SKOGA was an airline jointly controlled by China and the Soviet Union, based in Beijing, China, which operated from 1950 to 1954. The name SKOGA (Russian: СКОГА) is the acronym of Sovyetsko-Kitaiskoe Obschestvo Grazhdanskoi Aviatsii (Soviet-Chinese Civil Aviation Company in Russian: Советско-Китайское общество гражданской авиации). The Chinese name was 中蘇民用航空股份公司 (simplified: 中苏民用航空股份公司; pinyin: zhōngsū mínháng gōngsī), translating to Sino-Soviet Civil Aviation Joint-Stock Company in English.
.jpg) Badge of SKOGA at the Civil Aviation Museum of China | |||||||
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| Founded | 1 July 1950 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | 1950 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | 1954 | ||||||
| Operating bases | |||||||
| Fleet size | Lisunov Li-2 Ilyushin Il-12[1] | ||||||
| Headquarters | Beijing, China | ||||||
History
editOn 2 November 1949,[2] the Chinese and Soviet governments signed an agreement to establish a Sino-Soviet civil aviation joint-stock company, owned in equal share by each party. With a starting capital of 42 million Soviet rubles, the Chinese side provided airports, buildings, warehouses, and maintenance facilities. The Soviets contributed aircraft, communication equipment, transportation means, maintenance facilities and airports on Soviet territory. Management offices were set up in Beijing, Shenyang and Ürümqi.
SKOGA was formally established on 1 July 1950, immediately commencing services from Beijing to Chita via Shenyang, Harbin and Hailar, utilising Russian Lisunov Li-2 aircraft. This route was initially served once a week, the frequency later being increased to three services weekly, departing Beijing on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and returning from Chita on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Routes to Irkutsk and Almaty (in present-day Kazakhstan) were also added. From May 1952, Ilyushin Il-12 aircraft were operated.[2]
On 12 October 1954, the Chinese and Soviet governments announced that from 1 January 1955, SKOGA would come completely under Chinese control. From this time, SKOGA ceased operations, and was superseded by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) to handle Chinese air traffic.[1]
Destinations
editAccording to a SKOGA timetable from 1954, the following destinations were served:[3]
- China
- Aksu
- Beijing
- Hailar
- Hami
- Harbin
- Jiuquan
- Kashgar
- Kuqa
- Lanzhou
- Qiqihar
- Shenyang
- Taiyuan
- Ürümqi
- Xi'an
- Yining
- Mongolia
- Soviet Union
References
edit- ^ a b "CAAC" (in German). www.airlines-airliners.de. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ a b "Air China International Corp" (in German). Flying Archive - Berlin Spotter. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- ^ "SKOGA timetable" (in Chinese). Airline Timetable Images. 1 April 1954. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
External links
edit- "Ли-2" [Il-2] (in Russian). Уголок небо. Archived from the original on 31 December 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2015.
- "Ли-2" [Il-2] (in Russian). Противостояние (Opposition). Archived from the original on June 29, 2006.
- "1950年7月(图)" (in Chinese). CAAC News. Archived from the original on 5 February 2007. Retrieved 23 June 2015. (Illustrated story of airline)
- "中国民航的见证-纪中苏民航" (in Chinese). 世界徽章网 (Worldbadge). Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2015. (Images of crewmember badges)