Surinam Airways

Airline overview

Surinam Airways (Dutch name Surinaamse Luchtvaart Maatschappij, abbreviated SLM) is the flag carrier of the Republic of Suriname, founded on 30 August 1962 and headquartered at Paramaribo Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (PBM), its main hub. Its IATA two-letter code is PY, its ICAO three-letter code SLM and its radio call sign SURINAM. Its website is flyslm.com.

On cargo, Surinam Airways coordinates all air freight under the Surinam Airways Cargo brand, with capacity in passenger belly holds. Its scheduled cargo product covers two directions, the mid-Atlantic crossing and the Caribbean region, using AKE containers and PAG and PMC pallets on the Amsterdam to Paramaribo long-haul sector, and it offers an XLarge Cargo service for heavy and outsized items. Shipments are subject to its published embargo and restriction rules: primates are embargoed on all routes, birds, poultry and reptiles are embargoed toward Amsterdam, and dangerous goods are limited to categories acceptable on passenger aircraft.

For Chinese shippers the value is that Suriname is the northeastern gateway to the South American continent and part of the CARICOM market. With Paramaribo as its only hub, Surinam Airways connects Chinese cargo through Amsterdam or Miami and distributes it to the local Surinamese market and onward to Curaçao, Aruba, Georgetown in Guyana, Belém in Brazil and Barbados. Chinese electrical and electronic products, machinery and electrical equipment, solar modules, building materials and consumer goods can enter Suriname and the northeastern Caribbean through this network.

International operations began in 1964, initially pooling with KLM and Aruba Airlines on the Paramaribo to Curaçao route via Georgetown in Guyana and Port of Spain in Trinidad, and the airline later built a Caribbean, South American and European network centred on Paramaribo. In December 2022 it completed a long-term dry lease for Boeing 737-800 aircraft and renewed the fleet; in July 2026 scheduled cargo resumed on the Paramaribo to Miami route, opening a further connection for Chinese transit cargo moving via North America.

China contact

No China office is publicly listed. The airline has not opened a publicly announced sales office or cargo department in China. Chinese shippers should contact its local agent in China, or ask Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited to coordinate; website https://goodhope86.com.

Published head office contacts: cargo is handled by the cargo department at Paramaribo PBM airport, switchboard +597 465 700, website flyslm.com. Office and cargo sales contacts may change with operations; the airline's official channels govern.

Aircraft types and fleet

The current fleet is mainly Boeing 737-800 narrowbodies, with public information showing a long-term dry lease arranged through AerCap from December 2022 for Caribbean and South American regional routes; the mid-Atlantic long-haul sector uses wet-leased widebodies when capacity is tight, with the aircraft confirmed by the carrier on the day of booking. The airline operates no freighters and all cargo moves in passenger belly holds.

In cargo terms the Boeing 737-800 is a single-class narrowbody whose belly can take about 18 tonnes on a balanced two-way load, with usable space reduced on a sector limited by load planning, which suits small and medium consignments connecting through a hub. Widebody bellies on the long sector offer more volume and suit larger and bulkier cargo. The mid-Atlantic route uses AKE containers and PAG and PMC pallets to IATA standards, and that standardisation lets Chinese exports be organised as unitised loads.

Airport services and schedules in China

Airport services in China

No public data is available. Surinam Airways currently operates no scheduled passenger or cargo flights nonstop from any airport in China and has no ground handling of its own at Chinese airports. Cargo originating in China has to connect through a hub such as Amsterdam or Miami to its Paramaribo network, which is the standard practice for China to Suriname air freight today.

The choice of transit point depends on the deadline and the consolidation direction. Amsterdam is Surinam Airways' own mid-Atlantic trunk with direct connections and a steady weekly frequency; Miami runs three times a week and suits cargo consolidated from North America; the Curaçao and Aruba regional points run three times a week and reach the multi-island Caribbean market. Chinese forwarders normally settle the gateway and transit routing before booking, based on the day's connections and rate levels.

Connections from the main Chinese airports work as follows: Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have dense trunk frequencies toward Amsterdam and suit cargo routed through a European hub; Beijing and Chengdu can connect through Frankfurt or Paris and on to Amsterdam; Hong Kong suits cargo consolidated in South China and Southeast Asia and shipped as one lot. The forwarder proposes the best gateway and transit combination at quotation stage, based on commodity, deadline and the day's rates.

Scheduled services departing Paramaribo

The schedule overview is compiled from published 2026 season data and is subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.

Times are local. Actual schedules vary with the season and are subject to carrier confirmation on the day of booking.

On the cargo connection, after departure from a Chinese airport the shipment is transferred at Amsterdam or Miami, where the ground agent handles document re-issue and loading before it connects to the Surinam Airways flight into Paramaribo. A single air waybill covers the whole journey, with no second export declaration inside China. Connection time is usually 6 to 48 hours depending on the day's flights; if schedules or capacity change, the forwarder notifies the shipper and adjusts the plan.

Cargo network from China to the world

From China the network reaches Suriname (Paramaribo PBM), Curaçao (Willemstad CUR), Aruba (Oranjestad AUA), Guyana (Georgetown GEO), Brazil (Belém BEL) and Barbados (Bridgetown BGI) with one transfer at a hub such as Amsterdam or Miami, and from Paramaribo cargo can be distributed across Suriname and to French Guiana and the nearby French Caribbean.

Major Chinese gateways such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu and Zhengzhou all have dense mainline services to Amsterdam, Frankfurt or North America, so one air waybill can cover the whole journey. Cargo is handled under international transit procedures at the hub and does not need to be re-declared in China; the rate is built up leg by leg and calculated by the freight forwarder.

