AeroSur
Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Infobox airline
AeroSur (legally incorporated as Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur, S.A.)<ref>"DOE Accepted Carriers." Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Retrieved on January 23, 2011.</ref> was the second largest privately owned airline in Bolivia, headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It operated a domestic and international flight network from its main hub at Viru Viru International Airport to major cities in Bolivia and destinations in South America, the United States and Spain.<ref name="FI">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>"Contact Information Template:Webarchive." AeroSur. Retrieved on February 27, 2010. "Central Office Santa Cruz de la Sierra Dirección: Av. Irala # 61"</ref> Founded in April 1992 to take advantage of the deregulation of Bolivia's air transport, it started flying on 24 August that year between Santa Cruz and Potosí.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
For most of its operational history, AeroSur's main fleet was the Boeing 727-200. The airline even operated the type for its services to Miami, although the flight required a refueling stop due to the type's range. They were gradually replaced with more modern Boeing 737 aircraft.<ref name="atdb">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Additionally, the airline operated single Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft for its long-haul destinations to North America and Europe. In 2008 AeroSur became Bolivia's flag carrier following the demise of the country's main airline, Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano, which eventually ceased operations in 2010.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 2012, AeroSur declared bankruptcy and ceased operations shortly afterward; the airline had 1,200 employees at the time.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
Foundation and backgroundEdit
AeroSur was established in April 1992, following the deregulation of the Bolivian airline market, which had been previously controlled by the then state-owned airline Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), Bolivia's flag carrier, which had been in service since 1925, making it South America's second oldest airline.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
On August 24, 1992, AeroSur commenced its operations with an inaugural flight between Santa Cruz de la Sierra and Potosí using a Let L-410 Turbojet short-range aircraft.<ref name="atdb" /> During the first year of its operations, the airline had carried around 400,000 passengers.<ref name=":0" /> Regular revenue flights on regional routes soon followed as the airline then acquired several Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner and British Aerospace 146 aircraft. Over the following years, AeroSur acquired larger Boeing 727-200 airliners, which allowed the airline to expand its network of operations by adding international flights and helped the airline increase the number of passengers transported.
Further expansion in the 21st centuryEdit
During the 2000s AeroSur renewed and expanded its fleet, introducing larger aircraft of the types Boeing 747 and Boeing 757,<ref name="airfleets">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> which made the inauguration of long-haul flights possible. In 2002, President Hugo Banzer declared the airline the flag carrier of the Republic of Bolivia (línea aérea bandera); in that same year AeroSur became the first airline in Bolivia to offer business and first class flights. In 2004, AeroSur started to operate nostalgic flights with a Douglas C-117 to tourist destinations such as the Salar de Uyuni and Rurrenabaque, both of which are internationally recognized.
When Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano went bankrupt in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline of Bolivia and the only one with intercontinental flights (to Central and North America as well as to Europe). In 2009, the domestic fleet of aging Boeing 727s was replaced by second-hand, though more modern, Boeing 737 Classic airliners,<ref name="airfleets" /> and looked to start a Peruvian subsidiary, however that project was suspended indefinitely.
The subsidiary dubbed AeroSur Paraguay was planned to operate two Boeing 737-200 aircraft of mainline AeroSur. The further development of the project was postponed in mid-2009 pending Paraguayan governmental approval, and later deferred indefinitely.<ref name="atdb"/> In 2010, AeroSur added five new aircraft to its fleet: three Boeing 737-300s, one Boeing 737-400 and a Boeing 767-200ER.
BankruptcyEdit
On March 31, 2012, the airline suspended operations because of unpaid taxes, but resumed all flights on April 6, except for its Madrid route. AeroSur had used a 747 leased from Virgin Atlantic on that route but had returned it to the lessor. The airline planned to resume that route with an ex-Aerolíneas Argentinas 747-400.<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="finances">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Ultimately, AeroSur struggled to keep its operations running smoothly and returned its 767 aircraft to the lessor.<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01/>
On May 17, 2012 AeroSur suspended all its flights again, and other airlines such as state-owned Boliviana de Aviación began to fill the void left by AeroSur. The airline was in talks with potential US investor William Petty who signed a memorandum of understanding to invest up to US$15 million in the Bolivian carrier. AeroSur's air operator's certificate was revoked on July 20, 2012. A group of former employees, as well as William Petty, planned to create a new airline called TU Aerolínea,<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01/> but as of 2018 nothing had resulted from that venture.
