Avianca Guatemala

Last updated
Avianca Guatemala
Avianca Logo.svg
IATA ICAO Call sign
GUGUGAVIATECA
Founded1929 (as Aerovías de Guatemala)
March 14, 1945 (as Aviateca)
Hubs La Aurora International Airport
Focus cities Mundo Maya International Airport
Frequent-flyer program LifeMiles
Alliance Star Alliance (affiliate)
Fleet size1
Destinations9
Parent company Avianca Group
Headquarters Guatemala City, Guatemala
Key peopleFrederico Pedreira (CEO)
FounderAlfredo Denby Chattfield
Website avianca.com

Aviateca S.A. branded Avianca Guatemala is a regional airline headquartered in Guatemala City. [1] Aviateca was under government ownership and remained so until 1989 when it joined the Grupo TACA alliance of Central America and was privatized. It was fully integrated into TACA, operating under the TACA Regional banner, which later merged with Avianca.

Contents

History

A Douglas DC-6A of Aviateca at Miami International Airport in 1971 Douglas DC-6A TG-ANA Aviateca MIA 08.02.71 edited-2.jpg
A Douglas DC-6A of Aviateca at Miami International Airport in 1971

The airline was established in 1929 as Aerovías de Guatemala and was founded by Alfredo Denby Chattfield. In March 14, 1945, the airline was nationalized during the government of Juan José Arevalo and established as Empresa Guatemalteca de Aviación S.A. which was shortened to Aviateca. One of the original founders was Alfredo Castaneda Duarte who also served as a pilot. Aviateca started operations in March 1946 and early aircraft operated by the carrier including the Douglas DC-3.

In 1961, service to Miami was originated with four-engined Douglas DC-6 airliners. The airline later operated the Douglas DC-6B version as well. Convair CV-240 family airliners were also acquired to replace some of the DC-3s on short-haul routes in Latin America.

Aviateca introduced jet service as a customer for the BAC One-Eleven medium twin jet in 1970. In 1974, the airline was operating the stretched BAC One-Eleven series 500 version of the British-manufactured jet on international flights to Miami, New Orleans, Mexico City, Mérida and San Jose, Costa Rica. [2] The airline's fleet was referred to by locals as "Las Papayas Voladoras" (The Flying Papayas) due to the paint scheme used during the 1970s, in which the underbelly was painted a reddish orange. It also temporarily leased a Fokker F28 Fellowship, some Boeing 720s and a Douglas DC-8-61. Aviateca later acquired two Boeing 727-100s, which operated for the airline in the 1980s. From 1989 on, Aviateca's fleet consisted of several Boeing 737-200 and Boeing 737-300 jetliners, including a full cargo 737-300 that operated for a few months.

Between 2006 and 2007, Aviateca operated a few Airbus A319s with the TACA-style Aviateca logo on the engines. Five of TACA's ATR 42-300s were registered for Aviateca in Guatemala. Due to reorganization measures at Avianca Holdings, Aviateca was renamed Avianca Guatemala in 2013.

In March 2021, the airline terminated all destinations and transferred its operations to Avianca. However, in October 2022, Avianca Group announced that it would reactivate Avianca Guatemala's operations by December 2022. [3] [4]

Destinations

The "Flying Papaya" livery, shown on a Boeing 727-100 in 1980 AVIATECA Guatemala Boeing 727-173C; TG-AYA, June 1980 DSG (5164281080).jpg
The "Flying Papaya" livery, shown on a Boeing 727-100 in 1980
A hybrid Aviateca/TACA Boeing 737-200 in the late 90s livery, photographed in January 1999 N127GU B737-242 AVIATECA IAH 26JAN99 (6155535543).jpg
A hybrid Aviateca/TACA Boeing 737-200 in the late 90s livery, photographed in January 1999

This is a list of destinations of served by both Aviateca and Avianca Guatemala throughout their existence. [5]

CountryCityAirportNotesRefs
Belize Belize City Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport Terminated
Colombia Bogotá El Dorado International Airport
San Andrés Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport Terminated
El Salvador San Salvador El Salvador International Airport [3]
Ilopango International Airport Terminated
Guatemala Flores Mundo Maya International Airport Focus city [ citation needed ]
Guatemala City La Aurora International Airport Hub
Puerto Barrios Puerto Barrios Airport Terminated
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango Airport Terminated
Uaxactun Uaxactun Airport Terminated
Honduras Comayagua Comayagua International Airport [3]
Roatán Juan Manuel Gálvez International Airport Terminated
San Pedro Sula Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport [3]
Tegucigalpa Toncontín International Airport Terminated
Mexico Cancún Cancún International Airport [6]
Merida Mérida-Rejón Airport Terminated
Mexico City Mexico City International Airport Terminated
Nicaragua Managua Augusto C. Sandino International Airport Terminated
Panama Panama City Tocumen International Airport Terminated
United States Chicago O'Hare International Airport [7]
Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport Terminated
Los Angeles Los Angeles International Airport
Miami Miami International Airport Terminated
New Orleans Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport Terminated

