SCADTA
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Founded | December 5, 1919 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | September 5, 1920 | ||||||
Ceased operations | June 14, 1940 (merged with CEO ) |
Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (German: Deutsch-Kolumbianische Luftverkehrsgesellschaft), or SCADTA, was the world's second airline, and the first airline in Latin America, operating from 1919 until World War II.[2] After the war, SCADTA merged with Colombian regional carrier Colombian Air Service (Spanish: Servicio Aéreo Colombiano), or SACO. Together, SCADTA and SACO formed Avianca - Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia, the Colombian flag-carrier. Avianca still operates to this day and claims SCADTA's history as its own, thus making it the world's second-oldest active airline, after KLM from the Netherlands.
History
SCADTA started out as a small airmail carrier using
Prior to World War II, principal shareholder and
The Colombian government was not concerned about SCADTA, though, and did not question the loyalty of the German pilots. However, restrictions were also placed on German pilots on how they could be utilized by an airline. For example, at least one pilot on every plane had to be Colombian.[3]
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, SCADTA was forced to cease operations and its assets were merged by the Colombian government with the state-owned airline SACO, forming the modern Colombian national carrier: Avianca.
See also
External links
- The Battersea Review - Scadta/Panamerican relationship Archived 2016-01-25 at the Wayback Machine Scroll to middle of page.
References
- ^ El primer aeropuerto de Colombia: Veranillo. - elespectador.com, (Spanish)
- ^ Brown, Claire (28 July 1998). "National Air and Space Museum Exhibition Examines the Development of Latino Aviation". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 8 April 2010.
SCADTA Junkers F 13, one of the first commercial airlines in Colombia. SCADTA is the oldest, continuously operating airline in the Western Hemisphere.
- ^ ISBN 978-0742537415.