December 1959, entering service with
Alitalia Alitalia - Società Aerea Italiana S.p.A., operating as Alitalia (), was an Italian airline which was once the flag carrier and largest airline of Italy. The company had its head office in Fiumicino, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital. ...
in April 1960. The Caravelle III was powered by Rolls-Royce Avon RA-29/3 Mk.527 and RA-29/3 Mk.527B engines, both with of unitary thrust. : Sales: The Series III was the best-selling Caravelle with 78 built. All but one of the 32 Series Is built were upgraded to Series III standard.
Air Inter Air Inter () (legally ''Lignes Aériennes Intérieures'') was a semi-public French domestic airline in France that operated from 1954 until it merged with Air France in 1997. It was last headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Ai ...
used 16 of this type for its domestic routes. Major deliveries were to Air France, as well as aircraft for
Swissair Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...
, Alitalia, SAS, and Royal Air Maroc. ;Caravelle VI-N : N standing for "normal".Dougal 1963, p. 457. A version with more powerful Avon RA-29/6 Mk 531 and RA 29/6 Mk 531B engines producing of unitary thrust. The capabilities were improved and the weights increased; the actual
payload Payload is the object or the entity that is being carried by an aircraft or launch vehicle. Sometimes payload also refers to the carrying capacity of an aircraft or launch vehicle, usually measured in terms of weight. Depending on the nature of t ...
was reduced. The Caravelle VI-N first flew on 10 September 1960, beginning service with Belgian airline Sabena in January 1961. Five of the 78 Series IIIs were upgraded to Series VI-N. :Sales: 53 built. Deliveries to
Saeta SAETA Air Ecuador (legally ''Sociedad Anónima Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos S.A.'') was a privately held airline of Ecuador, which was founded in 1966. During its heyday in the 1990s, it flew to numerous destinations in North and South Ame ...
, Corse Air, Europe A.S., Minerve,
Indian Airlines Indian Airlines was a state-owned airline in India that later became a division of Air India Limited before ultimately ceasing operations. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international servic ...
and Yugoslav Airlines. ;Caravelle VI-R : First Caravelle with
thrust reverser Thrust reversal, also called reverse thrust, is the temporary diversion of an aircraft engine's thrust for it to act against the forward travel of the aircraft, providing deceleration. Thrust reverser systems are featured on many jet aircraft to ...
s. The cockpit windows were made larger with redesigned layout and more powerful brakes were introduced. It first flew on 6 February 1961, obtaining U.S. certification on 5 June that same year. It began service with
United Airlines United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
on 14 July. The VI-R was powered by Avon Ra-29 Mk. 533R and Mk 535R (R, for Reverse) engines with a unitary thrust of . :Sales: 56 built, 20 for United Airlines. Other series VI customers included
Indian Airlines Indian Airlines was a state-owned airline in India that later became a division of Air India Limited before ultimately ceasing operations. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international servic ...
(9),
Panair do Brasil Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. it ceased operations in 1965. Between 1945 and 1965, it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America. History NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930) ''Panair do B ...
(4), Cruzeiro do Sul,
Iberia Líneas Aéreas De España Iberia (), legally incorporated as ''Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. Operadora, Sociedad Unipersonal'', is the flag carrier of Spain. Founded in 1927 and based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main ...
(4),
LAN Chile LATAM Airlines Chile, formerly known as LAN Chile and LAN Airlines, is a Chilean multinational airline based in Santiago and one of the founding companies of the LATAM Airlines Group, the largest airline holding company in Latin America. Its ...
(3),
Aerolíneas Argentinas Aerolíneas Argentinas, formally ''Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A.'', is the state-owned flag carrier of Argentina and the country's largest airline. The airline was created in 1949, from the merger of Aeroposta Argentina (AA), Aviación del Lito ...
(3) and
TAP Portugal TAP Air Portugal is the flag carrier of Portugal, headquartered at Lisbon Airport which also serves as its hub. TAP – Transportes Aéreos Portugueses – has been a member of the Star Alliance since 2005 and operates on average 2,500 flights ...
(3). This model was also used by
Filipinas Orient Airways Filipinas Orient Airways, Inc. was an airline founded by the originally Lebanese refugee family Karam (later Caram) in the Philippines in 1964, under Republic Act No. 4147. FOA was granted the franchise to provide air transport service in the Ph ...
br>
Aerocesar,
Airborne Express Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers fro ...
and SA Nacionales. ;Caravelle VII : This was a Series III (c/n 042) that was purchased by
General Electric General Electric Company (GE) was an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in 1892, incorporated in the New York (state), state of New York and headquartered in Boston. Over the year ...
