Aerocondor Colombia

Aerocondor Colombia - Aerovías Cóndor de Colombia S.A. was a Colombian airline headquartered in Barranquilla, Colombia.

For the defunct Portuguese airline, see Aerocondor.
Aerocondor Colombia
Aerovías Cóndor de Colombia S.A.
IATA ICAO Callsign
OD Aerocóndor
Founded1955
Ceased operations1980
HubsErnesto Cortissoz International Airport
HeadquartersBarranquilla, Colombia

History

Aerocondor Colombia was founded by Gustavo Lopez, Luis Donado, Eduardo Gonzalez, Juan B. Millon, Captain Julio Martin Florez, and Enrique Hanaberg ex Lansa[1] and Avianca pilots in association with two businessmen who together perceived an opportunity to establish a new airline to fly cargo from Colombia's northern industrial city of Barranquilla throughout the republic. Scheduled cargo services commenced on 7 October 1955[2] using Curtiss C-46 aircraft which were later complemented with Douglas DC-3s. Progressive expansion saw most of these aircraft later reconfigured for passenger services, and DC-4 and DC-6 aircraft were acquired during the early 1960s.

Lockheed L-188 Electra of Aerocondor at Miami International Airport in 1970
Boeing 720-123B of Aerocondor operating passenger service to Miami International Airport in 1975

International services between Barranquilla and Miami commenced during 1963. In April 1969 the company began re-equipping with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops, which replaced their fleet of classic piston engine airliners. Aerocondor entered the jet age during late 1972, purchasing an ex-American Airlines Boeing 720B. A Canadair CC-106 Yukon was also acquired for freight services during 1972 and a second ex-American Airlines Boeing 720B was added to the fleet during 1974. Introduction of jetliners modernized the airline's image and enabled it to begin operating jet services to Aruba, Curaçao, Guatemala City, Santo Domingo, Panama, and Port-au-Prince whilst also increasing the frequency of Miami services from Medellin, Bogotá, and Isla de San Andres. During 1975, financial control of Aerocondor passed from the company's foundation management to Jorge Barco Vargas, formerly an Aerocivil chairman and the brother of a former president of the republic. A new orange and yellow colour scheme was applied to some aircraft, including the Boeing 720s, from 1975.

By this stage Aerocondor had grown to become Colombia's second international airline, and it was competing against the country's national flag carrier Avianca Colombia. In 1977 the airline entered the wide-body era when it acquired a factory fresh Airbus A300, named "Ciudad de Barranquilla" in honor of the company's port of origin. This was the first A-300 operated within the Latin American region, entering service on highly competitive routes to Miami. Plans for the introduction of a second A300 failed to materialize due to fiscal underachievement under the airline's new management. Aerocondor was again sold during 1979 to the Cotes and Calderon brothers. The financially strapped carrier soon entered a period of major crisis, due to poor control and internal corruption rather than market forces. The airline's A-300 was returned to its lessors and during May 1980 the company entered bankruptcy and ceased operations. Hope remained that services would be reinstated, but negotiations between the pilots, liquidators and the Colombian government were unsuccessful. The airline's fleet of B707s and B720s were grounded, and they were eventually stricken from the Colombian civil air register.

Fleet

Aircraft used throughout the years were:

See also

References
  1. Lansa
  2. R.E.G. Davies: Airlines of Latin America since 1919. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1997, ISBN 0-85177-889-5, p. 250.
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