Surinam Airways (PY) Guide

Surinam Airways (SLM) is Suriname’s government-owned national airline.

Please note: bookingMentor is an independent travel service and is not affiliated with Surinam Airways. Routes, schedules and baggage rules change, so always confirm the details of your booking with the airline.

What to expect

Surinam Airways (SLM, IATA PY) is the government-owned national airline of Suriname, based in Paramaribo and flying from Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport at Zanderij. Its key route links Paramaribo with Amsterdam, and it also serves nearby Caribbean and South American cities. It is mainly used by Surinamese families, the Surinamese community in the Netherlands and visitors to the Guianas.

From bush flights to national airline

Rudi Kappel and Herman van Eyck founded the Kappel-Van Eyck Aviation Company in 1953 to fly domestic feeder routes. Scheduled flights began in January 1955 with two small Cessna 170B aircraft between Paramaribo and Moengo.

On 30 August 1962 the government of Suriname bought the company and renamed it Surinam Airways. International service began in 1964 with flights to Curaçao, and at independence in November 1975 SLM became the national airline. The airline flew Douglas DC-8s, DC-9s, MD-80s and later a Boeing 747-300 (2004 to 2009), followed by Airbus A340-300s and A330-200s.

Network and the Amsterdam route

Paramaribo to Amsterdam is the long-haul route that matters most to SLM, serving the large Surinamese community in the Netherlands. Regional destinations in recent years have included Aruba, Curaçao, Barbados, Georgetown in Guyana, Belém in Brazil and Miami. Earlier routes to Cayenne, Port-au-Prince, Port of Spain and Orlando have ended, and the route list changes often.

SLM has a codeshare with Winair and an interline agreement with APG Airlines.

The 2025 EU safety listing

On 3 June 2025 the European Union added all airlines certified in Suriname, SLM included, to its air safety list. SLM's own aircraft can no longer fly into the EU, so the Amsterdam service has since been run with help from the German airline Universal Sky Carrier, and flights to Cayenne in French Guiana, which counts as EU territory, were suspended. Check which airline operates your Amsterdam flight when you book.

Management and finances

SLM has struggled financially and has been through several recovery plans. Dutchman Paul de Haan became chief executive in April 2021, and a 2022 recovery plan used gold stock from the state mining company Grassalco as security for financing. The airline also owns the only terminal and the only ground-handling company at Zanderij, as reported in 2013, which makes it central to every flight that uses the airport.

Before you book SLM

Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport is at Zanderij, south of Paramaribo, so plan the road journey into your schedule. With only two jets of its own and partner aircraft on the long-haul route, SLM schedules can change at short notice; confirm your flight a few days before travel on flyslm.com or with an SLM office.

On the Amsterdam route, ask which aircraft and operator you will fly.