, ferried to the United States as ''Santa Marian 9'' and equipped with
General Electric CJ805 The General Electric CJ805 is a jet engine which was developed by General Electric Aircraft Engines in the late 1950s. It was a civilian version of the J79 and differed only in detail. It was developed in two versions. The basic CJ805-3 was a t ...
aft-fan engines, becoming, in effect, the engine test-bed for the Caravelle 10A. Flight tests with the new engines began on 29 December 1960 and a second aircraft was planned to be converted, but this aircraft became the sole Caravelle 10A. ;Caravelle 10A : Based on the Series VII, but intended for the U.S. market, the 10A was longer than the Series VI, with the windows located higher on the fuselage. The sole prototype was powered by two General Electric CJ-805-23C aft-fan engines and flew for the first time on 31 August 1962. A modified wing with improved flaps was fitted to meet U.S. certification requirements, as was an
auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...
(APU) in the rear fuselage.
Trans World Airlines Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental & Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles ...
(TWA) cancelled its order for 20 aircraft due to financial problems, however, and by the time TWA was in a position to purchase new aircraft, the
Douglas DC-9 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell ...
was preferred. After testing the prototype was scrapped. ;Caravelle 10B (Super Caravelle) : Based on the Series 10A, this variant offered many modifications in respect to other series. It introduced a
leading edge extension A leading-edge extension (LEX) is a small extension to an aircraft wing surface, forward of the leading edge. The primary reason for adding an extension is to improve the airflow at high angle of attack, angles of attack and low airspeeds, to im ...
(a
fillet Fillet may refer to: *Annulet (architecture), part of a column capital, also called a fillet *Fillet (aircraft), a fairing smoothing the airflow at a joint between two components *Fillet (clothing), a headband *Fillet (heraldry), diminutive of the ...
added to the front of an aircraft wings in order to provide usable
airflow Airflow, or air flow, is the movement of air. Air behaves in a fluid manner, meaning particles naturally flow from areas of higher pressure to those where the pressure is lower. Atmospheric air pressure is directly related to altitude, temperat ...
at high
angles of attack In fluid dynamics, angle of attack (AOA, α, or \alpha) is the angle between a reference line on a body (often the chord line of an airfoil) and the vector representing the relative motion between the body and the fluid through which it is mo ...
). The wing had split flaps instead of the earlier models' double-slotted Fowler flaps and the fuselage was extended , with an increase in passenger capacity to 105. The engines used were the new
Pratt & Whitney JT8D The Pratt & Whitney JT8D is a low-bypass (0.96 to 1) turbofan engine introduced by Pratt & Whitney in February 1963 with the inaugural flight of the Boeing 727. It was a modification of the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which powered the ...
turbofan A turbofan or fanjet is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft engine, aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of references to the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet and the add ...
engines with of unitary thrust. The 10B first flew on August 31, 1964 and was produced as a run of 22 aircraft. : Launch customer and primary operator of the 10B was Finnair with 8 examples.
Aviaco Aviación y Comercio, S.A., doing business as Aviaco, was a Spanish airline headquartered in the ''Edificio Minister'' in Madrid."World Airline Directory." ''Flight International''. 16 May 1981. p1411 "Maudes 51, Edificio Minister, Madrid 3, Spai ...
ordered 5 but this was cancelled, with those aircraft going to
Sterling Airways Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlin ...
, LTU, and Iberia Airlines.
Alia Alia or ALIA may refer to: People *Alia (name), a list of people with the surname or given name Places *Alia, Sicily, Italy, a comune * Alia (Phrygia), a town of ancient Phrygia which remains a Roman Catholic titular bishopric * Alía, Spain, a ...
and
Union des Transports Aériens Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Unio ...
(UTA) also acquired aircraft. The last operational Caravelle was a Type 3 10B that flew with Waltair until 2005. ;Caravelle 10R : A combination of the 10B's engines on the Series VI-R fuselage, creating a smaller but higher powered aircraft. Maximum weight at take-off was increased to ( more than the Series I and more than the Series VI-R). It first flew on 8 January 1965 and received U.S. certification on 23 May of that same year. : A total of 20 were built, starting service with Alia on July 31, 1965. It also flew with
Aero Lloyd Aero Lloyd Flugreisen GmbH & Co, operating as Aero Lloyd, was a German charter airline based in Oberursel, Germany. It was headquartered in Building 182 at Frankfurt Airport in Frankfurt before it was moved to Oberursel. History Early years A ...
