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| Founded | 20 February 1981[1] as AIRES | |||
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| Commenced operations | 3 December 2011 as LAN Colombia |
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| Hubs | El Dorado International Airport | |||
| Focus cities | Olaya Herrera Airport | |||
| Frequent-flyer program | LANPASS | |||
| Alliance | Oneworld | |||
| Fleet size | 23 | |||
| Destinations | 31 | |||
| Company slogan | The Joy of Flying El Encanto de Volar |
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| Parent company | LAN Airlines | |||
| Headquarters | Bogotá, Colombia | |||
| Key people | Hernan Pasman (CEO) | |||
| Website | [1] | |||
LAN Colombia previously Aerovías de Integración Regional S.A. (Acronym: AIRES, lit. airs). It operates scheduled regional domestic and international services, as well as a domestic cargo service. Its main base is El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, with hubs at Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport, Barranquilla, Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín and Perales Airport, Ibagué.[2] On 28 October 2010, it has been announced, that 98% of the shares in the previous airline AIRES had been acquired by LAN Airlines. December 3, 2011 it started operations as LAN Colombia. Which means, it comes to be fully incorporated in the LAN Group meaning it headquarters are to be relocated in Santiago de Chile, where the LAN Group headquarters are located.
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Aires was born out of the regions' need to communicate with the main cities and their hinterland by air transport service in a quick, safe and permanent way, thus forging the development and integration of the country. Aires was established in the city of Ibague (Tolima), founded by Pedro Antonio Niño Rodríguez and as a result of co-operation between companies from Huila and Tolima in the previous year. Their goal was to connect the departments of Huila and Tolima with the rest of the country and each other. The airline began operations on February 23, 1981 with two Embraer 110 Bandeirante Brazilian manufacturing, connecting the cities of Ibague and Neiva to Bogota and then to Cali, Medellin and Florencia. In 1982 it expanded its routes to the city of Puerto Asis (Putumayo) and San Vicente (Caquetá). In 1987 the fleet was expanded with the inclusion of the first aircraft Fairchild F-27-J with 43 seats (a Fokker 27 Friendship built under license). By 1988 they had carried its first million passengers and in 1990 they included another Fairchild F-27-J in the fleet, extending the routes to Villavicencio and Puerto Leguizamo (Putumayo). In August 1994 Nino Rogriguez introduced the new Dash-8 fleet from Canada's De Havilland and in March 1995 opened the route to Ipiales (Nariño).
With the arrival of the Dash 8 aircraft, a major expansion began with the airline during the 90's. From November 1998 came to share the growth in the Caribbean region by integrating the Atlantic Coast cities. With the opening of an operations center in Barranquilla, began offering scheduled air transport service of passengers and freight, linking this important city to Cartagena, Santa Marta, Monteria, Apartado, Corozal (Sucre), and Valledupar. Also, since then provides its service between Cartagena Ibague, and Bucaramanga and Santa Marta, offering a wide coverage in regional integration, true to its name.
Aires also expanded internationally during the aforementioned decade, flying to Aruba, Panama, Curaçao and Maracaibo (Venezuela) in 2000, connecting the cities and capital Bogota and other schools. For a time he served in Caracas, but the crisis that this country went through at that time, among other factors, played down the viability of the route and had to be terminated.
Aires has been the victim of the problems of public order in Colombia, suffered a few incidents. Notable is the kidnapping of a Dash 8 in 2002 by the narco-terrorist group FARC, planned event to ensure the kidnapping of a senator after forcing the crew to land on a narrow road (with what was demonstrated the skill and poise of the flagship Dorian Ospina, who commanded the aircraft) The plane was damaged but was repaired and returned to work. Another incident was the kidnapping after a Dash 8-300 en route to Florence - Neiva - Bogotá by a paraplegic ex-cop and his son, who claimed a benefit to the government, an event that culminated in the peaceful surrender of the kidnappers without unfortunate consequences. The airline is now a steadily growing company that has managed to cope very well own the aviation industry crisis and the country. In the years following 2008 Aires begun having problems because of schedules and services, many passengers complained and refused to travel on the Airline, because its schedule errors, the airlines begun delaying their flights from ElDorado International Airport by even 24 hours of delay, then passengers begun complaining and stopped travelling with them, the airline has been constantly trying to fix this mistakes and has been trying to pay passengers because of their trip cancellations and their long hours waiting.
