Avensa
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Founded | May 13, 1943 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | December 1943 | ||||||
Ceased operations | December 31, 2004 | ||||||
Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | ||||||
Subsidiaries | Servivensa | ||||||
Fleet size | 3 | ||||||
Destinations | 7 | ||||||
Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela | ||||||
Website | www |
Avensa (Aerovías Venezolanas Sociedad Anonima) was a Venezuelan airline headquartered in Caracas.[1] It was in the process[when?] of financial restructuring, after it went into bankruptcy due to poor management in 2002, with Santa Barbara Airlines taking over its routes, although a single Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia continued to carry the Avensa name in service until it was grounded for good in 2004. Avensa operated from its hub at Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetía.
Even though the airline ceased operations more than a decade ago, around Venezuela's airports, Avensa relics can be seen everywhere: old check-in signs, rusted luggage carts, derelict airplane stairways, the name still visible through cracked blue paint around Venezuela's airports.[2]
Although Avensa was reported to be in the process of economical restructuring, as of 2023, the airline has not been able to return to the skies.
History
Avensa was created on May 13, 1943, as a
After
Avensa merged its international routes with the international routes of
Later, Avensa introduced the
Avensa took over many of the international routes formerly flown by
At one time it had its headquarters in the now Caracas City Government owned Torre El Chorro in Caracas, and in the Torre Humboldt complex in East Caracas.[4]
Destinations
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5e/Avensa_Caravelle_Volpati.jpg/220px-Avensa_Caravelle_Volpati.jpg)
This is the list of places to which Avensa flew:
Domestic
- Anaco
- Barcelona
- Barquisimeto
- Caracas
- Carúpano
- Ciudad Bolivar
- Cumaná
- La Fría
- Las Piedras
- Maturín
- Mérida
- Porlamar
- Puerto Ordaz
- San Antonio del Táchira
- Santa Bárbara del Zulia
- Valencia
- Valera
- Maracaibo
- San Tomé
International
- Aruba
- Bogota, Colombia
- Bonaire
- Curaçao
- Lima, Peru
- Lisbon, Portugal
- London, UK
- Madrid, Spain
- Medellin, Colombia
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Miami, USA
- Milan, Italy
- Montreal, Canada(Charter)
- New York City (JFK)
- New Orleans, USA
- Oporto, Portugal
- Panama City, Panama
- Paris, France
- Quito, Ecuador
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Rome, Italy
- Santiago de Compostela, Spain
- São Paulo, Brazil
- Tenerife, Spain
- Toronto, Canada(Charter)
Fleet
Over the years, Avensa had operated the following aircraft:[5][6]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Boeing 727-100
|
11 | 1982 | 2002 | Included the Boeing 727-100 combi aircraft version capable of transporting both passengers and freight pallets in the main deck cabin[7] [8] |
Boeing 727-200
|
13 | 1979 | 2002 | |
Boeing 737-200
|
3 | 1991 | 2002 | |
Boeing 737-300
|
1 | 1989 | 1996 | Transferred to America West Airlines |
Boeing 757-200
|
2 | 1990 | 1994 | |
Convair CV-340
|
5 | 1954 | 1977 | |
Convair CV-440
|
3 | 1963 | 1977 | |
Convair CV-540
|
1 | 1963 | 1979 | |
Convair CV-580
|
10 | 1964 | 1991 | |
Curtiss C-46 Commando | 4 | 1944 | 1946 | |
Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 19 | 1946 | 1972 | |
Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 4 | 1948 | 1955 | |
Douglas DC-2 | 5 | 1944 | 1946 | |
Douglas DC-3 | 11 | 1947 | 1973 | |
Douglas DC-6B
|
2 | 1958 | 1964 | |
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | 1 | 2002 | 2004 | Leased from Boeing Capital |
Fairchild F-27 | 5 | 1958 | 1963 | |
Ford Trimotor | 2 | 1943 | 1946 | |
Lockheed Model 10 Electra | 1 | Unknown | Unknown | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 | 4 | 1967 | 1983 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 | 2 | 1975 | 1978 | Leased from McDonnell Douglas |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 1 | 1991 | 1996 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | 7 | 1976 | 1985 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | 4 | 1991 | 1999 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
|
3 | 1998 | 2002 | |
Sud Aviation Caravelle | 1 | 1970 | 1973 | Written off |
Accidents and incidents
- On August 20, 1948, a Falcón State. All 3 crew members died.
- On November 27, 1961, a
- On February 25, 1962, a Fairchild F-27 was descending through thick clouds until it crashed into a mountain on departure from Margarita Island. All 23 occupants on board were killed.[10]
- On November 28, 1963, a Convair CV-440 (registered YV-C-AVH) was hijacked by six young rebels armed with machineguns shortly after it took off from Ciudad Bolívar. They forced the crew to circle around the city while they dropped leaflets. They were later demanded to be flown to Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago where they surrendered.[11]
- On March 21, 1968, a Convair CV-440 was hijacked to Cuba by three passengers.[12]
- On August 21, 1973, a Sud Aviation Caravelle (registered YV-C-AVI) was landing at Jacinto Lara International Airport in Barquisimeto when its wing struck the runway on touchdown. No one on board was killed, but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[13]
- On December 22, 1974, Avensa Flight 358 crashed in Maturín, shortly after take off due to a double engine failure. All 75 passengers and crew were killed.[14]
- On March 11, 1983, Barquisimeto Airport. 22 passengers and one crew were killed.[15]
See also
References
- ^ "World Airline Directory." Flight International. 21–27 March 2000. 71. "Avenida Universidad, Caracas, 101, Venezuela."
- ^ BootsnAll Travel Archived 15 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine retrieved 7 April 2007
- ^ https://www.airliners.net, photos of Avensa DC-10 aircraft in Europe
- ^ "Contactos". Avensa. 3 February 2004. Retrieved 30 January 2011. "DIRECCIÓN Torre Humboldt, P25 (P1) Av. Rio Caura Prados del Este Caracas Venezuela"
- ^ "AVENSA Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
- ^ "Avensa fleet". aerobernie.bplaced.net. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
- ^ https://www.departedflights.com/CCS89intro.html
- ^ https://www.departedflights.com/MIAI89intro.html
- ^ "Hijacking description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ Accident description. Aviation Safety Network. 1974.
- ^ "Hijacking description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- Aviation Safety Network
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ ASN Aircraft accident, Sunday 22 December 1974, Retrieved 12 December 2015
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Avensa (in Spanish)
- Avensa (Archive)
- Avensa in airliners.net