, CTA,
Hispania Hispania was the Ancient Rome, Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two Roman province, provinces: Hispania Citerior and Hispania Ulterior. During the Principate, Hispania Ulterior was divide ...
and SAT, among others. ;Caravelle 11R : The 11R had a fuselage length of ( more than other variants) and incorporated a cargo door in the port side. This enabled it to carry a mixed load of passengers and cargo. First flight of the series 11R was on 21 April 1967. : Only six were built, delivered to
Air Afrique Air Afrique was a Pan-African airline, that was mainly owned by many West African countries for most of its history. It was established as the official transnational carrier for francophone West and Central Africa, because many of these cou ...
,
Air Congo Air Congo S.A. is the flag carrier airline of the Democratic Republic of the Congo launched on 1 December 2024, with its hub at N'djili Airport in Kinshasa. The airline announced it would commence operations by serving domestic destinations. The ...
, and Transeuropa of Spain. ;Caravelle 12 (Super Caravelle) : This was the last version of the Caravelle to appear, first flying on 12 March 1971. The Series 12 was a 10B with a noticeably longer fuselage, stretched by , and a newer uprated version of the JT8D engines with of unitary thrust. This allowed for up to 140 passengers over a reduced range. The Caravelle 12 was aimed primarily at the charter market, produced to 12 examples starting in 1972. By this point
Concorde Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
was in production; this design was originally known in France as
Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle The Sud Aviation Super-Caravelle was an early design for a supersonic transport. Unlike most competing designs which envisioned larger trans-Atlantic aircraft and led to the likes of the Boeing 2707, the Super-Caravelle was a much smaller, s ...
. The Caravelle 12 was often also referred to by this name. : The launch customer for the Series 12 was
Sterling Airways Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlin ...
with seven delivered, while the remaining five went to
Air Inter Air Inter () (legally ''Lignes Aériennes Intérieures'') was a semi-public French domestic airline in France that operated from 1954 until it merged with Air France in 1997. It was last headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Ai ...
. Series 12s flew in Europe until October 1996, and in Africa until more recently. : The unit cost was US$5.5M. (1972)


Operators

The Caravelle served with airlines on every continent except Australia. In 1957, Trans-Australia Airlines (TAA) sought to order two Caravelles, to service its longest routes, Perth-Sydney and Perth-Melbourne, from 1960. However, the Australian government blocked the order, saying that any further diversity in full-size airliners used on domestic routes would have an adverse impact on aircraft servicing within Australia.


Civil operators


Military and government operators


Incidents and accidents

For 45 years of commercial operation, 67 Caravelles have been withdrawn from service as a result of destruction or for irreparable damage. None of these accidents and incidents are attributed to a design defect, only a few technical failures, human errors, or sabotage. The total loss of life in accidents in the Caravelle is more than 1,300. The accident rate per million flights is estimated at more than 5.5, compared with less than 1 for the most recent airliners. *19 January 1960 – Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 871, a Caravelle I, crashed at Esenboga Airport, Turkey due to excessive descent for reasons unknown. Seven crew members and 35 passengers lost their lives. *19 May 1960 — A Caravelle of
Air Algérie Air Algérie SpA (, ) is the flag carrier of Algeria, with its head office in the El-Djazair office block in Algiers. With flights operating mostly from Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers and Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Oran, Air Algérie op ...
, F-OBNI, collided with a
Stampe Stampe is a surname of German origin. Notable people with the surname include: *John Stampe (1957–2012), Danish football player and coach *Rigmor Stampe (1850–1923), Danish baroness, writer and philanthropist *Veronika Stampe East German retire ...
single-engine
biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
on approach to Paris-Orly and managed to land. The small aircraft was destroyed and its pilot was killed, as well as one passenger of the Caravelle, 18 other persons on board were injured. *12 September 1961 – Air France Flight 2005, a Caravelle III, crashed near Rabat, Morocco after the crew misread instruments, killing all 77 on board. *27 September 1961 –
Varig VARIG (''Viação Aérea Rio-Grandense'', 'Rio Grandean Airways') was the first airline founded in Brazil, in 1927. From 1965 until 1990, it was Brazil's leading airline and virtually its only international one. In 2005, Varig went into judici ...
Flight 592-J, a Caravelle III, crashed when landing at
Brasília International Airport Brasília–President Juscelino Kubitschek International Airport () , also known as the Brasília International Airport, is the international airport serving Brasília, located in the Administrative regions of the Federal District (Brazil), admin ...
in Brazil, caught fire and was totally destroyed. Despite this, there were no casualties. Among the passengers were the governor of the
Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...
state,
Leonel Brizola Leonel de Moura Brizola (22 January 1922 – 21 June 2004) was a Brazilian politician. Launched into politics by Brazilian president Getúlio Vargas in the 1930–1950s, Brizola was the only politician to serve as elected governor of two Brazil ...