In that same year, 2002 Aires began operation headquartered in the Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin, connecting the cities of Bucaramanga city, Apartado and Monteria, in addition to the traditional route to Ibague, among others. This operation was further strengthened with the disappearance of the ACES airline market, which had a strong operation in the airport. In this period AIRES changed their blue and white color scheme for a blue, green and white art. This change was not the planes, but throughout the corporate image and logo.
Throughout the decade beginning in 2000, Aires remained a strong regional airline connecting also to some international destinations. However, for 2009 AIRES began a major expansion with the mission to be more than a regional airline, for it acquired its first jet aircraft, a modern Boeing 737-700 with which it began operating trunk routes between major cities Colombia. The first of these aircraft arrived in the country in January 2009 and was officially launched on February 10 of that year. With these aircraft Aires launched a new international expansion flying start to New York from Fort Lauderdale from Bogotá and Barranquilla, Bogota, Cartagena and Cali, connecting to other cities. The airline plans to fly to other countries like Brazil, Mexico and Canada. With the arrival of these aircraft was a new change of image, based on the colors in the picture above but in a more modern and fresh.
Throughout this expansion has changed its business model to the category "lowcost" used by international airlines such as Spirit Airlines, Ryanair and EasyJet, among others, in which the basic rate is charged and all other services, as baggage, food and so are extra. In its expansion Aires importantly invigorated Colombian air market, at some point characterized by having the most expensive airfares in the region, producing a significant drop in the price and making the air travel was accessible to many people who for reasons of cost had never been. But recent years have not been entirely positive Aires on August 16, 2010 one of the new Boeing 737-700 had an accident while landing in San Andrés, killing two people and with total loss of the airplane. In addition is this, AIR has had some problems of various kinds, which have caused its punctuality rate decreases significantly, generating complaints from users and called for attention from the FAA.
Aires has been characterized during this phase of its contests, interactive advertising and its proximity to the passengers. Competitions "Quiero Volver a Cali" and "Mas Colombiano Que" (in which passengers have chosen the names for 5 of the Boeing 737-700), among others, have approached the airline with the community. LAN Airlines, the Chilean flagship carrier, paid $12.0 million for a 98.9% indirect stake in Aires, Colombia's second largest airline, LAN said Friday, November 27, 2010. [3]
On December 3, Aires started operations as LAN Colombia.
The airline operates 25 destinations in Colombia and to Panama and the United States and internationally. On December 19, 2008 under the 44th session of the GEPA (Group Aeronautical Project Evaluator) is authorized 224 new frequencies nationwide. Likewise, the Department of Transportation approved on 25 March 2009 at the airline's flights from Barranquilla, Bogota and Cartagena to New York and Fort Lauderdale. On July 24, 2010 indefinitely suspended its operations in Venezuela given the continuing low traffic and strained relations with that country.
Aires began with a fleet of Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante, then replaced them with aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Series "Q" series 100 and 200, in 2008 announced the addition to the fleet of new aircraft from the same manufacturer but in a new standards and new generation: the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 of whom have arrived in April, configured with 74 seats and to April 2010 the airline has a fleet of turboprop aircraft for 11 Bombardier Q200 Canada Dash 8 configured with 37 seats has also Manufacturer 9 Boeing Jets 737-700 type for the process of internationalization and market entry of trunk routes in the country. The 737 will exit service in 2012. The airline has received 3 Airbus A320 from LAN Airlines.
The LAN Colombia fleet consists of the following aircraft (at Dec 5, 2011):[4]
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers (Economy) |
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| Airbus A318 |
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LAN Colombia Livery |
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| Airbus A319 |
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LAN Colombia Livery |
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| Airbus A320 |
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in LAN Colombia Livery |
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| Boeing 767-300ER |
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LAN Colombia Livery |
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| Boeing 737-700 |
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EI-EEV, HK-4627, HK-4694, HK-4695, HK-4635 [7][8][9][10] in LAN Colombia Livery |
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| Bombardier Dash 8 Q200 |
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HK-4473, HK-4480, HK-4618, HK-4554, HK-4509, HK-4513 in LAN Colombia Livery | |
| Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 |
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| Total | 27 | 23 | |||
In 2008, LAN Colombia announced the purchase of 4 Bombardier Dash 8 Q400s.[11]
Colombia's LAN Colombia plans to replace its entire fleet of 11 Bombardier Dash 8 Q200s with larger Q400s over the next five years.[12] This makes LAN Colombia the first and currently the only Q400 operator in South America. LAN Colombia is also the only Dash 8 operating airline in Colombia and also the first and only to operate all variants of the Dash 8 series through out its operational history, although the airline has not operated all 4 variants simultaneously.
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