Southern strategy. (management of Southern Air Transport)(Brief Article)

Freighter acquisitions and last month's management shakeup may widen Southern Air Transport's commercial focus and be a prelude to a sale of the 51 year-old airline.

Southern Air bought three 747-200 freighters from Cargolux in March and will lease them back to the all-cargo airline until Cargolux receives three 747-400s by year's end. Southern Air will use the planes on its own in 1999 to replace its four DC-8 freighters.

That gives the specialist in emergency relief flights eight 747-200s, alongside 14 Hercules L-100 aircraft that are used largely in government service. "Depending how they deploy these (747) freighters, depending on where they use that …