Fleet

Current fleet

A former Avianca Guatemala ATR 72-600 landing at Toncontin International Airport in 2018 Avianca Guatemala (TG-TRF) ATR 72-600 at Toncontin International Airport.jpg
A former Avianca Guatemala ATR 72-600 landing at Toncontín International Airport in 2018

As of June 2023, the Avianca Guatemala fleet will consist of the following aircraft: [8]

Avianca Guatemala fleet
AircraftIn
service
OrdersPassengersNotes
WY+YTotal
Airbus A320-200 11260108180
Total1

Former fleet

Throughout its operations, the airline operated these aircraft: [9] [10] [11]

Avianca Guatemala former fleet
AircraftTotalIntroducedRetiredNotes
Airbus A319-100 220062007Operated by TACA Airlines
ATR 42-300QC 320062017
ATR 72-600 420142021
BAC One-Eleven Series 500 419701980
Boeing 720 319771979
Boeing 727-100C 419791989
Boeing 737-200 1219902004One written off as Flight 901
Boeing 737-300 919891996
Convair CV-440 419541979
Curtiss C-46 Commando 619491975
Douglas C-47 Skytrain 1119451981
Douglas C-54 Skymaster 219541970
Douglas DC-2 219451952
Douglas DC-6 1019651984
Douglas DC-8-61 119881989Leased from Trans International Airlines
Fairchild C-82 Packet 519571961
Fokker F-27 Friendship 319781987
Fokker F-28 Fellowship 119741976Leased from Fokker
Hawker Siddeley HS 748 119751975Leased from Midwest Aviation
Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation 119721972

Accidents and incidents

See also

Related Research Articles

Avianca S.A., is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered under the name SCADTA. It is headquartered in Colombia, with its registered office in Barranquilla and its global headquarters in Bogotá and main hub at El Dorado International Airport. Avianca is the flagship of a group of airlines of the Americas, which operates as one airline using a codesharing system. Avianca is the largest airline in Colombia and second largest in South America, after LATAM of Chile. Avianca and its subsidiaries have the most extensive network of destinations in the Americas. Before the merger with TACA in 2010, it was wholly owned by Synergy Group, a South American holding company established by Germán Efromovich and specializing in air transport. It is listed on the Colombia Stock Exchange.

SAM was a Colombian airline. With its main hub at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, SAM operated domestic and international routes and was a subsidiary of Avianca. In 2004, its headquarters were in the Avianca headquarters in Bogotá.

Transportes Aéreos del Continente Americano, S.A., known and formerly branded as TACA International Airlines), and operating as Avianca El Salvador, is an airline owned by Kingsland Holdings and based in San Salvador, El Salvador. It is one of the seven national branded airlines in the Avianca Group of Latin American airlines, and it serves as the flag carrier of El Salvador.

Avianca Costa Rica S.A., using callsign as LACSA, minority owned by the Synergy Group, is the national airline of Costa Rica and is based in San José. It operates international scheduled services to over 35 destinations in Central, North and South America. The airline previously used the TACA/LACSA moniker when it was a subsidiary of Grupo TACA. Since May 2013, following Avianca's purchase of Grupo TACA, Avianca Costa Rica became one of seven nationally branded airlines operated by Avianca Group of Latin American airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SAHSA</span>

Servicio Aéreo de Honduras S.A. otherwise known as SAHSA Airlines was the national flag carrier airline of Honduras from October 22, 1945, to January 14, 1994. The airline was a subsidiary of Pan American Airways and merged with Transportes Aéreos Nacionales (TAN) to form TAN-SAHSA in November 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aeronica</span> Defunct Nicaraguan airline

Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A., operating as Aeronica, was an airline based in Nicaragua. Headquartered in the capital Managua, it operated scheduled passenger flights within Central America, as well as to Mexico City and the United States from its hub at the city's Augusto C. Sandino International Airport.

PT. Airfast Indonesia is an air carrier based in Tangerang, Indonesia in Greater Jakarta. It specialises in contract operations, aviation management services and charter passenger and cargo services to the oil, mining and construction industries in Indonesia and other countries in the area. It is also involved in aerial mapping, survey flights, heli-logging and medical evacuation services. Its main base is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. Airfast Indonesia is listed in Category 1 by Indonesian Civil Aviation Authority for airline safety quality. In 2009 Airfast Indonesia was one of five airlines taken off a blacklist of airlines not allowed in European airspace due to safety concerns.

SANSA is a regional airline based in San José, Costa Rica. It operates scheduled passenger services as part of the former TACA Regional system, and was a subsidiary of Avianca Holdings. Its main hub is Juan Santamaría International Airport.

