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Avianca

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Avianca
Aerovías del Continente Americano
File:Avianca logo.png
IATA ICAO Call sign
AV AVA AVIANCA
FoundedDecember 5, 1919 as SCADTA
HubsEl Dorado International Airport
Focus citiesJosé María Córdova Int'l Airport
Ernesto Cortissoz Int'l Airport
Alfonso Bonilla Aragón Int'l Airport
Rafael Nuñez Int'l Airport
Matecaña Int'l Airport
Frequent-flyer programAviancaPlus
SubsidiariesColombia Avianca Cargo
Nigeria Capital Airlines
Colombia Helicol
Brazil OceanAir
Colombia SAM
Ecuador VIP
Fleet size35 (+80)
Destinations43
Parent companySynergy Group Corp.
HeadquartersColombia Bogotá, Colombia
Key peopleFabio Villegas Ramírez, CEO
Websitewww.avianca.com

Avianca (Spanish acronym: Aerovías del Continente Americano, formerly Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia) has been the national flag air carrier of Colombia since 1919, making it the second oldest airline in the world behind KLM. Likewise it is the largest airline in the country. Avianca was founded in Barranquilla, but its main operation base and headquarters are in Bogotá adjacent to El Dorado International Airport where it operates domestic and international scheduled and chartered flights to cities in Europe, North America, Central America, the Caribbean and South America.

Avianca operates five subsidiary airlines: SAM and Helicol in Colombia, OceanAir in Brazil, VIP in Ecuador and Capital Airlines in Nigeria. It has three important business units: Avianca Cargo (Deprisa), Avianca Services and the tour operator DesKubra.

History

SCADTA (1919 - 1940)

File:Scadtapromotionallogo.jpg
SCADTA was established in 1919

The airline traces its history back to December 5, 1919, in the city of Barranquilla, Colombia. Germans Werner Kämerer, Stuart Hosie, Alberto Tietjen, and Colombians Ernesto Cortissoz (the first President of the Airline), Rafael Palacio, Cristóbal Restrepo, Jacobo Correa, and Aristides Noguera founded the Colombo-German Company called Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transporte Aéreo, or SCADTA. The company accomplished its first flight between Barranquilla and the nearby town of Puerto Colombia aboard a Junker F13 wherein 57 pieces of mail were transported; the flight was piloted by German Helmuth Von Krohn. This and another aircraft of the same type were completely mechanically constructed monoplanes, the engines of which had to be modified in order to be able to efficiently operate in the climatic conditions of the country; there were nine aircraft in the fleet with a total range of 850 km (525 Mi) and could carry up to four passengers and two crewmen. Due to the topographic characteristics of the country, and the lack of airports at the time, two floats were adapted to the Junkers aircraft in order for them to accomplish water landings in the rivers of different towns. Using these floats Helmuth Von Krohn was able to perform the first inland flight over Colombia on October 20, 1920, following the course of the Magdalena River; the flight took eight hours and had to make four emergency landings in the water.

File:AviancaScadta1927.jpg
SCADTA baggage sticker

Soon after the vision of the founding group had become a reality, German scientist and philanthropist Peter von Bauer became interested in the airline and contributed general knowledge, capital, and a tenth aircraft for the company as well as obtaining concessions from the Colombian government to operate the country's airmail transportation division using the airline. This new contract allowed SCADTA to thrive in a new frontier of aviation. By the mid 1920s, SCADTA, having overcome many obstacles, inaugurated its first international routes that initially covered destinations in Venezuela and the United States. Regretfully, in 1924, the aircraft that both Ernesto Cortizzos and Helmuth Von Krohn were piloting crashed into an area currently known as Bocas de Ceniza, in Barranquilla, causing their deaths. Despite this tragedy the airline continued to thrive under the guidance of German Peter von Braun until the early 1940s where circumstances related to the outbreak of World War II forced him to sell his shares in the airline to the U.S. owned Pan American World Airways.

