Sabena Congo, caused thousands of Belgians to flee the country. The Belgian government commandeered Sabena's entire long haul fleet to get the refugees back to Europe. Independence also meant the end of the impressive regional network of routes that the airline had built up in the Congo since 1924. When the new republic began its own airline, Air Congo, in June 1961, Sabena held 30 percent of that airline's shares. The Douglas DC-6Bs remained in service with Sabena in the mid-1960s although they were no longer used on the airline's main routes. The Boeing 707s and Caravelles became the mainstay types
Sabena technics specializes in the maintenance and repair of components, customized global support packages, management and distribution of spare parts, and Ground Support Test Equipment. The acquisition of this company consolidates the presence of Sabena technics across the Atlantic. This pooling of expertise and resources allows an improved response to the requirements of airlines based in North and South America. Sabena technics is present across 15 sites worldwide and its head office is based in Paris. The group also provides its customers with line maintenance operations at many other airports. This deployment is part of a key principle for the company, service