Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela
Encyclopedia
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela, normally referred to as just Aeropostal, is a flag carrier and the national airline of Venezuela
also an airline
based in Torre Polar Oeste in Caracas
, Venezuela
. It operates domestic services and international services in the Caribbean
. Its main base is Simón Bolívar International Airport
, Caracas.
(known as Lignes Aériennes Latécoère until 1927), then under the leadership of its owner Marcel Bouilloux-Lafont, arrived in Venezuela. Aéropostale viewed Venezuela as the ideal bridge to link South America with the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe
and Martinique
. This idea materialized on 3 July 1929. Three Latécoère 28
's carried out the first flights of the new airline, although some Latécoère 26
's were also used in those earlier routes. On 31 December 1933, the Venezuelan government purchased the airline after the French government inexplicably decided to stop subsidizing it.
at 1,600,000 bolívares
, but it wasn't until 21 May 1937, that the government of Venezuela secured full ownership of the airline. It did so through an injection of capital and by replacing the Latécoère 28's with several Fairchild 71's. The expansion program was further reinforced with the purchase of six Lockheed Model 10 Electra
s. In 1939, LAV's headquarters were moved from Maracay
to Maiquetía
because of its proximity to Caracas. That same year, Douglas DC-3
s were introduced in order to transport larger cargo loads and passengers. By 1942 the fleet had grown considerably. LAV's first international flights began in July 1945, serving the city of Boa Vista
in northern Brazil
. It wasn't really considered an international destination as it was close to Venezuela's border. LAV's second international route was to Aruba
in January 1946. This connected to KLM's international route structure.
After the war ended, LAV re-equipped with newer aircraft, replacing its Electra and Lockheed Lodestar
fleet which was decimated by many accidents over the previous five years. Douglas DC-3s and Douglas DC-4
s were introduced along with Martin 2-0-2
aircraft. In 1947, the airline introduced Lockheed Constellation
s to fly a new direct international route from Caracas to New York's Idlewild Airport
. This new service started on 21 March 1947.
In 1951, LAV began service to Lima
, Peru
and Bogotá
, Colombia
. The Bogotá route was acquired by LAV after they purchased 88% of TACA de Venezuela. Previously, TACA de Venezuela had a joint route agreement with the Colombian airline, LANSA. Until TACA de Venezuela was completely absorbed by LAV in 1958, the route to Bogotá was flown using TACA aircraft in TACA livery. During the 1950s, LAV opened a transatlantic
service and began flying to Panama
(in 1953). The Constellation fleet was upgraded to L-1049G Super Constellations. An order for the first jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1
, was placed, but with the Comet crashes of the 1950s, the airline never got their Comet jets. On 24 March 1956, LAV introduced its first turboprop, a Vickers Viscount 701
which was to replace the older piston engined Douglas
and Martin
aircraft.
In the early 1960s, the Venezuelan government wanted to separate LAV's international and domestic routes, thus creating a new airline, Viasa
, for international flights. A new livery was introduced for the new decade. The full airline title which had appeared on the Constellation fleet was simplified to a simple and bold AEROPOSTAL. The Constellations flew with a flying globe logo on the nose, was also simplified, now appearing on the fin as a flying bird logo, a logo that would remain with the airline. Also in the early 1960s, the 'jet-prop' Avro 748
was introduced to replace the smaller piston twins that had made up LAV's fleet since 1938. Douglas DC-8
jets were introduced in 1961 to replace the Super Constellations.
During the 1960s and 1980s LAV continued to introduce new fleet types like first the Caravelle
and then Boeing
/Douglas DC-9-32
and the Boeing
/Douglas DC-9-51
.
During the late 1980s, Aeropostal substituted Viasa with a run from Caracas to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
, where the airline also sponsored WAPA-TV
's weekly, youth oriented Control Remoto television
show.
that re-started operations on 7 January 1997. Flights to the United States began in July 1998 and to Madrid
in November 2001, although the latter have since ceased. In the late 1990s, Aeropostal introduced two US-regisitered Airbus A320
s to fly alongside the fleet of DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas MD-83 jets.
The airline was fully owned by Corporacion Alas de Venezuela and had 2,319 employees (at March 2007). As of 2008 the airline was sold to a group of entrepreneurs from the state of Carabobo, Venezuela.