, and three ministers of state of the newly sworn president
João Goulart João Belchior Marques Goulart (; 1 March 1919 – 6 December 1976), commonly known as Jango, was a Brazilian politician who served as the president of Brazil from 1961 until a military coup d'état deposed him in 1964. He was considered the ...
. This was the first air accident in the new Brazilian capital, founded only 16 months before. *4 September 1963 –
Swissair Flight 306 Swissair Flight 306, a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III, named ''Schaffhausen,'' was a scheduled international flight from Zurich to Rome, via Geneva. It crashed near Dürrenäsch, Aargau, on 4 September 1963, shortly after take-off, killing ...
crashed shortly after take-off from
Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
following an in-flight fire, killing all 80 people on board. *18 April 1964 –
Middle East Airlines Flight 444 Middle East Airlines Flight 444 was a scheduled passenger flight between Beirut International Airport and Dhahran International Airport. On 17 April 1964, the flight, operated by a Sud Aviation Caravelle III crashed into the Persian Gulf about so ...
( registration OD-AEM) crashed at night into the Persian Gulf, 10 miles out from Dhahran Airport, Saudi Arabia, killing all 49 on board; the cause was never determined. *15 February 1966 – an
Indian Airlines Indian Airlines was a state-owned airline in India that later became a division of Air India Limited before ultimately ceasing operations. It was based in Delhi and focused primarily on domestic routes, along with several international servic ...
Caravelle VI-N registered as VT-DPP crashed short of the runway at Palam Airport in poor visibility, killing two of 80 on board. *4 September 1966 – an Indian Airlines Caravelle VI-N registered as VT-DSB struck a hill at 800 feet during a training flight, killing the four crew. *30 June 1967 –
Thai Airways International Flight 601 On 30 June 1967, Thai Airways International Flight 601, a Sud Aviation Caravelle III crashed into the sea on landing at the former Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong, in a typhoon. The aircraft was on a flight from Haneda Airport in Japan to Don Mueang ...
, a Caravelle III, crashed into the sea while landing at
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
's
Kai Tak Airport Kai Tak Airport was an international airport of Hong Kong from 1925 until 1998. Officially known as Hong Kong International Airport from 1954 to 6 July 1998, it is often referred to as Hong Kong International Airport, Kai Tak, or simply K ...
during a tropical heavy rainstorm. Twenty-four people were killed. *4 November 1967 – Iberia Airlines Flight 062, a Caravelle 10R, struck Blackdown Hill, Sussex, United Kingdom, killing all 37 passengers and crew. *11 September 1968 –
Air France Flight 1611 Air France Flight 1611 (AF1611) was a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III en route from Ajaccio, on the island of Corsica, to Nice, mainland France, on 11 September 1968 when it crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Nice, killing all 95 on bo ...
, a Caravelle III en route from the island of
Corsica Corsica ( , , ; ; ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the Regions of France, 18 regions of France. It is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the Metro ...
to
Nice, France Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million
, crashed into the
Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
off Nice following an in-flight fire, killing all 95 on board; in 2011 a report surfaced that a missile may have shot down the aircraft. *28 December 1968 – two Middle East Airlines Caravelle VI-Ns (registrations OD-AEE and OD-AEF), along with 12 other aircraft, were destroyed at Beirut International Airport by Israeli commandos in retaliation for a terrorist attack on a Boeing aircraft in Athens. *26 July 1969 – an
Air Algérie Air Algérie SpA (, ) is the flag carrier of Algeria, with its head office in the El-Djazair office block in Algiers. With flights operating mostly from Houari Boumedienne Airport in Algiers and Ahmed Ben Bella Airport in Oran, Air Algérie op ...
Caravelle VI-N (registration 7T-VAK) crashed at near Hassi Messaoud Airport, Algeria killing 33 passengers and crew out of 37. The aircraft crashed onto the runway while attempting an emergency landing due to an in-flight fire. *8 October 1969 – A Cruzeiro do Sul Caravelle VI-R en route from Belém-Val de Cães to Manaus-Ponta Pelada in Brazil was hijacked by four people who demanded to be flown to Cuba. The hijacking lasted less than a day and there were no casualties. *1 April 1970 – a
Royal Air Maroc Royal Air Maroc (RAM, ; ; ) is the Morocco, Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country largest airline, ranking among the largest in Africa. RAM is wholly owned by the Cabinet of Morocco, Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters o ...
