Aero California
Encyclopedia
Aero California was a low-cost airline with its headquarters in La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz, Baja California Sur
La Paz is the capital city of the Mexican state of Baja California Sur and an important regional commercial center. The city had a 2010 census population of 215,178 persons, but its metropolitan population is somewhat larger because of surrounding towns like el Centenario, el Zacatal and San Pedro...

, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

, operating a network of domestic passenger flights with its hub
Airline hub
An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...

 at the city's Manuel Márquez de León International Airport
Manuel Márquez de León International Airport
Manuel Márquez de León International Airport is an international airport located at La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It handles national and international air traffic of the city of La Paz. In 2010, the airport handled 558,800 passengers, representing a 9.0% increase over 2009.-Airlines and...

..

History

The airline was founded in La Paz, Mexico in 1960 as an air taxi
Air taxi
An air taxi is an air charter passenger or cargo aircraft which operates on an on-demand basis.-Regulation:In the United States, air taxi and air charter operations are governed by Part 135 of the Federal Aviation Regulations , unlike the larger scheduled air carriers which are governed by more...

 operator using a fleet of Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...

 and Beechcraft
Beechcraft
Beechcraft is an American manufacturer of general aviation and military aircraft, ranging from light single engine aircraft to business jets and light military transports. Previously a division of Raytheon, it has been a brand of Hawker Beechcraft since 2006....

 airplanes, initially known as Servicios Aéreos. By the early 1980s the demand for domestic charter flights had grown to an extent, that allowed for the larger Douglas DC-3
Douglas DC-3
The 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...

 to be added to the fleet. Scheduled services were launched on June 1982, the first flight being between La Paz, Tijuana
Tijuana
Tijuana is the largest city on the Baja California Peninsula and center of the Tijuana metropolitan area, part of the international San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. An industrial and financial center of Mexico, Tijuana exerts a strong influence on economics, education, culture, art, and politics...

 and Hermosillo
Hermosillo
Hermosillo is a city and municipality located centrally in the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the capital and main economic center for the state and region. It contains almost all of the state's manufacturing and has thirty percent of its population...

 using Convair 340
Convair 240
The Convair CV-240 was an American airliner produced by Convair from 1947 to 1954, initially as a possible replacement of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-3. While featuring a more modern design, the 240 series was able to make some inroads as a commercial airliner and also had a long development cycle...

 aircraft. In 1989, international scheduled flights were commenced, with Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 being the first destination. By 1995 the fleet had been upgraded to feature only jet aircraft of various Douglas DC-9 subtypes.

On 3 April 2006 all operations of Aero California were suspended by the Mexican federal Secretariat of Communications and Transport, after the civil aviation authorities had found that the airline was not complying with its safety standards. It was given 90 days to correct the problems and was able to resume services on 11 August of that year 2006. On 23 July 2008 (at a time when the route network consisted 17 domestic destinations
Aero California destinations
This is a list of cities and airports that Aero California served to July 2008.-Baja California:*Tijuana - focus city-Baja California Sur:*La Paz...

),. the airline was again suspended, this time due to an alleged debt with the Mexican Air Traffic Control (SENEAM), which prompted a a labor strike of the employees on 5 August, which technically continues to present day. Aero California never operated any flights again, even though its license
Air Operator's Certificate
An air operator's certificate is the approval granted from a national aviation authority to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets and system in place to ensure the safety of its employees and the general public...

 remains valid.

Accidents and incidents

  • Aero California suffered one fatal accident, which occurred on 29 January 1986. A Douglas DC-3
    Douglas DC-3
    The 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...

     (registered
    Aircraft registration
    An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...

     XA-IOR) crashed into a range of hills near Las Lomitas during bad weather and visibility conditions. A scheduled passenger flight from Villa Constitución Airport
    Villa Constitución Airport
    Villa Constitución Airport is a small airfield located 3 km North of the central business district of Ciudad Constitución, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It is used for agricultural aviation purposes.-External links:*.**...

     to Los Mochis Airport
    Federal del Valle del Fuerte International Airport
    -External links:** from NOAA...

    .
  • On 21 July 2004 at 19:33 local time, a Douglas DC-9 (registered XA-BCS) encountered a wind shear
    Wind shear
    Wind shear, sometimes referred to as windshear or wind gradient, is a difference in wind speed and direction over a relatively short distance in the atmosphere...

     upon take-off at Mexico City International Airport
    Mexico City International Airport
    Benito Juárez International Airport , in Venustiano Carranza, one of the sixteen boroughs into which Mexico's Federal District is divided, is a commercial airport that serves Mexico City, the capital of Mexico...

     as Aero California Flight 706 to Durango
    Durango, Durango
    -Climate:The city of Durango has a semi-arid climate, classified as Bsk in the Koppen system. The climate is temperate in the western portion , with the average annual temperature being 15 °C and consisting of an average annual rainfall of 1,600 millimeters. In the eastern region, the average...

    , forcing the aircraft on the ground again. The three landing gears collapsed and one wing broke off, but all 52 passengers and the four crew members survived the accident.

External links

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