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Intercontinental de Aviación

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Continental Airlines.
Intercontinental de Aviación
IATA ICAO Call sign
RS ICT INTER
FoundedOctober 16, 1960
(as Aeropesca)
Ceased operationsSeptember 2005
HubsEl Dorado International Airport
Secondary hubsAlfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport
Fleet size8
Destinations27
HeadquartersBogotá, Colombia
Key peopleLuis Alfredo Gallego Ramos (General manager)

Intercontinental de Aviación S.A. (English; lit. 'Intercontinental Aviation' and Inter for short) was an airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operated domestic services and flights to neighboring countries. Its main hub was located at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, with a secondary hub at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. The airline closed operations in 2005.

History

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An Aeropesca Curtiss C-46 parked at Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in 1979

The airline was founded and started operations on October 16, 1960 as Aeropesca Colombia.[1]

The company had several accidents, and was sold to a group of shareholders who changed their name and image to Intercontinental de Aviacion in 1982. Only one Vickers Viscount and the Curtiss C-46 Commando left the company. A McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 and another Vickers Viscount were purchased, and on June 3, 1983, it began operating from Bogotá to the west.

In 1986 it changed shareholders, consolidated itself as a developing company and became a competition for Avianca and SAM. The airline began operating international flights in 1991, and in 1993 more DC-9-15 and De Havilland DHC-8 were acquired. The Executive Class and VIP lounges began to be offered in Bogotá, Cali, Medellín and Barranquilla. In October 2000, four Beechcraft 1900Ds were purchased, as well as two Boeing 737-300s, both types however were never operated.[1]

Following the crash of West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 in Venezuela, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority required that all airlines undergo a special inspection of its maintenance facilities and aircraft. The airline was forced to cease operations in September 2005 as it did not pass these inspections.

Destinations

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An Inter Vickers Viscount taxiing at El Dorado International Airport in 1991

National

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 Colombia

International

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 Cuba

 Ecuador

 Panama

 Venezuela

Fleet

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An Inter McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 in 1993

Aeropesca and Inter consisted of the following fleet:[2]

Accidents and incidents

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  • On November 4, 1965, a Consolidated PBY Catalina (registered HK-811) went missing during a domestic flight. Four of the six occupants on board were discovered 9 days later near the Peruvian border.[3]
  • On July 11, 1966, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration HK-527) went missing over mountainous terrain during a flight from Bogotá to Buenos Aires. The aircraft was carrying eight bulls for an exhibition in Buenos Aires. All 8 occupant on board were killed.[4]
  • On January 5, 1974, a Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar (registered HK-1146) had a landing gear failure during takeoff at Bogotá. The aircraft returned to the airport and tried to land, however the brakes were ineffective, causing it overshoot the runway and coming to rest in a drainage ditch.[5] All 5 occupants on board survived.
  • On August 14, 1978, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration HK-1350) flying in worsening weather conditions drifted off course during a flight from Bogotá to Tame and crashed into Mount Paramo de Laura near Tota, Colombia, killing all 18 people in board. Certified to carry only six passengers, it had 15 passengers on board at the time of the crash.[7]
  • On September 14, 1997, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 (registered HK-4062X) was on a flight from San Andrés to Pereira, via Bogotá. As the aircraft landed at Matecaña International Airport, the nose and left main undercarriage, followed by the right main undercarriage, collapsed.[11][12] All 39 passengers and 5 crew members survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repairs and was written off; however, it was preserved at Bojacá on a private farmland for ground equipment.
  • On June 14, 2002, a DC-9-14 (registered HK-3859X) overshot the runway on landing at Benito Salas Airport. All 65 passengers and 6 crew members survived, while the aircraft was written off.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Intercontinental de Aviación S.A - volavi". Volavi.co. Retrieved March 27, 2010.
  2. ^ "Inter (Intercontinental de Aviación) Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  3. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  4. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  5. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  6. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  7. ^ Aviation Safety Network Accident Description
  8. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  9. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  10. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  11. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
  12. ^ "Crash of a De Havilland Dash-8-301 in Pereida". Baaa-acro.com. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  13. ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
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