Caravelle III registered as CN-CCV crashed on approach to Casablanca following a loss of control, killing 61 of 72 on board. *20 November 1971 – China Airlines Flight 825, a Caravelle III (registration B-1852), crashed near
Penghu The Penghu ( , Hokkien Pe̍h-ōe-jī, POJ: ''Phîⁿ-ô͘''  or ''Phêⁿ-ô͘'' ) or Pescadores Islands are an archipelago of 90 islands and islets in the Taiwan Strait, about west of the main island of Taiwan across the Penghu Ch ...
, Taiwan due to a possible bomb explosion, killing all 25 passengers and crew on board. *7 January 1972 –
Iberia Airlines Flight 602 Iberia Flight 602 was a domestic scheduled passenger flight operated by a Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle that took off from Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autono ...
crashed into a mountain while on approach to
Ibiza Airport Ibiza Airport (, ) is the international airport serving the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Formentera in Spain located southwest of Ibiza Town. In 2020, the airport handled 2.1 million passengers (after more than 8.2 million in pre COVID-19 c ...
, Spain. All 104 passengers and crew were killed. *14 March 1972 – Sterling Airways Flight 296 crashed 20 mi west of Kalba, United Arab Emirates due to pilot error, killing all 112 passengers and crew in the worst ever accident involving the Caravelle. The accident is also the deadliest in the United Arab Emirates. *1 June 1973 – Cruzeiro do Sul Flight 109, a Caravelle VI-N (registration PP-PDX) operating from Belém-Val de Cans to São Luís crashed on approach to São Luís. The left engine lost power and the aircraft attained an extreme nose-up attitude. It stalled and crashed 760m to the right of the runway. All 23 passengers and crew died. *13 August 1973 – Aviaco Flight 118 crashed near
A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...
, Spain, killing all 85 passengers and crew, while attempting to land at Alvedro Airport (now A Coruña Airport) in heavy fog. *11 September 1973 – JAT Airways Flight 769, a Caravelle VI-N, struck Babin Zub Peak while on approach to Titograd Airport, killing all 41 passengers and crew on board. The accident remains the worst in Montenegro. *22 December 1973 – A
Sobelair ''Société Belge des Transports par Air SA'', known by its short form Sobelair, was a Belgian charter airline that operated from 1946 to 2004. It was headquartered in Brussels (later in Zaventem) and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and ...
Caravelle VI-N operating for Royal Air Maroc) Caravelle VI-N (OO-SRD)
struck Struck is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Adolf Struck Adolf Hermann Struck (1877–1911) was a German sightseer and writer. He is known for his Travel literature, travelogue ''Makedonische Fahrten'' and for surveying the ...
Mount Mellaline while on approach to Tangier Airport, killing all 106 passengers and crew on board. *15 March 1974 – A
Sterling Airways Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlin ...
Caravelle 10B3 experienced a landing gear failure as it was taxiing for take-off at Tehran's
Mehrabad International Airport Mehrabad Interglobal Airport is an airport serving Tehran, the capital of Iran. Prior to the construction of the larger Imam Khomeini International Airport in 2007, Mehrabad was Tehran's primary airport for both international and domestic tr ...
leading to 15 passengers being killed and 37 passengers and crew injured. *12 October 1976 – Indian Airlines Flight 171, a Caravelle VI-N, crashed at Santacruz Airport following a loss of control caused by an uncontained engine failure and in-flight fire, killing all 95 on board. *18 December 1977 – SA de Transport Aérien Flight 730 crashed into the sea while on final approach to
Madeira Airport Madeira Airport () , informally Funchal Airport (), formerly Santa Catarina Airport () and officially Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport, is an international airport in the civil parish of Santa Cruz in the Portuguese archipelago and auton ...
due to pilot error, killing 36 of 52 on board; the wreckage was found in 2011. *30 September 1978 – A Finnair Caravelle was hijacked by an unemployed home building contractor carrying a gun. With 44 passengers and 5 crew on board the aircraft flew to Amsterdam, Netherlands. After that it flew to Helsinki, where the hijacker released his hostages and received his demanded money. It then flew to Oulu, where he was arrested at his house the following day. *19 June 1980 - An Airborne Express Caravelle VI-R registered as N905MW crashed at Atlanta Hartsfield Airport on approach to runway 26. The probable cause was listed as a poorly planned approach, vortex turbulence, and failure to follow approved procedures, directives, etc. *21 December 1980 – A Transportes Aereos del César (Aerocésar) Caravelle VIR (registration HK-1810) crashed near
Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach wa ...