At the end of 2007, Nelson Ramiz (then CEO) reduced the fleet of 22 to only 3 claiming that the currency controls imposed by the Venezuelan government prevented him from maintaining the fleet, and that fare controls kept Aeropostal from making a profit. During that period, the Venezuelan Government planned on shutting down the airline if major changes were not planned.
The INAC (The Federal Aviation Administration of Venezuela) temporarily grounded Aeropostal operations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in the high-travel holiday season.
The airline was then sold by Nelson Ramiz to a group of investors from the state of Carabobo, Venezuela. The transition to the new administration has been completed.
Most routes were canceled temporarily due to the restructuring.
In 2009 the Venezuelan government announced its intention to nationalise Aeropostal, following the arrest of several owners and employees in 2008 on Interpol
drug trafficking warrants.
On February 25, 2011, Aeropostal's Special Managing Board officially announced the retirement of YV141T, its last DC-9-30 from the active fleet. The final commercial flight was done on March 10, 2011. While -30s Series has been retired, the McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-50s will continue in service for Aeropostal, and according LAV there are no plans to retire them for the next 3 years.
South America
, registration YV-C-AMS, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York.
Pasajero ("Passenger") is Aeropostal's in-flight magazine. It is published six times a year with a circulation of 20,000 copies distributed in all domestic and international Aeropostal flights. Pasajero is published by Playalens, Inc., a Hispanic-owned Miami-based publishing company.
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
also an airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
based in Torre Polar Oeste in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
. It operates domestic services and international services in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Its main base is Simón Bolívar International Airport
Simón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)
Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
, Caracas.
Early history
Venezuela was one of the first South American nations to resort to commercial aviation as an effective means of transportation. In 1929, the French company AéropostaleAéropostale (aviation)
Aéropostale was a pioneering aviation company. It was founded in 1918 in Toulouse, France, as Société des lignes Latécoère, also known as Lignes Aeriennes Latécoère or simply "The Line" .- History :Aéropostale founder Pierre-Georges Latécoère envisioned an air route connecting France to the...
(known as Lignes Aériennes Latécoère until 1927), then under the leadership of its owner Marcel Bouilloux-Lafont, arrived in Venezuela. Aéropostale viewed Venezuela as the ideal bridge to link South America with the Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
and Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
. This idea materialized on 3 July 1929. Three Latécoère 28
Latécoère 28
-See also:- External links :...
's carried out the first flights of the new airline, although some Latécoère 26
Latécoère 26
|-See also:...
's were also used in those earlier routes. On 31 December 1933, the Venezuelan government purchased the airline after the French government inexplicably decided to stop subsidizing it.
Life as a government owned company
Despite its new Venezuelan ownership, the airline continued to be run by French personnel under the direction of Robert Guérin until 1 January 1935, when its name was changed to Línea Aeropostal Venezolana (LAV) and operations shifted to Venezuelan hands under the management of commander Francisco Leonardi. At the start, the company was capitalizedMarket capitalization
Market capitalization is a measurement of the value of the ownership interest that shareholders hold in a business enterprise. It is equal to the share price times the number of shares outstanding of a publicly traded company...
at 1,600,000 bolívares
Venezuelan bolívar
The bolívar fuerte is the currency of Venezuela since 1 January 2008. It is subdivided into 100 céntimos and replaced the bolívar at the rate of Bs.F. 1 = Bs...
, but it wasn't until 21 May 1937, that the government of Venezuela secured full ownership of the airline. It did so through an injection of capital and by replacing the Latécoère 28's with several Fairchild 71's. The expansion program was further reinforced with the purchase of six Lockheed Model 10 Electra
Lockheed Model 10 Electra
The Lockheed Model 10 Electra was a twin-engine, all-metal monoplane airliner developed by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in the 1930s to compete with the Boeing 247 and Douglas DC-2...
s. In 1939, LAV's headquarters were moved from Maracay
Maracay
Maracay is a city in north-central Venezuela, near the Caribbean coast, and is the capital and most important city of the state of Aragua. Most of it falls under the jurisdiction of the Girardot Municipality. The population as per the 2001 census was 750,000...
to Maiquetía
Maiquetía
Maiquetía is a city in the Vargas state of Venezuela, near Caracas.Simón Bolívar International Airport, which handles both international and domestic flights, is located in the city....
because of its proximity to Caracas. That same year, Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
s were introduced in order to transport larger cargo loads and passengers. By 1942 the fleet had grown considerably. LAV's first international flights began in July 1945, serving the city of Boa Vista
Boa Vista, Roraima
Boa Vista is the capital of the Brazilian state of Roraima. Situated on the western bank of the River Branco, the city lies 220 km away from Brazil's border with Venezuela. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the Equator...
in northern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. It wasn't really considered an international destination as it was close to Venezuela's border. LAV's second international route was to Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
in January 1946. This connected to KLM's international route structure.
