Cubana de Aviación: Difference between revisions
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Revision as of 10:42, 5 September 2007
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| Founded | 1929 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | José Martí International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Juan G. Gómez Airport Frank País Airport Antonio Maceo Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 16 (+8 orders) | ||||||
| Destinations | 41 (2007) | ||||||
| Parent company | Corporación de la Aviación Civil S.A. | ||||||
| Headquarters | Havana, Cuba | ||||||
| Key people | Ricardo Santillán Miranda(CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www.cubana.cu | ||||||
Cubana de Aviación S.A is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on October 8, 1929, and has its corporate headquarters in Havana, Cuba. Its main base is at José Martí International Airport. It was a founder and is a current member of the International Air Transport Association[1] (IATA), the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications[2] (SITA) and the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation[2] (AITAL). In 2009 the airline will be celebrating its 80th anniversary.
Cubana has 32 international representatives and 13 offices in Cuba. Since May 1959, the airline has been wholly owned by the Cuban government and its current official name is Cubana de Aviación S.A.. Prior to that time Cubana was a private company, owned by Cuban investors. Those investors were expropriated without compensation when the Cuban government took over the airline. Claims against the expropriation have been filed in U.S. courts, but the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba have prevented negotiations to resolve them.
History
Cubana was established on 8 October 1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, indicating its association with the Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company. It was one of the earliest airlines to emerge in Latin America. Pan American Airways (then known as Pan American Airways System or PAA) acquired Cubana in 1932, and the word Curtiss was deleted from the airline's name. Cubana therefore became a subsidiary of Pan American Airways. In 1944, the first International Conference on Civil Aviation was convened, which later would lead to the creation of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, currently based in Geneva, Switzerland). Cuba was a participant in this conference and a founding member of ICAO. In April 1945, the conference that created the International Air Transport Association (IATA) was held in Havana. Cubana became a founding member of IATA, and participated in the creation of that organization through its involvement with the Havana conference and the resulting accords. Both conferences and the organizations they spawned helped establish Cubana as an internationally recognized airline company.
In May 1945 Cubana started its first scheduled international flights, to Miami using Douglas DC-3 aircraft. Cubana was the first Latin American airline to establish scheduled services to Miami. In April 1948 a transatlantic route was started between Havana and Madrid (via Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon) using Douglas DC-4 aircraft. The Madrid route was extended to Rome in 1950. The new route to Europe made Cubana one of the earliest Latin American carriers to establish scheduled transatlantic service.
In May 1959 the revolutionary government decided to take over Cubana, expropriating all the airline's private investors without compensation. The private passenger airline Aerovías Q and private cargo carriers Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano, were then merged into Cubana. Despite these problems, in 1961 Cubana expanded its scheduled transatlantic services to Prague (apart from its existing Madrid route) using its Bristol Britannia jet-props. Cubana then ceded one of its Britannias to Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA) so that it could start its own Prague-Havana flights, in cooperation with Cubana's services on that route. Cubana's crews trained CSA personnel in the operation of the Britannias. This allowed CSA to establish its first-ever scheduled transatlantic service in 1962.
With the U.S. breaking relations (in 1961) and the imposition of the U.S. embargo on Cuba (in 1962), Cubana turned to the Soviet Union to obtain new aircraft. Cubana's cooperation made it possible for Aeroflot Soviet Airlines to establish 18-hour nonstop scheduled services between Moscow and Havana in 1963. These were the longest nonstop flights in the world. Cooperation with the East German airline Interflug made it possible for this carrier to establish its first scheduled transatlantic services, linking East Berlin with Havana.
After the 1990s, spare parts for Cubana's Soviet-built aircraft became harder to find. Cubana refurbished some of its aging Ilyushin IL-62M aircraft in the early 2000s, to use them in some of its international routes. The airline's limited financial resources and the lack of Western financing to replace these aircraft made it necessary to keep them in service despite their age. Also, restrictions imposed by the U.S. embargo on the sale of American-built aircraft and components (such as engines and avionics) made it necessary to keep the IL-62M and other Soviet-built aircraft in service. In 2004, Cubana started a long-term renovation until 2011. The strategy is based on the purchase of new generation Russian-built aircraft. As part of its renovation strategy, Cubana has sought to upgrade its technical support capabilities. The airline established a joint venture company with Iberia Airlines of Spain in 2005, to maintain and overhaul Western-built aircraft, including all Airbus and Boeing models.