, Colombia due to an explosion and in-flight fire, killing all 70 on board. The cause of the explosion was unknown. ( 1980 Riohacha Transportes Aéreos del Cesar Caravelle crash) *29 April 1983,
SAN Ecuador SAN (legally ''Servicios Aéreos Nacionales S.A.'') was an airline which was based in Guayaquil, Ecuador that was the domestic branch of the airline SAETA. It was founded in 1964, and ceased operations in 1999. History SAN was founded on Janua ...
Flight 832, a Caravelle VI-R (reg. HC-BAJ, sn. 125) crashed near the southern end of the runway of the Simón Bolívar International Airport in
Guayaquil Guayaquil (), officially Santiago de Guayaquil, is the largest city in Ecuador and also the nation's economic capital and main port. The city is the capital (political), capital of Guayas Province and the seat of Guayaquil Canton. The city is ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
after attempting to execute an
emergency landing An emergency landing is a premature landing made by an aircraft in response to an emergency involving an imminent or ongoing threat to the safety and operation of the aircraft, or involving a sudden need for a passenger or crew on board to term ...
. The plane had suffered an engine failure shortly after taking off from Guayaquil on a flight to
Quito Quito (; ), officially San Francisco de Quito, is the capital city, capital and second-largest city of Ecuador, with an estimated population of 2.8 million in its metropolitan area. It is also the capital of the province of Pichincha Province, P ...
, and the crew was returning to the airport. However, the second engine failed while overflying the city and the plane stalled just as it approached the airport. Cap. Germán Cruz crash-landed the plane in a muddy
puddle A puddle is a very small accumulation of liquid, usually water, on a surface. It can form either by pooling in a depression on the surface, or by surface tension upon a flat surface. Puddles are often characterized by murky water or mud due to t ...
, produced by recent El Niño rains, near the end of the runway, with the fuselage breaking in three parts but without causing a fire. The accident killed 8 of the 100 people on board and injured several others, but the fact that the puddle acted as a form of
cushion A cushion is a soft bag of some ornamental material, usually stuffed with wool, hair, feathers, polyester staple fiber, non-woven material, cotton, or even paper torn into fragments. It may be used for sitting or kneeling upon, or to soften ...
to the plane helped avoid more fatalities. The pilot had previously reported engine issues and had tested the plane the previous day, after which it was subjected to
maintenance The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...
and was later reported as fit to fly shortly before the ill-fated flight. *2 July 1983 - An
Altair Altair is the brightest star in the constellation of Aquila (constellation), Aquila and the list of brightest stars, twelfth-brightest star in the night sky. It has the Bayer designation Alpha Aquilae, which is Latinisation of name ...
Caravelle III registered as F-BHRS experienced an uncontained engine failure while accelerating for takeoff at
Milan Malpensa Airport Milan Malpensa Airport "Silvio Berlusconi" is an international airport in Ferno, in the Province of Varese, Lombardy, Italy. It is the largest airport in northern Italy, serving Lombardy, Piedmont, and Liguria, as well as the Swiss canton of T ...
, Italy. Takeoff was quickly aborted and all 89 occupants survived but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. The derelict aircraft remained at Milan Malpensa Airport for years afterward. *18 January 1986 – An Aerovias Caravelle temporarily leased from Ecuador's
SAETA SAETA Air Ecuador (legally ''Sociedad Anónima Ecuatoriana de Transportes Aéreos S.A.'') was a privately held airline of Ecuador, which was founded in 1966. During its heyday in the 1990s, it flew to numerous destinations in North and South Ame ...
crashed in the jungle after missing its first approach, killing all 93 occupants. The flight had originated in Guatemala City and was to land at Mundo Maya International Airport in the northern department of Petén.


Aircraft on display

;Europe * ''F-BHRA'' Caravelle III (msn. 1) originally delivered to Air France as ''Alsace''. Preserved at the Piet Smedts Autobedrijf in Baarlo, Netherlands. * ''F-BHHI'' Caravelle III (msn. 2) second prototype – briefly appeared in Air France color scheme but never flew with the airline. Forward fuselage preserved at the
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace The Musée de l'air et de l'espace (, ) is a French aerospace museum, located at the south-eastern edge of Paris–Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris, and in the Communes of France, commune of Le Bourget. It was inaugurated in 1919 after a propo ...
in Paris. * ''LN-KLH'' Caravelle III (msn. 3) originally delivered to SAS as ''Finn Viking''. Preserved at the
Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology The Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology () is located in Oslo, Norway. The museum is an anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. History The museum as an institution was founded in 1914 as a part of the commemorati ...