Lockheed Lodestar
The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar was a passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era.-Design and development:The prototype of the Lockheed Model 18, which first flew in 1939, was constructed from one of a batch of Lockheed Model 14 Super Electras which had been returned to the manufacturer by...
fleet which was decimated by many accidents over the previous five years. Douglas DC-3s and Douglas DC-4
Douglas DC-4
The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
s were introduced along with Martin 2-0-2
Martin 2-0-2
The Martin 2-0-2 was one of the first modern airliners. The twin-engined piston aircraft was designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company.-Design and development:...
aircraft. In 1947, the airline introduced Lockheed Constellation
Lockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
s to fly a new direct international route from Caracas to New York's Idlewild Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
. This new service started on 21 March 1947.
In 1951, LAV began service to Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
and Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. The Bogotá route was acquired by LAV after they purchased 88% of TACA de Venezuela. Previously, TACA de Venezuela had a joint route agreement with the Colombian airline, LANSA. Until TACA de Venezuela was completely absorbed by LAV in 1958, the route to Bogotá was flown using TACA aircraft in TACA livery. During the 1950s, LAV opened a transatlantic
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
service and began flying to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
(in 1953). The Constellation fleet was upgraded to L-1049G Super Constellations. An order for the first jet airliner, the De Havilland Comet 1
De Havilland Comet
The de Havilland DH 106 Comet was the world's first commercial jet airliner to reach production. Developed and manufactured by de Havilland at the Hatfield, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom headquarters, it first flew in 1949 and was a landmark in aeronautical design...
, was placed, but with the Comet crashes of the 1950s, the airline never got their Comet jets. On 24 March 1956, LAV introduced its first turboprop, a Vickers Viscount 701
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
which was to replace the older piston engined Douglas
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, based in Long Beach, California. It was founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas, Sr. and later merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas...
and Martin
Glenn L. Martin Company
The Glenn L. Martin Company was an American aircraft and aerospace manufacturing company that was founded by the aviation pioneer Glenn L. Martin. The Martin Company produced many important aircraft for the defense of the United States and its allies, especially during World War II and the Cold War...
aircraft.
Viasa
Venezolana Internacional de Aviación Sociedad Anónima , or VIASA for short, was the Venezuelan national airline between 1960 and 1997. It was headquartered in the Torre Viasa in Caracas. Launched in 1960, it was nationalised in 1975 due to financial problems, and re-privatised in 1991, with the...
, for international flights. A new livery was introduced for the new decade. The full airline title which had appeared on the Constellation fleet was simplified to a simple and bold AEROPOSTAL. The Constellations flew with a flying globe logo on the nose, was also simplified, now appearing on the fin as a flying bird logo, a logo that would remain with the airline. Also in the early 1960s, the 'jet-prop' Avro 748
Avro 748
The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed by the British firm Avro in the late 1950s as a replacement for the now-aged DC-3s then in widespread service as feederliners. Avro concentrated on performance, notably for STOL operations, and found a dedicated...
was introduced to replace the smaller piston twins that had made up LAV's fleet since 1938. Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
jets were introduced in 1961 to replace the Super Constellations.
During the 1960s and 1980s LAV continued to introduce new fleet types like first the Caravelle
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
and then Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
/Douglas DC-9-32
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
and the Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
/Douglas DC-9-51
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
.
During the late 1980s, Aeropostal substituted Viasa with a run from Caracas to Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
, where the airline also sponsored WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV
WAPA-TV is an independent television station located in San Juan, Puerto Rico transmitting over digital channel 27, virtual channel 4. The station is owned by InterMedia Partners and is branded as WAPA Television....
's weekly, youth oriented Control Remoto television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show.