National Airways of Colombia (1940 - 1994)

On June 14, 1940, in the city of Barranquilla, SCADTA, under ownership by United States businessmen merged with Colombian Air Carrier SACO (acronym of Servicio Aéreo Colombiano) forming the new Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia S.A. or Avianca. Five Colombians participated in this act (Rafael María Palacio, Jacobo A. Corea, Cristobal Restrepo, Aristides Noguera), and German citizens Alberto Teitjen, Werner Kaemerer, and Stuart Hosie, while the post of first President of Avianca was acquired by Martín del Corral. There had been decades of dedicated work and contribution to Colombia's development through actions among which the following may be highlighted:


  • In September of 1920, with Fritz Hammer as pilot, Wilhem Schnurrbush as copilot, and Stuart Hosie as a passenger, SCADTA accomplished its first flight between Barranquilla and Puerto Berrío.
  • In 1922 Avianca began to provide airmail service.
Boeing 707 of Avianca at Zurich Airport, 1976
  • In 1937, the airline acquired 10 Boeing 247 twin-engine aircraft, extending its domestic routes.
  • By October 1939, Avianca acquired the first Douglas DC3 aircraft arriving in the country, flying then at the incredible speed of 200 miles per hour.
  • A grand feat in Colombian commercial aviation was also conducted by Avianca in 1956 when the airline committed to take the Colombian delegation that was to participate in the Melbourne Olympic Games in Australia. There were 61 hours of continuous operation, with only one stop for refueling allowed.
  • The year 1976 was an important one for Avianca becoming the first Latin American airline to continuously operate a Boeing 747. Three years later it started operations with another 747, this time a 747 Combi mixed cargo and passenger operations.
File:Aviancaformerlogo.gif
Avianca's former logo.

Avianca's System (1994 - 2002)

In 1994, a strategic alliance was established to merge three of the most important enterprises of the aeronautical sector of Colombia: Avianca, the regional carrier SAM and the helicopter operator Helicol, which brought life to Avianca’s new system of operations. This system offered specialized services in Cargo (Avianca Cargo) and postal services as well as the most modern fleet in Latin America made up of: Boeing B767-200, Boeing B767-300, Boeing B757–200, McDonnell Douglas MD83, Fokker F50 and Bell Helicopters. This new system covered the following destinations:

Avianca 80th Anniversary Logo
Avianca 80th Anniversary Logo

By 1996, Avianca Postal Services evolved into Deprisa, providing express mail services through its products Deprisa and Deprisa Empresarial, Traditional Mail, Certified Mail, shipment Airport-to-Airport, and P.O. boxes.

On December 10, 1998, Avianca announced the inception of a new "connections center" in Bogotá offering around 6,000 possible weekly connecting flights and an increased number of frequencies, schedules, and destinations, taking advantage of the privileged geographical location of the country’s capital for the benefit of Colombian and international travellers between South America, Europe and North America.

Alianza Summa (2002 - 2004)

After a rigorous and complex process the worldwide aviation industry came through after the September 11 Terrorist Attacks in the United States, Avianca, the regional carrier SAM and its major rival ACES joined efforts to create Alianza Summa, which began merged operations on May 20, 2002. These three airlines decided to strategically merge their strengths to offer a more efficient service with concerns to quality, quantity, security, and competition in a new struggling marketplace. However, adverse circumstances within the industry and markets forced the alliance to disband, and airline shareholders decided to initiate the liquidation of Alianza Summa in November of 2003, to focus in streghtening the Avianca trademark. These decisions resulted in the liquidation of ACES altogether, and the acquisition of SAM as a regional carrier under Avianca's system.

American Continent Airways (2004 - Present)

On December 10, 2004, Avianca concluded one of the most important and ambitious reorganization processes undertaken after filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection by obtaining confirmation of its Reorganization Plan which was financially backed by the Brazilian consortium OceanAir/Synergy Group and the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, allowing the airline to obtain funds for US$63 million dollars in the 13 months following withdrawal from C-11.

Boeing B757-200 flying over Quito, Ecuador in 2003, with Pichincha volcano in the background.

The Plan, which counted with the support of 99.8% of the voting creditors and which obtained the majority endorsement of the Creditors Committee, will enter into force once the Company emerges from bankruptcy. In accordance with United States laws, the administration has the trust obligation to consider any other investment proposal until the final term expiration stipulated. Notwithstanding, such offer, besides being better than the one that has been approved by Avianca’s domestic and international creditors and confirmed today by the Court, must be final, i.e. fully financed and backed with non-reimbursable cash deposits or equivalent mechanisms. Likewise, such proposal must be binding. As known, the only investment that complies with these requirements is that of OceanAir/Synergy Group and the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia, which already makes part of the Reorganization Plan already voted favorably by the creditors and confirmed by the Judge.

Synergy Group is an evidenced credit-worthy Brazilian entrepreneurial conglomerate. Its strength lies in the oil sector, building, installing, and offering maintenance to offshore oil platforms; it is currently carrying exploration work in Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia. Other businesses include the extraction of gas in the United States; naval construction, telephony infrastructure, hydroelectric power plants, communications and a hydrocarbons marine exploration company which extends throughout nine countries with more than 5,000 workers.


