Aerocóndor Colombia

Aerocóndor Colombia (legally Aerovías Cóndor de Colombia S.A.) was a Colombian airline headquartered in Barranquilla, Colombia.

For the Peruvian airline, see Aero Condor. For the defunct Portuguese airline, see Aerocondor.
Aerocóndor Colombia
(Aerovías Cóndor de Colombia)
IATA ICAO Callsign
OD - AEROCÓNDOR
FoundedFebruary 3, 1955
Commenced operationsOctober 7, 1955
Ceased operationsJune 16, 1980
HubsSoledad International Airport
Secondary hubsEl Dorado International Airport
Fleet size34
Destinations28
HeadquartersBarranquilla, Colombia

History

Early operations
An Aerocóndor Lockheed L-188 at Miami International Airport in 1970

Aerocóndor Colombia was founded by six former LANSA[1] and Avianca pilots; Gustavo Lopez, Luis Donado, Eduardo Gonzalez, Juan B. Millon, Captain Julio Martin Florez, and Enrique Hanaberg, in association with two businessmen who together perceived an opportunity to establish a new airline to fly cargo from Colombia's northern industrial city of Barranquilla throughout the republic. Scheduled cargo services commenced on October 7, 1955[2] using Curtiss C-46s which were later complemented with Douglas C-47s. Progressive expansion saw most of these aircraft later reconfigured for passenger services, and Douglas C-54 and DC-6 were acquired during the early 1960s. International services between Barranquilla and Miami commenced during 1963. On May 1, 1969, the airline began re-equipping with L-188 Electras acquired from American Airlines. The Electras gradually replaced the airline's fleet of classic piston engine aircraft in the early 1970s.

Jet operations
An Aerocóndor Boeing 720B at Miami International Airport in 1975

Aerocóndor entered the jet age in December of 1972, purchasing an ex-American Airlines Boeing 720B. A Canadair CC-106 Yukon was also acquired for freight services in 1972 and a second ex-American Boeing 720B was added to the fleet in 1974. Introduction of jetliners modernized the airline's image and enabled it to begin operating jet services to Aruba, Curaçao, Guatemala City, Santo Domingo, Panama, and Port-au-Prince whilst also increasing the frequency of Miami services from Medellin, Bogotá, and San Andres. In 1975, financial control of Aerocóndor passed from the company's foundation management to Jorge Barco Vargas, formerly an Aerocivil chairman and the brother of a former president of the republic. A new orange and yellow colour scheme was applied to some aircraft, including the Boeing 720s, from 1975.

By this time, Aerocóndor had become a respected airline and was considered Colombia's second international airline. It also began to compete internationally with the country's national airline Avianca, to the concerns of both air traffic management and political representatives who wanted to protect Avianca's interests. By this stage Aerocóndor had grown to become Colombia's second international airline, and it was competing against the country's national flag carrier Avianca Colombia.

In 1977, the airline entered the wide-body era when it acquired a factory fresh Airbus A300, named "Ciudad de Barranquilla" in honor of the company's port of origin. This was the first A300 operated within the Latin American region, entering service on highly competitive routes to Miami. Plans for the introduction of a second A300 failed to materialize due to fiscal underachievement under the airline's new management. The financially strapped carrier soon entered a period of major crisis, due to poor control and internal corruption rather than market forces.

Decline

The company entered into a financial crisis due to the delay of four monthly payments for the A300, which forced the company to return the aircraft to Airbus. Aerocóndor was again sold in 1979 to the Cotes and Calderon brothers. The new president of the airline managed to overcome the crisis and recover the wide body aircraft. However, the financial state declined and the company was again in crisis. On April 24, 1980, liquidation was ordered and Aerocóndor ceased operations on June 16, 1980. Hope remained that services would be reinstated, but negotiations between the pilots, liquidators and the Colombian government were unsuccessful. Over the years, several of the pensioners of the airline had protested countless times demanding payment, overdue since the liquidation of the company. The airline's B707s and B720s were eventually stricken from the Colombian civil air register.

Destinations

National

International

Fleet
Aerocóndor's only Airbus A300B4 parked at San Francisco International Airport in 1978

Aerocóndor Colombia operated the following aircraft types at various times over the years:[3][4]

Aerocóndor Colombia fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Airbus A300B4 1 1977 1979 First A300 operator in South America
Boeing 707-120 3 1975 1979
Boeing 720B 2 1972 1980
Canadair CC-106 Yukon 1 1974 1975
Cessna 180 Skywagon 1 Un­known Un­known
Cessna T-50 2 Un­known Un­known
Curtiss C-46 Commando 7 1955 1979
De Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver 1 Un­known Un­known
Douglas C-47 Skytrain 2 Un­known 1978
Douglas C-54 Skymaster 3 1964 1969
Douglas DC-3 1 1965 1965
Douglas DC-6 3 1963 1971
Douglas DC-8-33F 1 1979 1980 Leased from Intercontinental Airways
Lockheed L-188A Electra 7 1969 1979
Lockheed L-1649A Starliner 1 1966 1966

Accidents and incidents
  • On December 18, 1966, a Lockheed L-1649A Starliner (registered N7301C), hit 10 to 20 meters from the runway on its flight from Miami to Bogota. At the time of the accident, there were clouds of fog over parts of the airport. The captain of the aircraft leased from the USA did not have a valid certificate of fitness to fly. Of the 59 people on board, 17 died.[5]

See also

References
  1. Lansa
  2. R.E.G. Davies: Airlines of Latin America since 1919. Putnam Aeronautical Books, London 1997, ISBN 0-85177-889-5, p. 250.
  3. Ulrich Klee, Frank Bucher et al.: jp airline-fleets international 80. Zürich-Airport 1980, S. 89.
  4. "Aerocondor fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  5. "L-1649A N7301C". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  6. "DC-6 HK-754". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  7. "L-188A HK-777". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. "CL-44 HK-1972". Aviation Safety Network. 19750222-0. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  9. "L-188AF HK-1976". Aviation Safety Network. 19750710-0. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  10. "DC-6 HK-756". Aviation Safety Network. 19750710-1. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
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