On cargo types, the network suits general freight such as electrical and electronic products, machinery and equipment parts, solar modules, building material samples, textiles and consumer goods. Charging follows IATA rules on the greater of gross weight and volumetric weight, with volumetric weight calculated as length times width times height divided by 6000; shippers of low-density cargo should optimise packing in advance to control the chargeable weight. Oversize and out-of-gauge cargo can use the XLarge Cargo service, with space and ground equipment confirmed in advance.

For smaller consignments or scattered destinations, cargo can be consolidated at the hub by the forwarder and connected to Surinam Airways flights as one lot; for a single large consignment, pallet space can be requested. Transit from China to Suriname is usually 8 to 14 days depending on airport, hub and season, and the forwarder states the expected transit and capacity plan at quotation stage.

Freight advantages from China

From a China shipping perspective the strengths of the Surinam Airways network are as follows.

First, the gateway position of a flag carrier. Paramaribo PBM is Suriname's primary international gateway and Surinam Airways concentrates its operation there, so Chinese cargo can be distributed from the same gateway to the main cities, mining areas and farming regions of Suriname.

Second, the direct mid-Atlantic trunk. The three weekly Amsterdam flights give Chinese cargo a steady connection from Europe to Suriname, and the three weekly Miami flights give an option for cargo consolidated from North America; both trunks connect to Chinese airports on predictable windows.

Third, Caribbean regional coverage. Curaçao, Aruba, Georgetown, Belém and Bridgetown are served several times a week, so Chinese cargo can be booked once and distributed to several markets in the northeastern Caribbean and northern South America without separate bookings for each island.

Fourth, a standardised belly and pallet product. AKE containers and PAG and PMC pallets are used to standard on the mid-Atlantic route, so Chinese exports can be organised as unitised loads, and the XLarge Cargo service takes oversize and heavy items.

Fifth, mature ground support at the gateway. PBM handles the great majority of Suriname's international air cargo, and ground handling and clearance have long been stable, which helps pickup and road distribution after arrival.

In summary, the Surinam Airways network suits manufacturers and traders exporting machinery and electrical products, solar modules, building materials and consumer goods to Suriname and the Caribbean; shippers needing multimodal coverage of northern South America from Paramaribo; and exporters supplying Surinamese mining and engineering projects. Booking through a forwarder secures rates, space, transit and ground handling together.

By cargo mix, machinery and equipment parts, consumer electronics, solar modules and building materials are the larger volumes from China to Suriname and the Caribbean and suit pallet or container loads, while e-commerce parcels, apparel and consumer goods are better organised as loose and consolidated cargo. Surinamese mining and engineering projects have continuing import demand for machinery spares, building materials and supplies, which the network can carry by air in volume.

Suriname also sits where CARICOM meets the northern South American market, so its gateway position lets one transfer cover both the local market and neighbouring countries; for larger consignments with looser deadlines, sea freight to Paramaribo plus road distribution can be combined into a sea-air plan.

Booking path from China

The booking process for Chinese shippers using the Surinam Airways network is as follows.

First, give the forwarder the cargo details, including commodity, pieces, gross weight, volume, origin airport and destination airport. Second, the forwarder assesses routing, capacity and transit requirements and settles the transit through Amsterdam or Miami. Third, booking is completed through the airline's cargo department or an authorised agent and the air waybill is issued. Fourth, the cargo departs China, transfers at the hub and connects to the Surinam Airways flight. Fifth, it clears customs and is collected at Paramaribo or the destination airport.

A freight forwarder manages the air waybill, tracking and exception handling throughout. Goodhope Logistics (China) Limited can handle all of these steps and provides a single point of contact from quotation and booking through to delivery.

Documents to prepare before booking include the commercial invoice, packing list, declaration data and the import documents required by Suriname or the destination market; special cargo also needs the relevant certificates and permits. The rate normally covers base freight, fuel surcharge and screening fee, and handling in transit is charged separately for cargo routed through a hub; the forwarder lists all charges at quotation stage. Once the booking is confirmed the forwarder issues the air waybill and passes on the booking details, so the shipper can track the whole journey with the waybill number.

Specialist freight value-added services

Surinam Airways cargo is based on passenger belly capacity, using AKE containers and PAG and PMC pallets on the mid-Atlantic long-haul sector and loose and unitised loads on regional points. Express items, samples and small e-commerce parcels from China can be distributed through the Paramaribo gateway to Suriname and nearby Caribbean markets.

The XLarge Cargo service covers cargo that is large in dimension or weight, such as Chinese machinery, construction equipment and building material samples. Dimensions and weights must be declared at booking so the carrier can confirm space and ground loading conditions.

On unit load devices, the AKE container used on the mid-Atlantic route is the standard LD3 container, with a tare of about 100 kg and a maximum gross weight of about 1,588 kg; PAG and PMC pallets are used for larger cargo. Chinese exports can be built up in standard units at origin and transferred directly at the European or North American hub, reducing rehandling in transit.

On multimodal options, cargo with looser deadlines or larger volumes can move by sea from China to Paramaribo and then by road, balancing transit and cost; Caribbean islands can add a regional flight. Goodhope can quote air and sea-air options side by side against the cargo parameters.

For special cargo Surinam Airways accepts dangerous goods applications under IATA rules, with the shipper declaring accurately at booking and providing the documents; primates are embargoed on all routes, birds, poultry and reptiles are embargoed toward Amsterdam, and conditions for other special categories are confirmed by the carrier on the day.

On service commitments, the freight forwarder updates the shipper at four points: booking, handover, transit and arrival. If a flight is rescheduled or capacity changes, an alternative is offered at once. Rates and transit times are stated in full at quotation, and no charge is added beyond surcharges published by the carrier, so costs stay transparent throughout.

Common freight questions