It also owns and operates OceanAir, which services around thirty cities in Brazil, as well as VIP, an airline in Ecuador, Taxi Aero, a charter airline in Brazil, and the recently acquired Wayra in Peru, as well as Turb Serv dedicated to the maintenance of turbines. Avianca, as part of its amitious expansion plan, plans to join SkyTeam in 2008 or 2009, sponsored by its longtime partner Delta Airlines.

Incidents and accidents

The airline suffered a few incidents during the 1980s and early 1990s. Many were caused by warring gangs, under the assumption that a member of a rival gang was aboard. The deadliest of those incidents was Avianca Flight 203, which was bombed in 1989 following orders from Pablo Escobar to kill a politician. In the aftermath, it was found that the politician had not boarded the plane. Only one successful bombing has occurred in the airline's history, while most other gang related incidents were related to hijackings, or shootings on board. In most hijackings, all passengers and crew members unaffiliated with the hijacker's cause were immediately released.

On April 26, 1990, M-19 presidential candidate Carlos Pizarro was gunned down during a domestic Avianca flight[1][2].

Other incidents include:

  • Avianca Flight 410, a Boeing B727 domestic flight which crashed into low mountains after take-off on March 17, 1988, killing all 143 on board. It was determined that pilot error was also the cause of this crash in a situation similar to that of Avianca Flight 011 five years earlier at Santander, Colombia.
  • On January 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 52, a Boeing B707-321 jet en route from Bogotá to New York City via Medellín, crashed in the town of Cove Neck, New York after running out of fuel while in a holding pattern awaiting landing at New York's Kennedy Airport, killing 73 of the 158 people aboard. There was much controversy surrounding this crash. The Spanish-speaking pilots appeared not to know how to indicate the urgency of their situation in English. Also, air traffic controllers may have contributed to the disaster by not providing sufficient information regarding poor weather conditions around JFK airport and the time, and maintaining the jet in a holding pattern for too long despite being told that Flight 52 was low on fuel.

Destinations

Main article: Avianca destinations

Avianca's hub is Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport. Its focus cities are Medellín, Cali, Cartagena and Barranquilla.

Avianca have also applied for permission to resume service to the following European cities by 2008.

All of the above are to be served separately, nonstop from Bogotá.

VIP lounges

Avianca have their own VIP lounges at the following airports.

Colombia

File:17082007762.jpg
Avianca McDonnell Douglas MD83 at Matecaña Int'l Airport in Pereira


Ecuador

DesKubra Tours

Avianca Boeing 767-200ER parked at the El Dorado Terminal

DesKubra is Avianca’s commercial division specialized in the design and offer of tourist packages for destinations in Colombia and abroad.

Deskubra offers plans to:

Alliances

Affinity programs

AviancaPlus is Avianca's frequent flyer program. Avianca offers frequent flyer partnerships the following:

Codeshare partners

Presently, Avianca has codeshare agreements with:

Subsidiaries


Former subsidiaries

Fleet

Current

Avianca

Avianca Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
Economic/Executive		 Routes Notes Photo
Boeing 787-8 10 orders (confirmed) 296 Long-haul international flights South American launch customer in 2010 B787-8
Airbus A330-200 10 orders 293 Long and medium-haul international flights Entry into service in september 2008 A330-200
Airbus A319/A320-200 60 orders 179 Medium and short-haul domestic and international flights Entry into service in february 2008 A320
Boeing 767-300ER 2 213 Long and medium-haul international flights To Avianca Cargo in 2008 B767-300ER
Boeing 767-200ER 5 181 Long and medium-haul international flights To Avianca Cargo in 2008 B767-200ER
Boeing 757-200 7 170 Medium-haul international flights - B757-200
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 17 147 Medium and short-haul domestic and international flights Out of service in 2008 MD-83
Fokker F100 OP by SAM COLOMBIA 12 98 Short-haul domestic and international flights Out of service in 2012 F100
Fokker F50 8 52 Short-haul domestic flights Out of service in 2012 F50
Size fleet: 51 aircraft (80 orders + 10 options) Updated: June 2007 Source: CH-Aviation - Avianca - SAM Boeing Airbus

