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Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos

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Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos
IATA ICAO Call sign
2L BOL BOL[1]
Founded7 November 1977; 46 years ago (1977-11-07)
HubsViru Viru International Airport
Fleet size1
Destinations4
HeadquartersCochabamba, Bolivia
Websitetab-bolivia.com

Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos (abbreviated TAB and also known as TAB Airlines or TAB Cargo) is a cargo airline which operates civil cargo flights between Bolivia and the United States.

History

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TAB was set up in 1977 as a sub-division of the Air Transport Management of the Bolivian Air Force in 1977, originally operating on-demand medium to long-haul heavy cargo flights using a fleet of Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, which were based at El Alto International Airport in La Paz. In 1992, TAB was shut down.

In 1999, the airline was reactivated as a civil company based at Cochabamba, then operating a single military C-130 and a L-382, the civil variant of the preceding. In 1999, TAB moved 84,649 kilograms of cargo, which was increased to over 2 million kilograms in 2000, to 4,176,429 kilograms in 2006.

TAB increased its fleet with the addition of two McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. Currently, the airline is transporting more than 8 thousand tons a year.[citation needed]

Destinations

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As of May 2024, TAB operates scheduled flights to the following destinations:[2]

Country City Airport Notes
Bolivia Cochabamba Jorge Wilstermann International Airport
La Paz El Alto International Airport
Santa Cruz de la Sierra Viru Viru International Airport Hub
United States Miami Miami International Airport

TAB additionally serves a wide range of charter routes.

Fleet

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Current fleet

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TAB's sole McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F at Miami International Airport in 2023. This aircraft is one of the last few of its type in commercial service.

The TAB fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of April 2024):[3][4]

TAB fleet
Aircraft In
service
Orders Notes
McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F 1
Total 1

Former fleet

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TAB former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Lockheed C-130 Hercules[5] 3 1979 2015 Transferred to the Bolivian Air Force
Lockheed L-100 Hercules 1 1980 1990
Douglas DC-8-54CF 1 1991 1999 Leased from Transconsult Ltd
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F 1 2007 2014
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F 1 2008 2016

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Airline codes and callsigns". airodyssey.net. 2005-01-01. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  2. ^ "Tabairlines".
  3. ^ "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World: 7. October 2019.
  4. ^ "TAB Cargo Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  5. ^ "Airframe Details for C-130 #4759". www.c-130.net. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
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