Recent history
In August 1994, commercial operations ceased, as part of a government effort to trim expenses. This resulted in the company being sold to the Corporacion Alas de Venezuela in 1996, a privately owned companyPrivately held company
A privately held company or close corporation is a business company owned either by non-governmental organizations or by a relatively small number of shareholders or company members which does not offer or trade its company stock to the general public on the stock market exchanges, but rather the...
that re-started operations on 7 January 1997. Flights to the United States began in July 1998 and to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
in November 2001, although the latter have since ceased. In the late 1990s, Aeropostal introduced two US-regisitered Airbus A320
Airbus A320
The Airbus A320 family is a family of short- to medium-range, narrow-body, commercial passenger jet airliners manufactured by Airbus Industrie.Airbus was originally a consortium of European aerospace companies, and is now fully owned by EADS. Airbus's name has been Airbus SAS since 2001...
s to fly alongside the fleet of DC-9 and McDonnell Douglas MD-83 jets.
The airline was fully owned by Corporacion Alas de Venezuela and had 2,319 employees (at March 2007). As of 2008 the airline was sold to a group of entrepreneurs from the state of Carabobo, Venezuela.
At the end of 2007, Nelson Ramiz (then CEO) reduced the fleet of 22 to only 3 claiming that the currency controls imposed by the Venezuelan government prevented him from maintaining the fleet, and that fare controls kept Aeropostal from making a profit. During that period, the Venezuelan Government planned on shutting down the airline if major changes were not planned.
The INAC (The Federal Aviation Administration of Venezuela) temporarily grounded Aeropostal operations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded in the high-travel holiday season.
The airline was then sold by Nelson Ramiz to a group of investors from the state of Carabobo, Venezuela. The transition to the new administration has been completed.
Most routes were canceled temporarily due to the restructuring.
In 2009 the Venezuelan government announced its intention to nationalise Aeropostal, following the arrest of several owners and employees in 2008 on Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
drug trafficking warrants.
On February 25, 2011, Aeropostal's Special Managing Board officially announced the retirement of YV141T, its last DC-9-30 from the active fleet. The final commercial flight was done on March 10, 2011. While -30s Series has been retired, the McDonnell-Douglas DC-9-50s will continue in service for Aeropostal, and according LAV there are no plans to retire them for the next 3 years.
Destinations
Aeropostal operates flights to the following destinations:South America
- VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- BarquisimetoBarquisimetoBarquisimeto is the capital city of the State of Lara located in west central Venezuela, halfway between Caracas and Maracaibo on the Turbio River.-Overview:...
Jacinto Lara International AirportJacinto Lara International AirportJacinto Lara International Airport is an airport in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, named after Venezuelan independence hero Jacinto Lara. It serves to the citi of Barquisimeto and others as Yaritagua and Carora, the main citi in west-central area of Venezuela... - CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
(Simón Bolívar International AirportSimón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
) Hub - MaracaiboMaracaiboMaracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
(La Chinita International AirportLa Chinita International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 1 November 1971, Vickers Viscount YV-C-AMZ of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana crashed shortly after take-off. All four people on board were killed....
) - MaturínMaturínMaturín is a city in Venezuela, the capital of the Venezuelan state of Monagas and a centre for instrumental exploration and development of the petroleum industry in Venezuela. The metropolitan area of Maturín has a population of 401,384 inhabitants...
(Maturín AirportMaturín AirportJosé Tadeo Monagas International Airport , is International Airport José Tadeo Monagas, Venezuela is an airport located in the city of Maturin, Monagas State in eastern Venezuela....
) - PorlamarPorlamarPorlamar is the largest city on Isla Margarita, Nueva Esparta State in Venezuela. It was founded on the southeast coast in 1536, less than 40 years after Christopher Columbus first sailed through. Porlamar was a quiet fishing village until the arrival of air travel...
(Del Caribe International General Santiago Marino AirportDel Caribe International General Santiago Marino AirportSantiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport is a commercial airport located near Porlamar, the largest city on Isla Margarita, an island in state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela....
) - Puerto OrdazPuerto OrdazPuerto Ordaz is a planned city which, together with the older settlement of San Felix, forms Ciudad Guayana in Bolívar State, eastern Venezuela. Puerto Ordaz is located at the confluence of the Caroní and Orinoco Rivers and is the site of the Llovizna Falls. There are bridges across the Caroni and...
(Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana AirportManuel Carlos Piar Guayana AirportManuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport , is an airport serving the cities of Ciudad Guayana and Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela.-Airlines and destinations:*Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela *Aserca Airlines...
) - Valencia (Arturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International Airport serves the fast-growing industrial city of Valencia in Venezuela two hours from Caracas . It is an active airport but with few facilities, located at 10° 9' 29.46 North latitude, 67° 55' 36.31 W longitude....
)
- Barquisimeto
Fleet
As of January 2011, the Aeropostal fleet consists of the following aircraft with an average age of 28 years:| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers (Business/Economy) |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | |||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | |||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | Currently stored | ||
| Total | |||
Incidents and accidents
Aeropostal has had a total of 24 accidents and incidents since 23 April 1937 with a total of 319 fatalities. The worst accident for Aeropostal (and the worst scheduled-airline accident in history until then) was on 20 June 1956, when 74 people were killed when a Lockheed ConstellationLockheed Constellation
The Lockheed Constellation was a propeller-driven airliner powered by four 18-cylinder radial Wright R-3350 engines. It was built by Lockheed between 1943 and 1958 at its Burbank, California, USA, facility. A total of 856 aircraft were produced in numerous models, all distinguished by a...
, registration YV-C-AMS, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of New York.
- On 25 January 1971, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
YV-C-AMV of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana crashed into a mountain near MéridaMérida, MéridaSantiago de los Caballeros de Mérida, Venezuela, is the capital of the municipality of Libertador and the state of Mérida, and is one of the principal cities of the Venezuelan Andes...
. Thirteen of the 47 people on board were killed.
- On 1 November 1971, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
YV-C-AMZ of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana crashed shortly after take-off from La Chinita International AirportLa Chinita International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 1 November 1971, Vickers Viscount YV-C-AMZ of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana crashed shortly after take-off. All four people on board were killed....
, MaracaiboMaracaiboMaracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
. All four people on board were killed.
- On 27 August 1972, Douglas C-47 YV-C-AKE of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana suffered a failure of the port engine shortly after take-off from Canaima AirportCanaima AirportCanaima Airport is an airport in Canaima, a town located in Canaima National Park in the state of Bolívar in Venezuela.- Facilities :The airport resides at an elevation of above mean sea level...
on a domestic scheduled passenger flight to Tomás de Heres AirportTomás de Heres AirportTomás de Heres Airport , is an airport in Ciudad Bolívar, Venezuela.-Airlines and destinations:-Accidents and incidents:On 25 January 2001, RUTACA Airlines Flight 225, operated by Douglas DC-3C YV-224-C crashed at Ciudad Bolívar killing all 24 on board plus one person on the ground. Another person...
, Ciudad BolivarCiudad BolívarCiudad Bolívar is the capital of Venezuela's southeastern Bolivar State. It was founded with the name Angostura in 1764, renamed in 1846, and, as of 2010, had an estimated population of 350,691....
. The aircraft crashed whilst attempting to return to Canaima, killing all 34 people on board.
- On 14 August 1974, Vickers ViscountVickers ViscountThe Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...
YV-C-AMX of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana flew into La Gloria, Isla MargaritaIsla MargaritaMargarita Island is the largest island of the state of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela, situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asunción, located in a river...
killing all 49 people on board.
- On 29 July 1984, Aeropostal Flight 252 from CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
to CuraçaoCuraçaoCuraçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, two gunmen, one HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
an and one of DominicanDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
nationality, hijacked the plane with 79 people on board. The hijackers demanded money, weapons, and a helicopter to remove five children from the aircraft, and also threatened to blow up the plane if stormed. The plane was stormed by Venezuelan commandos of the DISIP, both hijackers were killed, and all hostages were released, ending the 36-hour long crisis.
- on 26 Sep 2011, Aeropostal DC9-50 YV136T made a hard touch down at Puerto Ordaz causing both engines' (JT8D) pylons and support structures at the airframe to crack and distort nearly separating the engines from the airframe. The airplane slowed safely, stopped on the runway and was shut down. No injuries occurred, the aircraft received substantial damage. The passengers disembarked onto the runway.
Inflight magazine