Spantax S.A. was a former Spanish leisure airline headquartered in Madrid that operated from 6 October 1959 to 29 March 1988. Spantax was one of the first Spanish airlines to operate tourist charter flights between European and North American cities and popular Spanish holiday destinations and was considered a major force in developing 20th-century mass tourism in Spain. Its popularity and image faded from the 1970s onward when a series of crashes and incidents revealed safety deficits, which, combined with rising fuel costs and increasing competition, resulted in the company facing severe financial difficulties that led to its demise in 1988.

Isleña de Inversiones S.A. de C.V. branded Avianca Honduras is a regional airline based in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. It offered mostly scheduled and chartered passenger flights out of its hub at Ramón Villeda Morales International Airport. It was formerly one of the airlines part of Grupo TACA. It is one of the seven nationally branded airlines in the Avianca Group of Latin American airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RUTACA Airlines</span> Venezuelan airline

RUTACA Airlines is an airline headquartered in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela with its home base at Tomás de Heres Airport and a hub at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas.

Intercontinental de Aviación S.A. was an airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operated domestic services and flights to neighboring countries. Its main hub was located at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, with a secondary hub at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. The airline closed operations in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mundo Maya International Airport</span> Airport in Flores, Guatemala

Mundo Maya International Airport, formerly Flores International Airport as indicated by its IATA code, is an international airport located in the suburb of Santa Elena, in the city of Flores, Guatemala. It serves national and international air traffic for the areas of Flores, Santa Elena, and San Benito, as well as all the Maya sites of Tikal or Yaxhá and destinations such as Guatemala City and Belize.

Avianca Cargo is a cargo airline based at José María Córdova International Airport in Medellín, Colombia. It is an all-cargo airline transporting flowers from Latin America to Miami, as well as general cargo throughout the Americas.

Myanmar National Airlines, formerly Union of Burma Airways, Burma Airways, and Myanma Airways, is a state-owned airline and the flag carrier of Myanmar, based in Yangon. Founded in 1948, the airline operates scheduled services to all major domestic destinations and to regional destinations in Asia. Its main base is Yangon International Airport.

Aerovías is a defunct private passenger and cargo airline formerly based in Guatemala La Aurora International Airport founded by Jimmy K Hall. It was the first private airline in Guatemala. It was operational between 1977 and 1998. While one of their Heralds 206s aircraft was stored at La Aurora International Airport, their two Aérospatiale N 262s went to RACSA airlines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alyemda</span> National airline of South Yemen

Alyemda, internationally known as Democratic Yemen Airlines or just Yemen Airlines, was the national airline of South Yemen. It was established at Aden on 11 March 1971 after nationalizing Brothers Air Services (BASCO) which was a private company owned by the Baharoon brothers. It operated a network of flight routes throughout Africa and the Middle East, with its hub at Aden Airport, the former Khormaksar Air Force Base. Its head office was in the Alyemda Building in Khormaksar, Aden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aviateca Flight 901</span> 1995 aviation accident in El Salvador

Aviateca Flight 901 was a scheduled international passenger flight which crashed into the 7,159-foot (2,182 m) San Vicente volcano in El Salvador on approach to the Comalapa International Airport on 9 August 1995. The accident killed all 65 passengers and crew on board and is the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in El Salvador. An investigation by the Civil Aviation Authority determined that pilot error and air traffic control error in bad weather contributed to the accident.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas</span> Defunct cargo airline of Colombia (1972–2023)

Líneas Aéreas Suramericanas S.A.S was a cargo airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operated scheduled and chartered cargo flights to Latin America and the Caribbean. Its main base was El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá.

Avianca Ecuador S.A. is an airline based in Quito, Ecuador. It operates passenger and cargo flights within Ecuador, between the mainland and the Galápagos Islands, and between Ecuador and Colombia. It is one of the seven nationally branded airlines in the Avianca Group of Latin American airlines.

References

  1. World Airline Directory. Flight International. March 22–28, 1995. 46.
  2. http://www.timetableimages.com, May 12, 1974 Aviateca system timetable
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Avianca reactiva la operación de Aviateca y aumenta sus vuelos en Guatemala". Aviacionline.com (in Spanish). 5 October 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  4. "Aviateca Guatemala to resume flight ops in 4Q22". Ch-aviation.com. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  5. "Airline memorabilia: Aviateca (1993)". 26 August 2009.
  6. "Avianca began flights between Guatemala City and Cancún". Aviacionline.com. 8 September 2023. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  7. "Avianca Airlines Debuts Chicago-Guatemala Nonstop Route". Airwaysmag.com. December 15, 2023.
  8. "Avianca Guatemala Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  9. "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2019): 15.
  10. "Global Airline Guide 2018 (Part One)". Airliner World (October 2018): 15.
  11. "Aviateca fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  12. "TC-AMA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
  13. "TG-AGA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  14. "TG-AKA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 5 August 2010.
  15. "TG-AFA Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
  16. "Photo: Aviateca, Douglas DC-3 TG-AFA". Airline Fan. Retrieved 2 August 2010.
  17. 1995 Crash report
  18. Aviation Safety report

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Avianca Guatemala at Wikimedia Commons