West Caribbean Airways
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1998 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | 2005 | ||||||
| Hubs |
José María Córdova Int'l Airport El Dorado Int'l Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 26 | ||||||
| Headquarters |
Olaya Herrera Airport Medellín, Colombia | ||||||
| Website | Wca.com.co | ||||||
West Caribbean Airways S.A. (WCA) was a commercial airline founded in 1998 with its headquarters on the grounds of Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, Colombia.[1]
History
The company was founded in 1998 by Colombian businessman Hassan Tannir and began operations in December 1999. Originally based in San Andres, it began operations with four Let L-410 that served San Andres and Providencia Island as the first destinations.[2]
In 2000, West Caribbean Airways added flights to Cartagena, Monteria, and Barranquilla with ATR 42 aircraft leased and also expanded to international routes to Varadero, Cuba, Panama City, Panama, and San Jose, Costa Rica. The next year, a group of investors acquired the airline and relocated its headquarters to Medellin, and began to compete with ACES with routes to the El Bagre, Monteria, Caucasia, Tolu, Chigorodo, Otu, Puerto Berrio, among others.
The airline expanded very rapidly, and acquired two McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft which operated various international and regional routes.
In 2005, after the crash of Flight 708 in Venezuela, the company's fleet was grounded and ceased operation.
Incidents and accidents
- 26 March 2005. A West Caribbean Airways Let L-410 Turbolet aircraft registration HK-4146, on departure from El Embrujo, Isla de Providencia failed to climb and hit hills close to the runway,[3] killing the two crew and six of the twelve passengers. Initial reports suggested a technical fault.[4]
- 16 August 2005. West Caribbean Airways Flight 708, a chartered West Caribbean Airways McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft heading from Panama to Martinique in the Caribbean, crashed in remote western Venezuela due to human errors, killing all 160 aboard, mostly French nationals.
Services
West Caribbean Airways operated the following services (at January 2005):
- Domestic scheduled destinations: Armenia, Barranquilla, Bogotá, Cali, Cartagena, Caucasia, Chigorodó, Cúcuta, El Bagre, Medellín, Montería, Otú, Providencia, Puerto Berrío, Quibdó, San Andrés, Tolú and Turbo.
- International scheduled destinations: Oranjestad, Panama City, San José and Porlamar.
Fleet
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The West Caribbean Airways fleet consisted of the following aircraft (at January 2005):
- 1 ATR 42-300
- 3 ATR 42-320
- 1 McDonnell Douglas MD-81 scrapped
- 3 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (one crashed in Venezuela and 1 sold to Aeromexico and 1 more to Avianca)
- 8 Let L-410 UVP-E (one crashed in Colombia)
References
- ↑ "PREGUNTAS FRECUENTES WEST CARIBBEAN AIRWAYS." West Caribbean Airways. 11 August 2003. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. "6. ¿Dónde quedan ubicadas las oficinas de West Caribbean Airways? Las oficinas principales, es decir, la sede administrativa, operaciones, el área comercial y el call center están ubicados en el hangar 73 del aeroparque Olaya Herrera."
- ↑ "Acerca de WCA." West Caribbean Airways. 11 August 2003. Retrieved on 26 January 2011. "WEST CARIBBEAN AIRWAYS S.A. es una sociedad anónima, constituida legalmente el 29 de diciembre de 1998."
- ↑ planecrashinfo.com
- ↑ Flight International, July 2005
External links
Media related to West Caribbean Airways at Wikimedia Commons- West Caribbean Airways (Archive) (Spanish)
- West Caribbean Airways Fleet