Editing Nuevo Continente (section)

== History ==
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The airline was founded by [[Fernando Zevallos]] in  1992 as ''Aero Continente''. Flight operations were launched on 25 May of that year, initially on regional chartered routes on behalf of [[Occidental Petroleum]], a US-based oil and gas company. Scheduled domestic passenger services commenced on 20 July 1993, using a fleet of just two aircraft: a [[Boeing 727-100]] and a [[Boeing 737-200]]. At that time, the Peruvian airline market was dominated by [[Compañía de Aviación Faucett|Faucett]] and [[Aeroperú]]. Aero Continente competed with these airlines by offering extremely low ticket fares.

When Faucett and Aéroperu both went bankrupt in 1999 due to financial difficulties, Aero Continente acquired a [[monopoly]] position as the only airline operating on domestic routes in the country. By that time, the fleet size had been increased to approximately 30 aircraft, mainly of the 737 type, though larger aircraft like the [[Lockheed L-1011 TriStar]] were also used. During that period, international routes were launched, the first ones connecting Lima with [[Panama City]] and [[Santiago de Chile]]. This coincided with the foundation of ''[[Aero Continente Chile]]'', a wholly owned subsidiary aiming at the [[Chile]] domestic market using a fleet of five Boeing 737-200 aircraft handed down from its parent.

During the 1990s, the safety reputation of the Peruvian airline industry became a public concern after a series of high-profile accidents; especially [[Faucett Flight 251|Faucett's crash in Arequipa]] and [[Aeroperú Flight 603]], both in 1996. In August of that year, the [[Peru-United States relations|US Embassy in Lima]] issued a ban on their employees from flying in Aero Continente due to reported issues with their engines, and advised caution to US citizens flying in Peru's airlines, to the point of providing a hotline and a web portal to help tourists know if a certain airline was considered unsafe.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/08/travel/embassy-ban-rekindles-air-safety-fears-in-peru.html?mcubz=0|title = Embassy Ban Rekindles Air-Safety Fears in Peru|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 8 June 1997|last1 = Sims|first1 = Calvin}}</ref>

In late 1999, Aero Continente was granted approval to operate on the prestigious Lima to [[Miami]] route. For this purpose, a [[Boeing 757-200]] had been leased from [[Air 2000]]. After half a year, the leasing contract was terminated. The Miami route was henceforth offered by Aero Continente Chile from Santiago with a stopover at Lima with a [[Boeing 767-200]] aircraft. By 2001, the combined international network of the Lima and Santiago based companies had grown to include [[Buenos Aires]], [[Bogotá]], [[La Paz]], [[Caracas]], [[Guayaquil]] and [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]].

In 2002, the company suffered a setback when Chilean authorities arrested several staff members of Aero Continente Chile over [[Illegal drug trade|drug trafficking]] allegations, which forced the airline to cease all flight operations. As a consequence, the Chilean subsidiary was re-integrated into mainline Aero Continente, which claimed the grounding had been rather motivated by concerns that the company had become too strong a competitor for [[LAN Airlines]], the Chilean [[flag carrier]].

''[[Aero Continente Dominicana]]'', a second wholly owned subsidiary based in [[Santo Domingo]], had been founded in late 2001. This short-lived business adventure lasted only roughly one year, operating a limited number of flights from the [[Dominican Republic]] to Miami. In 2003, after the Dominican subsidiary had failed, Aero Continente itself opened a small base [[Las Américas International Airport|Santo Domingo Airport]], offering [[Visits to Friends and Relatives|VFR flights]] to the Hispanic population centers in [[New York City]], [[Los Angeles]] and [[Madrid]].
[[File:327ad - Nuevo Continente Boeing 727; OB-1759-P@LIM;04.10.2004 (4708713277).jpg|thumb|left|A [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-100]] at [[Jorge Chávez International Airport]] in the revived ''Nuevo Continente'' livery (October 2004).]]
In 2004, though, Aero Continente had its approval to operate into the United States withdrawn by the [[Office of Foreign Assets Control]] of the [[United States Treasury]], as its founder and key person, Fernando Zervallos, had been included in a list of the ten most wanted [[crime boss]]es of the illegal drug trade ([[Specially Designated Nationals]]). Thus, Aero Continente lost its insurance protection, as [[Global Aerospace]], a partly US-based company that was responsible for this matter, was forced to cease its involvement with the airline. It was also unable to buy spare parts for its mostly US-built fleet. Consequently, all flight operations were ceased on 12 July of that year.

In a comeback effort, the company reacted by changing its ownership structure and adopting the new name ''Nuevo Continente'', but could not get rid of the allegations that it was involved in criminal activities. In 2005, Nuevo Continente had its [[Air Operator's Certificate|airline licence]] revoked by the Peruvian authorities, officially due to safety concerns.<ref>[http://www.aerolineasperuanas.com/aerocontinente/index.htm History of Aero Continente] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707092646/http://www.aerolineasperuanas.com/aerocontinente/index.htm |date=2011-07-07 }} {{in lang|es}}</ref>