,
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
, Norway. * ''SE-DAA'' Caravelle III (msn. 4) originally delivered to SAS as ''Eskil Viking''. The nose section is in poor condition at the
Finnish Aviation Museum The Finnish Aviation Museum (, ) is a museum specialising in aircraft, located near Helsinki Airport in Veromies, Vantaa, Finland. History The Aviation Museum Society () was founded on 4 December 1969. Opened in 1972, the museum was initially loc ...
, Helsinki. * ''PH-TRO'' Caravelle III (msn. 33) originally delivered to Transavia Holland. Nose section preserved at the Aviodome,
Lelystad Lelystad () is a Dutch Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and the capital city of the province of Flevoland in the central Netherlands. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who en ...
, Netherlands. * ''OY-KRD'' Caravelle III (msn. 47) originally delivered to SAS as ''Ulf Viking''. Entire aircraft on display at the Danish Museum of Science & Technology, Helsingør, Denmark. * ''F-BHRT'' Caravelle III (msn. 55) originally delivered to Air France as ''Picardie''. Preserved as instructional airframe at Merville-Colonnes airfield, France * ''CN-CCX'' Caravelle III (msn. 57) originally delivered to
Royal Air Maroc Royal Air Maroc (RAM, ; ; ) is the Morocco, Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country largest airline, ranking among the largest in Africa. RAM is wholly owned by the Cabinet of Morocco, Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters o ...
. in use as a training aircraft at the Mohammedia School of Hospitality and Tourism,
Mohammedia Mohammedia (), known until 1960 as Fedala (), is a port city on the west coast of Morocco between Casablanca and Rabat in the region of Casablanca-Settat. It hosts the most important oil refinery of Morocco, Samir Refinery, which makes it the cen ...
,
Morocco Morocco, officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It has coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to Algeria–Morocc ...
. * ''F-BHRY'' Caravelle III (msn. 61) originally delivered to Air France as ''Touraine''. On display at the Musée de l'Epopée et de l'Aéronautique in Albert, France. * ''OO-SRA'' Caravelle VI-N (msn. 64) originally delivered to Sabena. Entire aircraft preserved at the
Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History The Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History (; ), also known as the Royal Military Museum (; ), is a military museum that occupies the two northernmost halls of the historic complex in the Parc du Cinquantenaire/Jubelpark in Br ...
, Brussels, Belgium. * ''SE-DAF'' Caravelle III (msn. 112) originally delivered to SAS as ''Sven Viking''. On display at Turku Airport, Finland. Painted in Finnair 1963 livery with registration OH-LEA. * ''F-ZACE'' Caravelle III (msn. 116) originally delivered to Finnair as OH-LED and flown by the French Air Force as 116/CE. On display at Musée Européen de l'Aviation de Chasse,
Montélimar Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine dialect, Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; ) is a town in the Drôme Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the second-largest town in t ...
, France. * ''YU-AHB'' Caravelle VI-N (msn. 135) originally delivered to JAT Yugoslav Airlines as ''Bled''. On display at the Museum of Yugoslav Aviation, near the Nikola Tesla International Airport. * ''SE-DAG'' Caravelle III (msn. 172) originally delivered to SAS as ''Dag Viking''. Currently on display at the Swedish Air Force Museum, Linköping. The aircraft served with the Swedish Air Force (tail number 851) for signal reconnaissance. * ''F-BJEN'' Caravelle 10R Super B (msn. 185) originally delivered to Finnair as OH-LSC ''Turku''. Forward fuselage section preserved Corlier, France, as "Aeroclub du Haut-Bugey". * ''SE-DAI'' Caravelle III (msn. 210) originally delivered to SAS as ''Alrik Viking''. Fully restored in taxiable condition and preserved by Le Caravelle Club at
Stockholm Arlanda Airport Stockholm Arlanda Airport is the main international airport serving Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. It is located in Sigtuna Municipality, north of Stockholm and nearly southeast of Uppsala. The airport is located within Stockholm County. ...
, Sweden. * ''F-BYCY'' Caravelle 12 (msn. 233) originally delivered to JAT Yugoslav Airlines as YU-AHG and flown by Aerotur and Corse Air. Preserved at Moyenpal, France and was renovated into a hotel * ''F-BOHA'' Caravelle III (msn. 242) originally delivered to Air France as ''Guyane''. On display at
Avignon – Provence Airport Avignon (, , ; or , ; ) is the prefecture of the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the left bank of the river Rhône, the commune had a population of 93,671 as of the census resu ...
