Sabena Boeing 747s with four-engined Airbus A340. After the liberalisation of the airline industry throughout Europe and the economic consequences of the Gulf War, the Belgian government, the main shareholder of the company, realized that Sabena had little chance of surviving on its own in this very competitive market, and began searching for a suitable partner. Sabena remained in a poor financial state, and year after year the Belgian government had to cover losses, however, it was however prevented from providing new funds due to EU State Aid rules. Around 1987, SAS tried to merge with the carrier, but the merger
Universal Airlines (Guyana) passengers and the government of Guyana has confirmed it wants another national airline as soon as possible (ref: Airliner World, November 2005). The Universal Airlines fleet consisted of 1 Airbus A320-200 aircraft (at September 2005). Previously, Universal Airlines had leased a Boeing 767-300ER from LOT Polish Airlines. Universal Airlines (Guyana) Universal Airlines was an airline based in Georgetown, Guyana. The airline operated a scheduled passenger service to the United States and to nearby Trinidad and Tobago. Operations were suspended in 2005. The airline was established to replace the defunct Guyana Airways in 2001 and started operations on 13 December 2001