Wikipedia

AeroSur

(Redirected from AeroSur (Bolivia))
Not to be confused with Aerosul Linhas Aéreas.

AeroSur (legally incorporated as Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur, S.A.)[2] was the second largest privately owned airline in Bolivia, headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.[3] 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.[4][5] 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.[6]

Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur S.A.
IATA ICAO Call sign
5L RSU AEROSUR
FoundedApril 1992; 32 years ago (1992-04)
Commenced operationsAugust 24, 1992 (1992-08-24)
Ceased operationsMay 17, 2012; 12 years ago (2012-05-17)
HubsSanta Cruz de la Sierra
Secondary hubsLa Paz-El Alto
Frequent-flyer programClub AeroSur[1]
Subsidiaries
  • AeroSur Cargo
  • AeroSur Paraguay
Fleet size6
Destinations16
HeadquartersSanta Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
Key peopleHumberto Roca (CEO)
Websiteaerosur.com

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.[7] Additionally, the airline operated single Boeing 747 and 767 aircraft for its long-haul destinations to North America and Europe. Since 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.[8] In 2012, AeroSur declared bankruptcy and ceased operations shortly afterwards, the airline had 1,200 employees.[9][10]

History

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Foundation and background

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A Boeing 727-100 from AeroSur featuring the airline's first livery

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.[11]

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.[7] During the first year of its operations, the airline had carried around 400,000 passengers.[3] 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 century

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An AeroSur's Boeing 747-400 landing at Madrid-Barajas Airport

During the 2000s AeroSur renewed and expanded its fleet, introducing larger aircraft of the types Boeing 747 and Boeing 757,[12] 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 very year AeroSur became the first airline in Bolivia to offer business and first class flights. In 2004, AeroSur had 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). Since 2009, the domestic fleet of ageing Boeing 727s is replaced by more modern, though second-hand purchased Boeing 737 Classic airliners,[12] 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.[7] In 2010, AeroSur added five new aircraft to its fleet: three Boeing 737-300s, one Boeing 737-400 and a Boeing 767-200ER.

Bankruptcy

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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.[13][14] Ultimately, AeroSur struggled to keep its operations running smoothly and returned its 767 aircraft to the lessor.[13]

On May 17, 2012 AeroSur suspended all its flights again, and other airlines such as state-owned Boliviana de Aviación have since begun 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,[13] but, as of 2018, nothing had happened as far as that venture.

Subsidiaries

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AeroSur Paraguay's Boeing 737-200 in 2010

AeroSur Paraguay

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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 to be a subsidiary of the Bolivian airline.[15] 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 afflict one of the most important private airlines in Bolivia in recent years.

AeroSur Cargo

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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.

Destinations

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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.[citation needed]

Fleet

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Last fleet

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An AeroSur Boeing 747-400 leased from Virgin Atlantic at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport in 2011
 
An AeroSur Boeing 767-200ER at Miami International Airport in 2011
 
An AeroSur Boeing 727-200 taxiing at São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport in 2012

As of November 2011, the AeroSur fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[16][17]

AeroSur fleet
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 development

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Over the years, AeroSur operated the following aircraft types:[7][12][18]

Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Aero Commander 500 1 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 Un­known
Piper PA-34 Seneca 1 1993 Un­known
Yakovlev Yak-40 3 1995 2003

Accidents and incidents

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Awards and recognitions

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Contributions

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The remaining AeroSur planes today

AeroSur also greatly supported the sport, 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, where CRE and AeroSur from Bolivia, River Plate of Argentina and President Hayes of Paraguay, in which the host team AeroSur 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 amongst others in Cochabamba, such as the signs for C. Mexico street, were financed by AeroSur and to this day still bear the Airline's name.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Information about Club AeroSur at aerosur.comArchived December 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ "DOE Accepted Carriers." Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Retrieved on January 23, 2011.
  3. ^ a b Potenze, Pablo Luciano (2012-06-06). "Historias Bolivianas". Gaceta Aeronáutica (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  4. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 50.
  5. ^ "Contact Information Archived 2010-01-30 at the Wayback Machine." AeroSur. Retrieved on February 27, 2010. "Central Office Santa Cruz de la Sierra Dirección: Av. Irala # 61"
  6. ^ Endres, Günther G.; Edwards, Graham (2006). Airline Recognition Guide. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780007204427.
  7. ^ a b c d "Information about AeroSur at the Aero Transport Data Bank". Aerotransport.org. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  8. ^ Pérez, Ángel (2021-08-31). "Aerosur". Kiosco Insular (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  9. ^ "La boliviana Aerosur suspende operaciones indefinidamente" [Bolivian airline Aerosur suspends operations indefinitely]. Reuters (in Spanish). 2012-05-22. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
  10. ^ "Bolivia's main private airline AeroSur in doubt". San Diego Union-Tribune. 2012-05-14. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  11. ^ Lloyd, Barry (2024-01-01). Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (Airlines). Key Publishing. ISBN 9781802822410.
  12. ^ a b c "AeroSur fleet list at". Airfleets.net. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  13. ^ a b c "AeroSur". ch-aviation. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
  14. ^ "AeroSur says that its activities are normal but admits "difficulties" (in Spanish)". Opinion.com.bo. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  15. ^ http://www.ultimahora.com/home/index.php?p=nota&idNota=39239 [dead link‍]
  16. ^ "CH-Aviation - Airline News, Fleet Lists & More". Archived from the original on 2009-02-23. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  17. ^ "Planespotters.net airline page". Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2012-07-25.
  18. ^ "Aerosur fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  19. ^ "1997 incident at the Aviation Safety Network". Aviation-safety.net. 1997-12-31. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  20. ^ History of AeroSur at aerosur.com Archived October 5, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  21. ^ Hosteltur (2009-07-17). "News item about AeroSur receiving a Bizz Award, at hosteltur.com (in Spanish)". Hosteltur.com. Retrieved 2018-01-29.
  22. ^ "Plantean cambiar el sentido de la México y otras tres vías del centro". 2022-08-01.
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