ACES Colombia

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Aces
IATA VX	ICAO AES	Callsign ACES
Founded		1971
Hubs		El Dorado Intl Airport
Alliance		Alianza Summa
Fleet size
Destinations
Parent company		Avianca
Headquarters		Medellín, Colombia
Key people
Website: www.avianca.com

ACES (acronym of Aerolíneas Centrales de Colombia) was an airline based at Olaya Herrera International Airport in Medellín, Colombia.

The company was founded on August 31st in 1971 by a group of 13 Colombian entrepreneurs, amongst them, most notably Orlando Botero Escobar and German Peñaloza Arias from Manizales and Luis H. Coulson, Jorge Coulson R., Alberto Jaramillo and Hernando Zuluaga from Medellin. Mr. Botero and Mr. Peñaloza considered pioneers in the early days of Colombian commercial aviation, had tried several times to establish a commuter service between Manizales and Bogota, they managed to run and operate a small commuter service airline by the name TARCA (acronym of Taxi Aereo de Caldas) which was forced to shut down due to financial difficulties. With the support of the new partners from Medellin, they embarked on a successful enterprise that earned the respect of the competition and the love of their customers. The airline began service in 1972 with Saunders S-27 aircraft for the routes Medellin-Bogota and Manizales-Bogota, and soon became a major player in the Colombian market. By 1976, the airline had expanded its network to smaller regional destinations, for which it purchased DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft. 1981 saw the introduction of the first jet aircraft to ACES' fleet with the very popular Boeing 727-100 which allowed for longer routes and shorter flight-time.

In 1991, ACES completely replaced its Fokker F27 Friendship fleet with ATR 42 turbo-prop aircraft for its short-haul regional routes, and its Boeing 727-100 with the Boeing 727-200 Advanced variant. In 1992 ACES expanded its service internationally, operating flights from Colombia to Miami. Soon after, Juan Emilio Posada was appointed CEO and would serve until the airline's demise in 2003. In the late 1990s, ACES modernized its fleet acquiring brand-new Airbus A320 aircraft. It expanded its routes to Fort Lauderdale, Quito, Caracas, Cancún (served by charters), Santo Domingo, Punta Cana and San Juan de Puerto Rico; as well as additional domestic flights within Colombia.

ACES created a corporate cultre of service and punctuality that would earn it the recognition and loyalty of its customers, resulting in consistent increases in its market share and revenues in the domestic market, which was dominated for decades by Avianca. It was named the "Best airline in Colombia" by several industry and consumer publications.

On May 20, 2002, ACES merged with major competitor Avianca and SAM to form Alianza Summa, a stretegic alliance aimed at joining forces to counteract the adverse circumstances that faced the airline industry in Colombia and the world after September 11, 2001. ACES' operations were haulted on August, 2003, after the board's decision to liquidate the airline. By November, 2003, the Summa Alliance was dissolved and ACES' routes taken over by Avianca.