Spantax
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[edit] History
Spantax, (ICAO Code: BXS; IATA Code: BX; Callsign: Spantax) was based in the Canary Islands, it was founded on October 6, 1959 as Spanish Air Taxi. Tourist flights to the Canary Islands and the Spanish Sahara, as well as the transporting of cargo and personnel to the oil-fields at El Aaiún, helped its expansion.
In 1963, the company, renamed as Spantax S.A., grew as it began to schedule transatlantic charter flights. Spantax expanded its fleet, operating Douglas DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, and DC-7 piston-engined aircraft. In 1967 they took delivery of their first jet aircraft, the Convair 990 Coronado, retaining 14 of these machines through 1975.
In the 1970s, Spantax bought two Douglas DC-8-61CF and DC-10 planes for transatlantic operations. Later in the decade, they took delivery of the twinjet DC-9. In the 1980s, the airline leased a number of Boeing 737s.
In 1987, plagued by financial troubles and labor strikes, Spantax was sold to the Aviation Finance Group, based in Luxembourg. Attempts to revamp and refinance the service, renew its fleet with McDonnell Douglas MD-83s, and negotiate with China Airlines for acquisition of Boeing 767s were all unsuccessful; Spantax collapsed on March 29, 1988.
[edit] Incidents and accidents
- On December 7, 1965, a Spantax DC-3 [EC-ARZ] crashed into high terrain shortly after takeoff from Los Rodeos, Tenerife.
- On December 3, 1972, a Spantax Convair CV-990 [EC-BZR] was involved in a plane crash at the airport of Los Rodeos, Tenerife.
- On March 5, 1973, a Spantax Convair CV-990 [EC-BJC] was involved in a mid-air collision near Nantes, France. All crew members and passengers survived.
- On September 13, 1982, Spantax Flight 995 a DC-10-30CF [EC-DEG] crashed on takeoff in Malaga, Spain.
