Transafrik has been in operation as a privately owned airline since 1984. Transafrik International was created initially to support the operation of Roan Selection Trust International - a diamond mining company. The diamond mining site is located in Cuango River, which is only reachable by C130 Hercules. They set up a short landing area in the site. Landmines planted by UNITA prevented the MAC truck from reaching the area, so Christian Rudolph G. Hellinger (CRGH), then President of RST International, created Transafrik International. CRGH is a German national born in Leipzig, East Germany.[citation needed]
It is a cargo airline, with airplane registration in the Republic of São Tomé e Príncipe, is currently working on contracts for the United Nations and has previously been on contract for the WFP (World Food Program) during the civil war in Angola for relief support. In 2006 Transafrik International was approached by the UN, which is its main contractor in Africa, to re-register the fleet to another nation for aviation safety reasons. Initial approaches were conducted to re-register the fleet from São Tomé e Príncipe (S9) to Uganda (5X). However until 2008 all airplanes are still registered in São Tomé e Príncipe.[citation needed]
