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LATAM Airlines Colombia

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LAN Colombia
IATA ICAO Call sign
4C ARE AIRES
FoundedFebruary 20, 1981[1] as AIRES
Commenced operationsDecember 3, 2011
as LAN Colombia
HubsEl Dorado International Airport
Focus citiesOlaya Herrera Airport
Frequent-flyer programLANPASS
Fleet size23
Destinations31
Parent companyLAN Airlines
HeadquartersBogotá, Colombia
Key peopleHernan Pasman (CEO)
Websitehttp://www.lan.com/es_co/

Aerovias de Integración Regional Aires S.A. d/b/a LAN Colombia, previously Aerovías de Integración Regional S.A. (Acronym: AIRES, lit. airs), is a Colombian airline. It operates scheduled regional domestic and international services, as well as a domestic cargo service. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, with an additional hub at Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín.[2] On October 28, 2010, it was announced that 98% of the shares in the previous airline AIRES had been acquired by Chilean carrier LAN Airlines. On December 3, 2011, it started operations as LAN Colombia.

Airbus A320 in LAN Colombia livery (2011).

LAN Airlines, the Chilean flagship carrier, paid $12.0 million for a 98.9% indirect stake in Aires, Colombia's second largest airline, LAN said Friday, November 27, 2010. [3]

On December 3, Aires started operations as LAN Colombia.

Destinations

Main article: LAN Colombia destinations

The airline operates 25 destinations in Colombia and to Panama and the United States and internationally. On December 19, 2008 under the 44th session of the GEPA (Group Aeronautical Project Evaluator) is authorized 224 new frequencies nationwide. Likewise, the Department of Transportation approved on March 25, 2009 at the airline's flights from Barranquilla, Bogota and Cartagena to New York and Fort Lauderdale. On July 24, 2010 indefinitely suspended its operations in Venezuela given the continuing low traffic and strained relations with that country.

Fleet

Boeing 737-700 in LAN Colombia livery (2011).

The LAN Colombia fleet consists of the following aircraft (at April 10, 2012):[4]

LAN Colombia Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passengers
(Economy) 		Notes
Airbus A318
0
6
126
Delivery in 2012
Airbus A319-100
0
3
144
Delivery in 2012
Airbus A320
6
0
165
Boeing 737-700
6
0
149
Exit from service in 2012
Boeing 767-300ER
0
10
221
Delivery in 2012
Boeing 787-8
0
5
247
Delivery during 2012-2018
Bombardier Dash 8 Q200
9
0
37
Exit from service in 2012
Bombardier Dash 8 Q400
1
0
78
Total 22 13

In 2008, LAN Colombia announced the purchase of 4 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s.[5]

Colombia's LAN Colombia plans to replace its entire fleet of 11 Bombardier Dash 8 Q200s with larger Q400s over the next five years.[6] This makes LAN Colombia the first and currently the only Q400 operator in South America. LAN Colombia is also the only Dash 8 operating airline in Colombia and also the first and only to operate all variants of the Dash 8 series throughout its operational history, although the airline has not operated all 4 variants simultaneously.

Incidents and accidents

  • On January 28, 2008, AIRES Flight 053, overran the runway at Bogota's El Dorado airport, en route from Maracaibo, Venezuela after the left hand main gear collapsed. The aircraft was a Dash 8-202, registration: HK-3997. Probable cause for the crash was that the aircraft was carrying out a landing with an unresolved fault in the left engine, which prevented the aircraft from being able to stop within the length of runway available, causing a runway excursion. A contributing factor was the failure to correct the maintenance reports in a satisfactory manner and failure to properly follow-up on repetitive entries.[7]
  • On August 23, 2008, AIRES flight 051, sustained substantial damage following the collapse of the right hand main landing gear on landing at Barranquilla-Ernesto Cortissoz Airport (BAQ), Colombia. None of the 31 occupants were injured. The Dash 8-301 passenger plane, registered HK-3952, operated on an international flight from Curaçao-Hato International Airport (CUR). The approach and landing were normal, touching down about 770 metres past the threshold of runway 23. The crew noticed a vibration of the right hand main gear. The undercarriage leg collapsed. There was no fire.[8]
  • On August 16, 2010, AIRES Flight 8250 crashed on landing at Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport, in San Andrés, Colombia, after being struck by lightning during a thunderstorm. One death was reported as a result of a heart attack on the way to the hospital and another 114 injured.[9] One of the 114 injured later died.[10] The Boeing 737-700, originally delivered to EasyJet in 2003 and with registration HK4682, had less than two years service with Aires.

References

  1. ^ "Aires History" (in Spanish). Aires.aero.
  2. ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. March 27, 2007. pp. 69–70.
  3. ^ "Chile LAN Completes Purchase Of Colombian Carrier Aires". The Wall Street Journal. November 26, 2010. [dead link]
  4. ^ planespotters.net. "LAN Colombia Fleet Details and History". Retrieved July 7, 2012.
  5. ^ eltiempo.com. "Inversión de 480 millones de pesos en nueva flota de aviones hará Aires". Retrieved September 3, 2008.
  6. ^ "AIRES plans to acquire at least seven additional Q400s".
  7. ^ AIRES Flight 053
  8. ^ AIRES Flight 051
  9. ^ "Colombia plane crashes after lightning strike". BBC News. August 16, 2010. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  10. ^ "Comunicado de Prensa 06." AIRES. Retrieved on September 15, 2010.
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