AeroCóndor
Encyclopedia
History
Airlines from the Republic of Colombia have earned a reputation for producing some of the most imaginative and artistic liveries to have graced civil aviation. Private operator "AEROVIAS CONDOR DE COLOMBIA" was no exception.Aerocondor Colombia was founded by Gustavo Lopez, Luis Donado, Eduardo Gonzalez, Juan B. Millon, Captain Julio Martin Florez, and Enrique Hanaberg ex Lansa and Avianca pilots in association with two businessmen who together perceived an opportunity to establish a new airline flying cargo from Colombia's northern industrial city of Barranquilla throughout the republic. Services commenced during October 1957 using Curtiss C-46 aircraft which were later complemented with Douglas DC-3s. Progressive expansion saw most of these aircraft later reconfigured for passenger services then DC-4 and DC-6 aircraft acquired during the early 1960s. International services between Barranquilla and Miami commenced during 1963 and from April 1969 the company began re-equipping with Lockheed L-188 Electra turboprops which replaced its fleet of classic prop liners. Aerocondor entered the jet age during late 1972, purchasing an ex-American Airlines B720-B. A rare Canadair CC-106 Yukon was also acquired for freight services during 1972 and a second ex-American Airlines B-720-B was added to the fleet during 1974. Introduction of jetliners modernized the airline's image and enabled it to begin operating jet services to Aruba, Curaçao, Guatemala City, Santo Domingo, Panama, and Port-au-Prince whilst also increasing the frequency of its Miami services from Medellin, Bogotá, and Isla de San Andres. During 1975, financial control of Aerocondor passed from the company's foundation management to Jorge Barco Vargas, formerly an Aerocivil chairman and brother of a former president of the republic. Further expansion during early 1976 saw the airline add three ex-American Airlines B707-120B's to its fleet. One of these aircraft was converted to a freighter and operated between Medellin and Miami in the lucrative flower export market. The airline began disposing of its L-188 Electras with two aircraft being sold to VARIG Brazilian Airlines whilst three others were retained for freight services. By this stage Aerocondor had grown to become Colombia's second international airline and was competing against the country's national flag carrier Avianca Colombia. In 1977 the airline entered the wide-body era when it acquired a factory fresh Airbus A-300, named "Ciudad de Barranquilla" in honor of the company's port of origin. This was the first A-300 to be operated within the Latin American region, entering service on highly competitive routes to Miami. Plans for the introduction of a second A-300 failed to materialize due to fiscal underachievement under the airline's new management. Aerocondor was again sold during 1979 to the Cotes and Calderon brothers and shortly afterward the financially strapped carrier entered a period of major crisis, due to poor control and internal corruption rather than market forces. The airline's A-300 was returned to its lessors and during May 1980 the company entered bankruptcy and ceased operations. Hope remained that services would be reinstated but negotiations between the pilots, liquidators and the Colombian government were unsuccessful. The airline's fleet of B707's and B720's remained grounded and were eventually stricken from the Colombian civil air register as the colorful identity of Aerocondor Colombia receded into civil aviation history.
Fleet
Aircraft used throughout the years were:- Curtis C-46 CommandoC-46 CommandoThe Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft originally derived from a commercial high-altitude airliner design. It was instead used as a military transport during World War II by the United States Army Air Forces as well as the U.S. Navy/Marine Corps under the designation R5C...
7 - Douglas DC-3Douglas DC-3The Douglas DC-3 is an American fixed-wing propeller-driven aircraft whose speed and range revolutionized air transport in the 1930s and 1940s. Its lasting impact on the airline industry and World War II makes it one of the most significant transport aircraft ever made...
2 - Douglas DC-4Douglas DC-4The Douglas DC-4 is a four-engined propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s in a military role...
3 - Cessna T-50 2
- Cessna 180Cessna 180The Cessna 180 is a four- or six-seat, fixed conventional gear general aviation airplane which was produced between 1953 and 1981. Though the design is no longer in production, many of these aircraft are still in use as personal aircraft and in utility roles such as bush...
1 - De Havilland Canada DHC-2 BeaverDe Havilland Canada DHC-2 BeaverThe de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver is a single-engined, high-wing, propeller-driven, STOL aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, primarily known as a bush plane. It is used for cargo and passenger hauling, aerial application , and has been widely adopted by armed forces as a utility aircraft...
1 - Douglas DC-6Douglas DC-6The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and transport aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with the Lockheed Constellation in the long-range...
3 - Lockheed L-188 ElectraLockheed L-188 ElectraThe Lockheed Model 188 Electra is an American turboprop airliner built by Lockheed. First flying in 1957, it was the first large turboprop airliner produced in the United States. Initial sales were good, but after two fatal crashes which prompted an expensive modification program to fix a design...
7 - Canadair CL-44Canadair CL-44The Canadair CL-44 was a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia that was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
1 - Boeing 720B 2
- Boeing 707Boeing 707The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
2 passenger 1 cargo only - Airbus A300-B4 1