TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar

For other uses, see TAM (disambiguation).

Transporte Aéreo Militar

IATA - ICAO - Callsign -
Founded	1945
Hubs	El Alto International Airport Viru Viru International Airport El Trompillo Airport
Focus cities	Trinidad Rurrenabaque
Fleet size	11
Destinations	4 Regular Service Charter Routes (by request)
Parent company	Bolivian Air Force
Headquarters	La Paz, Bolivia
Website	www.tam.bo

TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar (Military Air Transport) is an airline based in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the civilian wing of the Bolivian Air Force, operating passenger services to remote towns and communities in the North and Northeast of Bolivia.

A similar airline serving the Beni Department with small planes is Línea Aérea Amaszonas, using smaller planes than TAM.

History

BAe 146-200 of TAM, at El Trompillo Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra.

TAM begins operations on June 15, 1945 with the acquisition of new planes Douglas C-47s. In 1955, the squadron of the Bolivian Air Transport normed TAM to begin activities with commercial character.

"El Grupo Aéreo "71" (the Air group "71") known by the civil populace as Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM), is an essential part of the structure of the Bolivian Air Force and the fundamental element for the development and integration of the populations in the distant parts of the national territory."

—TAM website, Historical summary/review.

The original name (from 1944) was "El Escuadrón de Transporte Aéreo" (ETA). In 1953 the name was changed to Transporte Aéreo Militar. This heritage is reflected in the words "Grupo Aéreo 71" appearing as part of the TAM logo.

Routes

TAM has services from La Paz and Santa Cruz (in eastern Bolivia) to many towns in the Beni Department and between towns in the Beni area. Major destinations include Trinidad (capital of the Beni Department) and Rurrenabaque (on the Beni River). In Santa Cruz TAM uses both airports of Santa Cruz: El Trompillo Airport and Viru Viru International Airport.

With its Fokker F27 (with 44 seats) and other smaller planes TAM supports the connection between the small towns and villages in the Departamentos Beni and Pando. The runways of those towns are grass- and mud-fields that are unsuitable for larger aircraft. For example Boeing 727s, used by AeroSur (Bolivia), are not able to land or take off from these fields.

As an example TAM's focus is on Rurrenabaque (popularly known as Rurre and a popular tourist destination) indirectly serving Reyes (close to Rurre by road) and San Borja ("within reach" by road from Rurre). Itineraries from the TAM timetable of 2006/2007 include:

• Monday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - SB San Borja - LP La Paz
• Wednesday: CZ Santa Cruz - TR Trinidad - RQ Rurrenabaque - TR *Trinidad
• Wednesday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - LP La Paz
• Thursday: TR Trinidad - SR Santa Rosa - RY Reyes - SB San Borja - TR Trinidad
• Friday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - LP La Paz

Fleet

Xian MA60 of Transporte Aéreo Militar at El Alto International Airport.

The TAM – Transporte Aéreo Militar fleet (NOV/2008) consists of:

• 2 Xian MA60 (FAB-96, FAB-97)
• 1 Beechcraft 1900 (FAB-43)
• 4 BAE 146-200A (FAB-100, FAB-101, FAB-102, FAB-103)
• 1 Casa 212 (FAB-86)
• 1 Canadair CC-109 Cosmopolitan (FAB-74)
• 1 Boeing 727-200 (Flights shared with Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano)
• 6 Fokker F-27 (FAB-90, FAB-91, FAB-92, FAB-93, FAB-94, FAB-95)

Accidents and incidents

• On 12 February 1970, Douglas DC-3 TAM-11 crashed while attempting an emergency landing at Laja Airport. The aircraft was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight. All five people on board survived.
• On 14 July 1970, Douglas DC-3 TAM-17 was damaged beyond repair in an accident at El Alto International Airport, La Paz.
• On 4 May 1971, Douglas C-47 TAM-22 crashed shortly after take-off from El Alto Airport, La Paz on a cargo flight to El Jovi Airport.
• On 25 September 1972, Douglas C-47A TAM-24 was reported to have been damaged beyond economic repair in an accident at Caranavi Airport.
• On 19 January 1974, Douglas DC-3 TAM-30 was damaged beyond economic repair in a wheels-up landing at Laia.
• On 11 November 1974, Douglas DC-3 TAM-34 crashed near the Sorato Mountain.
• On 27 October 1975 , a CV-440 crashed into the Cerro Colorado volcano during takeoff, killing all 4 crew and 63 passengers on board. The aircraft was carrying military officers and their families.
• On March 18, 2011, a Xian MA60 (with Bolivian registration FAB-96) with 33 passengers and crew aboard, performed an emergency landing without locked nose landing gear in the airport of the touristic Amazonian village of Rurrenabaque, on arrival from La Paz. No injuries were reported.
• On January 9, 2012 a Xian MA60 (with Bolivian registration FAB-96) with 16 passengers and 5 crew aboard performed an emergency landing without landing gear lowered at Guayaramerin on arrival from Riberalta. No injuries occurred, but the aircraft was substantial damaged.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Library of Congress Country Studies.

External links

• www.tam.bo Página Oficial de Transporte Aéreo Militar. (In Spanish)
• Fuerza Aérea Boliviana (The website of the FAB, the Bolivian Air Force).