SubsidiariesEdit
AeroSur ParaguayEdit
AeroSur Paraguay was a brand of its parent company, which was trying to become a future airline based at the Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Asunción, Paraguay, and was to be a subsidiary of the Bolivian airline.<ref>http://www.ultimahora.com/home/index.php?p=nota&idNota=39239 Template:Dead link</ref> Unfortunately, the brand could never be consolidated as one legitimate and legally operational airline; it only became the name for one of the Bolivian airline's aircraft that has already been withdrawn from its fleet due to the financial problems that afflicted one of the most important private airlines in Bolivia in recent years.
AeroSur CargoEdit
AeroSur had freight transport service nationwide and international with direct shipments. AeroSur did not operate any dedicated cargo aircraft, but used the cargo holds of its passenger aircraft for network-wide freight transport.
DestinationsEdit
AeroSur's destination network was organized around Viru Viru International Airport from where it offered services to various cities in South America, as well as direct flights to Miami and Madrid.Template:Citation needed
FleetEdit
Last fleetEdit
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As of November 2011, the AeroSur fleet consisted of the following aircraft:<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Aircraft | In service |
Passengers | Routes | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | B | E | Total | ||||
| Boeing 727-200 | 1 | 0 | 12 | 138 | 150 | Domestic | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 114 | 126 | Domestic, American | |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 14 | 58 | 379 | 451 | Madrid | leased from Virgin Atlantic |
| Total | 6 | ||||||
Fleet developmentEdit
Over the years, AeroSur operated the following aircraft types:<ref name="atdb"/><ref name="airfleets"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Commander 500 | 1 | Template:Unknown | 1998 | |
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 2006 | 2008 | Operated by Air Comet |
| British Aerospace 146-100 | 2 | 1992 | 1996 | |
| British Aerospace 146-200 | 2 | 1993 | 1995 | |
| Beechcraft Baron | 1 | 1992 | 1993 | |
| Boeing 727-100 | 7 | 1995 | 2005 | |
| Boeing 727-200 | 13 | 2001 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 5 | 2003 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 5 | 2009 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 737-400 | 1 | 2010 | 2012 | |
| Boeing 747-100SR | 1 | 2006 | 2007 | Leased from Logistic Air |
| Boeing 747-300 | 1 | 2008 | 2010 | Leased from Air Atlanta Icelandic |
| Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 2009 | 2012 | Leased from Virgin Atlantic |
| Boeing 757-200 | 4 | 2006 | 2010 | Leased from Ryan International Airlines |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 2 | 2008 | 2012 | |
| Dornier 228 | 1 | 2003 | 2004 | Leased from Aerocon |
| Douglas C-117 | 1 | 2004 | 2008 | Leased from Líneas Aéreas Canedo |
| Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner | 9 | 1992 | 1998 | |
| Let L-410 | 4 | 1992 | 1997 | |
| Piper PA-31 Navajo | 1 | 1993 | Template:Unknown | |
| Piper PA-34 Seneca | 1 | 1993 | Template:Unknown | |
| Yakovlev Yak-40 | 3 | 1995 | 2003 |
The 747 aircraft were often given a bull-themed livery, for which those aircraft were sometimes dubbed "Torisimo" or "Super Torisimo."
Accidents and incidentsEdit
- On 31 December 1997, an AeroSur Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (registered CP-2321) was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway at Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport. The two pilots had lost control of the aircraft during takeoff run. There were no notable injuries among the 18 passengers on board.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Awards and recognitionsEdit
- 2008: Named Most Powerful Brand among Bolivian airlines by PricewaterhouseCoopers.<ref name="history">History of AeroSur at aerosur.com Template:Webarchive</ref>
- 2009: Awarded one Bizz Award as Inspiring Company.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ContributionsEdit
AeroSur greatly supported sports, especially football, where it created the Copa Aerosur and la Copa AeroSur del Sur, and in mid-2009 the AeroSur Futsal Cup was organized for the first time, featuring CRE and AeroSur from Bolivia, River Plate of Argentina and President Hayes of Paraguay. Aerosur, the host team, won.
A preserved Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation nicknamed Avion Pirata was painted with the AeroSur livery, although it never entered in service with the airline.
Many street signs in Cochabamba, such as the signs for C. Mexico street, were financed by AeroSur and to this day still bear the airline's name.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>