In August 2005 Cubana recieved its first Ilyushin IL-96, the second was recieved in March 2006 and confirmed an order for two additional ones which one was recieved in 2007 and the other is to be delivered. Three Tupolev Tu-204 were also ordered in 2006, two passanger version and one cargo version for Cubana Cargo which was delivered in August 2007. During the August 2007 MAKS Airshow Cubana signed a $150 million dollar contract for the purchase and confirmation of 2 additional Tupolev Tu-204 and 3 Antonov An-148 regional aircraft, to be delivered between 2008 and 2011.[3]. Cubana will become one of the Antonov An-148 launch customers.
Destinations
Cubana de Aviación operates flights to over 40 destinations in Cuba, Europe, the Caribbean, North, Central and South America.
New routes
Codeshare partners
Cubana de Aviación has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of August 2007:[4]
- Aerocaribbean (Caribbean, domestic)
- Aeroflot (Moscow-Sheremetyevo)
- Aeropostal (Caracas)
- Air Europa (Madrid)
- Air Jamaica (Kingston, Montego Bay)
- Blue Panorama Airlines (Milan-Malpensa, Rome-Fiumicino)
- Copa Airlines (Panamá City)
Fleet
Passenger fleet
The Cubana fleet includes the following aircraft (at August 2007):
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers (Tropical*/Economy) |
Routes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A320-200 | 2 | 150 (12/138) | Short-medium haul North America |
Dry leased from Grupo Taca |
| Antonov An-148 | (3 orders) | Launch customer. Entry into service: 2008-2009[5] | ||
| Antonov An-24RV | 3 | 48 (48) | Regional domestic | Replacement aircraft: Antonov 148 |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | 260 (12/248) | Long haul Europe |
Wet leased from Air Europa |
| Ilyushin IL-62M | 3 | 158 (8/150) | Medium-long haul Caribbean, South America |
Replacement aircraft: Tupolev 204, Ilyushin Il-96 |
| Ilyushin IL-96-300 | 3 (1 order)[6] |
262 (18/244) | Medium-long haul Europe, South America |
Entry into service: 2005-2007 |
| Tupolev Tu-204-100 | (4 orders) | Entry into Service: 2 in 2007 other 2 in 2010-2011[7] | ||
| Yakovlev Yak-42D | 3 | 120 (120) | Short-medium haul Caribbean, Central America, domestic |
Replacement aircraft: Antonov 148 |
Cubana Cargo fleet
Cubana Cargo offers a load transportation service inside Cuba and in more than 40 countries. The Cubana Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft as of August 2007:
| Aircraft | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Antonov An-24 | – | |
| Boeing 727-200F | 1 | Leased from Flair Airlines |
| Ilyushin Il-18 | – | |
| Tupolev Tu-204C | 1 | Delivered: 08-04-2007 |
Among other types of cargo aircraft used in the past were the Ilyushin IL-76 and the Antonov AN-12.
References
Notes
- ^ IATA - The International Air Transport Association History
- ^ a b "Cubana is a founder and member of the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA) and of the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL)". 2005.
- ^ 2007 MAKS Airshow- Cubana signed a $150 million dollars for the delivery of 2 addional TU-204 and 3 AN-148
- ^ Cubana de Aviacion codeshare airlines
- ^ Cubana orders Antonov 148 regional aircrafts
- ^ Incorporara nuevos aparatos Cubana de AviaciónTres Ilushin-96-300, estos últimos con la entrega pendiente de uno.
- ^ Cubana orders 3 An-148 regional aircraft and 2 Tupolev 204 for delivery between 2008 and 2011
External links
Official websites
- Cubana de Aviación
- Cubana Argentina - www.cubanadeaviacion.com.ar
- Cubana Russia - www.cubana.ru
- Cubana UK - www.cubana-uk.com
- Sol Y Son - Cubana Airlines Inflight Magazine