70 Airbus for Avianca (es)

OceanAir

OceanAir Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
Economic/Executive		 Routes Notes Photo
Boeing 767-300ER 2 213 Long and medium-haul international flights - B767-300ER
Fokker F100 16 98 Short-haul domestic flights - F100
Fokker F50 5 52 Short-haul domestic flights - F50
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia 7 30 Short-haul domestic flights - EMB-120
Bombardier Learjet 45 XR - 9 Short-haul domestic flights - L45
Bombardier Learjet 35 A - 8 Short-haul domestic flights - L35
King Air - 7 Short-haul domestic flights - C90
Bell 407 - 4 Short-haul domestic flights - B407
Size fleet: 30 aircraft Updated: June 2007 Source: CH-Aviation - OceanAir


Helicol

Helicol Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
Economic/Executive		 Routes Notes Photo
Bell 212 1 14 Short-haul domestic flights - -
De Havilland Canada Dash 7 1 39 Short-haul domestic flights - -
Size fleet: - aircraft Updated: June 2007 Source: CH-Aviation - Helicol

Capital Airlines

Capital Airlines Fleet
Aircraft Total Passengers
Economic/Executive		 Routes Notes Photo
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia 3 30 Short-haul domestic flights - EMB-120
Size fleet: 3 aircraft Updated: June 2007 Source: CH-Aviation - Capital Airlines

Retired

Aircraft Year retired Replacement Photo
Junkers F.13 - Boeing B247 J.13
Boeing B247 - Douglas DC3 -
Douglas DC-3 - Boeing B737 DC-3
Douglas DC-4 - Lockheed L-749 Constellation and Lockheed L-1049-G Super Constellation DC-4
Douglas C-54 Skymaster - Lockheed L-749 Constellation and Lockheed L-1049-G Super Constellation DC-54
Lockheed L-749 Constellation - Boeing B707 and Boeing B720 L-749
Lockheed L-1049-G Super Constellation - Boeing B707 and Boeing B720 L-1049
Boeing B707 1992 Boeing B757 B707
Boeing B737 1971 - B737
Boeing B720 1984 Boeing B757 B720
Boeing B747 1995 Boeing B767 B747
McDonnell Douglas MD-11 - Boeing B757 MD-11
Boeing B727 1998 McDonnell Douglas MD-83 B727


Date Aircraft Notes Photo
Early 1930s Junkers F13 Avianca as SCADTA [3]
November 1968 Boeing B737-159 - [4]
April 1973 Boeing B727-24C - [5]
June 1977 Boeing B747-124 Latin America launch costumer [6]
June 1979 Boeing B747-124 - [7]
March 1980 Boeing B727-21 - [8]
Mid 1980's Boeing B747-123 American Airlines colors [9]
December 1980 Boeing B707-321C Pan Am colors [10]
September 1988 Boeing B727-225/Adv Eastern Airlines colors [11]
December 1989 Boeing B727-225/Adv Eastern Airlines colors [12]
Early 1990s Boeing B757-23A - [13]
Mid 1990's Boeing B747-128 Air Atlanta Icelandic colors [14]
December 5, 1993 Boeing B757-236 Ambassador Airlines colors [15]
April 1995 Boeing B727-2H3/Adv - [16]
February 1998 Boeing B727-2H3/Adv Bancoquia Bank colors [17]
August 16, 1998 Boeing B727-2A1/Adv ES: Tómese ya unas Aviancaciones. Usted se las merece.
EN: Take some Aviancations now. You deserve it.		 [18]
January 1999 McDonnell Douglas MD-11ER World Airways colors [19]
September 1999 Boeing B767-3S1/ER Grupo TACA colors [20]
October 9 2000 Boeing B757-2Q8 1960's colors [21]
August 15, 2002 Boeing B767-284/ER Summa Alliance colors [22]
October 28, 2002 Boeing B757-2Q8 ES: 80 años
EN: 80 years		 [23]
October 24, 2003 Boeing B757-256 AeroMar colors [24]
November 23, 2003 Boeing B757-236 TransMeridian Airlines colors [25]
January 12, 2005 Boeing B757-208 Icelandair colors [26]
April 17, 2005 Boeing B767-3Y0/ER ES: 85 años
EN: 85 years		 [27]
October 22, 2005 Boeing B767-2B1/ER Current livery [28]
December 30, 2005 Boeing B757-28A North American Airlines colors [29]
July 8, 2006 Boeing B767-283/ER ES: Colombia es pasión
EN: Colombia is passion		 [30]
July 18, 2007 Boeing B757-236 Juan Valdez livery [[31]]

Awards and nominations

Awards

Nominations

2007

2006

2005

Web sites around the world

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