Santa Bárbara Airlines
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| Santa Barbara Airlines | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| IATA S3 |
ICAO BBR |
Callsign Santa Barbara |
| Founded | November 1, 1995 | |
| Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | |
| Focus cities | La Chinita International Airport | |
| Frequent flyer program | Alturas | |
| Fleet size | 9 | |
| Destinations | 15 | |
| Parent company | Santa Barbara Airlines, C.A. | |
| Company slogan | Con calidez venezolana (with Venezuelan warmth) |
|
| Headquarters |  Caracas, Distrito Capital, Venezuela |
|
| Key people | Francisco Gonzalez, President Santa Barbara Airlines | |
| Website: Santa Barbara Airlines | ||
Santa Barbara Airlines[1] is an airline based in Caracas, Venezuela. It operates scheduled domestic and international services. Its main base is Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS), Maiquetía, with a hub at La Chinita International Airport (MAR), Maracaibo.
Contents |
[edit] History
The airline was established on November 1, 1995 and started operations on March 1, 1996. It wholly owned Islas Airways until September 2006, when it was sold to the Canary Islands entrepreneurs group Grupo SOAC.
[edit] Destinations
- Further information: Santa Barbara Airlines destinations
[edit] Fleet
The Santa Barbara Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft (at 8 June 2008):
| Aircraft | # | Seats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-320 | 5 | Local destinations and Aruba | |
| Boeing 757-200 | 3 | For the Caracas-Miami, Caracas-Guayaquil and Caracas-Quito routes | |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 1 | a wet lease from Icelandair for the Caracas-Madrid, Caracas-Funchal & Caracas-Tenerife routes |
The Boeing 767-300ER aircraft replaced the two older McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30. Santa Barbara Airlines' executives promptly announced the timely retirement of the venerable DC-10's following several months plagued by maintenance issues, a move that had been speculated and expected for several months. They also announced the decision to wet-lease 2 Boeing 767 aircraft the same week, in mid-October 2005. The 767-300ER's began service on November 2, 2005. Recently, Santa Bárbara announced they'd be incorporating Boeing 737-300's to their fleet for mid and short-range operations, however, the number exact number of aircraft to be incorporated, or when said incorporations will take place, is still unknown.
[edit] Frequent flyer program
Alturas is the frequent flyer program for Santa Bárbara Airlines, which was launched in 2005 following the expansion of the airline when it launched flights to Europe.
[edit] Accidents
On February 21, 2008 an ATR 42 propeller aircraft, registered as YV1449, covering Santa Bárbara Airlines Flight 518 from Mérida to Caracas, went missing shortly after taking off. Forty-two passengers and a crew of four, including two pilots and two flight attendants, were reportedly on board at the time of the accident. On Friday, February 22, search and rescue teams confirmed they had located the remains of the aircraft in a mountain range approximately 10 kilometers North-East of Mérida at an altitude of 12,000 feet (4,000m).
Regional civil defense chief, Gerardo Rojas, was quoted as saying that the chances of anyone surviving the crash were "minimal". Initial reports indicate that the aircraft made a controlled descent into terrain. However, it is too early for such a statement to be confirmed and a complete and formal investigation is now underway.
[edit] See also
- Aero Ejecutivos
- Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela
- Aserca Airlines
- Avensa
- Avior Airlines
- Conviasa
- LAI - Linea Aerea IAACA
- LASER Airlines
- Linea Turistica Aerotuy
- Rutaca
- Servivensa
- Sol America
- Sundance Air Venezuela
- Transcarga
- Venezolana
- Vensecar Internacional
- Viasa
[edit] References
- ^ "English page." Santa Barbara Airlines