, France. * ''F-GHMU'' Caravelle 12 (msn. 249) originally delivered to
Sterling Airways Sterling Airlines A/S was a low-cost airline with its head office at Copenhagen Airport South in Dragør, Dragør Municipality, Denmark. It was created in September 2005 through the merger of two Danish airlines — Sterling European Airlin ...
as OY-STE before being sold to Air Toulouse International; also flew for Air City as HB-IKD and the government of the Central African Republic as TL-ABB and European Air Service as F-GCJT. Preserved and on display at the Ailes Anciennes de Toulouse Museum at Toulouse-Blagnac, France. * * ''F-GCVL'' Caravelle 12 (msn. 273) originally delivered to Sterling Airways as OY-SAE and later flown by
Air Inter Air Inter () (legally ''Lignes Aériennes Intérieures'') was a semi-public French domestic airline in France that operated from 1954 until it merged with Air France in 1997. It was last headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Ai ...
and Air Provence. Preserved and on display at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace, Paris. * ''F-GCVK'' Caravelle 12 (msn. 276) originally delivered to Sterling Airways as OY-SAG and flown by
Air Inter Air Inter () (legally ''Lignes Aériennes Intérieures'') was a semi-public French domestic airline in France that operated from 1954 until it merged with Air France in 1997. It was last headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Ai ...
. In use as instructional airframe in Air Inter colours at Merville-Colonnes airfield, France * ''F-BTOE'' Caravelle 12 (msn. 280) originally delivered to
Air Inter Air Inter () (legally ''Lignes Aériennes Intérieures'') was a semi-public French domestic airline in France that operated from 1954 until it merged with Air France in 1997. It was last headquartered in Paray-Vieille-Poste, Essonne.''World Ai ...
. Preserved and on display at the
Aeroscopia Aeroscopia is a French aerospace museum, located at the north-western edge of Toulouse, in the commune of Blagnac. It was opened on 14 January 2015. This museum notably hosts two Concorde airliners. Building Designed by the firm Cardete and ...
Museum at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, France. ;North America * ''N1001U'' Caravelle VI-R (msn. 86) originally delivered to United Air Lines. Preserved at the
Pima Air & Space Museum The Pima Air & Space Museum is an aerospace museum in Tucson, Arizona, US. It features a display of nearly 400 aircraft spread out over on a campus occupying . It has also been the home to the Arizona Aviation Hall of Fame since 1991. Overv ...
in
Tucson, Arizona Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...
, in
Aero Service Aero is a Greek prefix relating to flight and air. In British English, it is used as an adjective related to flight (e.g., as a shortened substitute for aeroplane). Aero, Ærø, or Aeros may refer to: Aeronautics Airlines and companies * Aero (A ...
markings. * ''HK-2836'' Caravelle 10R (msn. 211) originally delivered to Finnair as ''Kuopio''. Also flew for
Air Charter Air charter is the business of renting an entire aircraft (i.e., chartering) as opposed to individual aircraft seats (i.e., purchasing a ticket through a traditional airline). Regulation Charter – also called air taxi or ad hoc – flight ...
and EAS - Europe Aero Service as F-GDFZ before being sold to SEC Colombia as HK-3836 and LAS - Lineas Aereas Suramericanas as HK-3836X, going on to serve with the Fuerza Aerea Mexicana, serial 10506. On display inside Parque Aviacuatico Los Manantiales, Jilotepec–Ixtlahuaca Highway at km 39. * ''N901MW'' Caravelle VI-R (msn. 62) originally delivered to
Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul Serviços Aéreos Cruzeiro do Sul was the second oldest airline of Brazil, tracing its origins to 1927, when it was founded as Syndicato Condor, a subsidiary of Deutsche Luft Hansa. Syndicato Condor retained rights and interests of a former Ger ...
. Later flew for
Airborne Express Airborne Express was an express delivery company and cargo airline. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, its hub was in Wilmington, Ohio. Airborne was founded as the Airborne Flower Traffic Association of California in 1946 to fly flowers fro ...
. Currently preserved on the apron of John Glenn International Airport in Columbus, Ohio as a firefighting training aid. ;Africa * ''I-DABA'' Caravelle VI-N (msn. 71) originally with Alitalia, before being sold to the Congo as 9Q-CRU. Repainted and on display at as the "Aero Beach Craft" park and buffet near Entebbe, Uganda.


Specifications


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links


Video in YouTube about TALCE's operations in Africa, showing (among other aircraft) Caravelle 3D-KIK
(accessed 2009-05-12)
SudAviation.com – the Caravelle website
(accessed 2012-09-11)

a 1957 ''Flight'' article
YouTube video of a United Air Lines SE210 Caravelle
* {{Authority control Caravelle 1950s French airliners Caravelle Twinjets Cruciform tail aircraft Low-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1955 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear