Aerosur
Encyclopedia
Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur, S.A.
,, usually shortened and styled AeroSur is a privately-owned airline
from Bolivia
, which serves as the country's flag carrier
since 1998, along with state-owned Boliviana de Aviación
. Headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, it operates a network of domestic and international scheduled passenger flights with its hub
at the city's Viru Viru International Airport
. As of 2010, the airline had 1200 employees.
of the Bolivian airline market, which previously had been controlled by state-owned Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
. Revenue flights on regional routes were commenced on 24 August of that year, using an initial fleet of Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
and British Aerospace 146 aircraft. Over the following years, larger Boeing 727
airliners were acquired, allowing for a growth of network size and passenger numbers.
During the 2000s, AeroSur renewed and expanded its fleet, introducing larger aircraft of the types Boeing 747
, Boeing 757
and Boeing 767
, which made the inauguration of long-haul flights possible. When Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano went bankrupt in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline of Bolivia and the only one with intercontinental flights (to Central and North America as well as to Europe). Since 2009, the domestic fleet of ageing 727s is replaced by more modern, though second-hand purchased Boeing 737 Classic
airliners.
In October 2008, then President of Paraguay
Nicanor Duarte announced that AeroSur had been chosen to create the new flag carrier airline of his country, to be based at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
in Asunción
. The subsidiary dubbed AeroSur Paraguay was planned to operate two Boeing 737-200 aircraft of mainline AeroSur. The further development of the project was postponed in mid-2009 pending Paraguayan governmental approval, and later deferred indefinetely.
AeroSur does not operate any dedicated cargo aircraft, but uses the cargo holds of its passenger airliners for network-wide freight transport. Additionally, tourist sightseeing flights are offered on a single Douglas DC-3
.
S.A. (corporation)
S.A. designates a particular type of corporation in various countries, mostly those employing the civil law. It originated in Spain during the 16th century. Depending on language, the abbreviation stands for various phrases meaning anonymous society, anonymous company, anonymous partnership, or...
,, usually shortened and styled AeroSur is a privately-owned airline
Airline
An airline provides air transport services for traveling passengers and freight. Airlines lease or own their aircraft with which to supply these services and may form partnerships or alliances with other airlines for mutual benefit...
from Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
, which serves as the country's flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
since 1998, along with state-owned Boliviana de Aviación
Boliviana de Aviación
Boliviana de Aviación or simply called BoA is the state-owned national flag carrier airline of Bolivia along with private airline AeroSur. It was established by the Bolivian Government under the president Evo Morales, replacing the troubled Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano as flag carrier.The airline is...
. Headquartered in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, it operates a network of domestic and international scheduled 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 Viru Viru International Airport
Viru Viru International Airport
Viru Viru International Airport is an aviation facility located in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.The idea to build a new, modern airport in Santa Cruz was conceived in 1976, in view of the obsolence of the old airport known as El Trompillo. Soon after, construction of the airport began...
. As of 2010, the airline had 1200 employees.
History
AeroSur was established in April 1992, following the deregulationDeregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
of the Bolivian airline market, which previously had been controlled by state-owned Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano
Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano S.A. was an airline serving as flag carrier of Bolivia. It operated domestic and international flights, aiming at passenger as well as cargo transport. LAB was active for more than 80 years, having been based in Cochabamba most of the time, with Cochabamba Airport being an...
. Revenue flights on regional routes were commenced on 24 August of that year, using an initial fleet of Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
and British Aerospace 146 aircraft. Over the following years, larger Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
airliners were acquired, allowing for a growth of network size and passenger numbers.
During the 2000s, AeroSur renewed and expanded its fleet, introducing larger aircraft of the types Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, Boeing 757
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
and Boeing 767
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
, which made the inauguration of long-haul flights possible. When Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano went bankrupt in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline of Bolivia and the only one with intercontinental flights (to Central and North America as well as to Europe). Since 2009, the domestic fleet of ageing 727s is replaced by more modern, though second-hand purchased Boeing 737 Classic
Boeing 737 Classic
The Boeing 737 Classic is the name given to the -300/-400/-500 series of the Boeing 737 following the introduction of the -600/-700/-800/-900 series. They are short- to medium- range, narrow-body jet airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The Classic series was introduced as the 'new...
airliners.
In October 2008, then President of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
Nicanor Duarte announced that AeroSur had been chosen to create the new flag carrier airline of his country, to be based at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
-Incidents and accidents:*3 December 1945: an USAAF Douglas C-47B-5-DK registration 43-48602 flying from Asunción to Montevideo crashed 16km SE of Carlos Pellegrini, Argentina...
in Asunción
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
. The subsidiary dubbed AeroSur Paraguay was planned to operate two Boeing 737-200 aircraft of mainline AeroSur. The further development of the project was postponed in mid-2009 pending Paraguayan governmental approval, and later deferred indefinetely.
Fleet
As of November 2011, the commercial AeroSur fleet consists of the following aircraft::| Aircraft | In Service | Passengers | Routes | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F | C | Y | Total | ||||
| Boeing 727-200 | 0 | 12 | 138 | 150 | Domestic | To be retired in 2011 |
|
| Boeing 737-200 | 0 | 12 | 96 | 109 | Domestic, South American | To be retired in 2011 |
|
| Boeing 737-300 | 0 | 12 | 114 | 126 | Domestic, American | ||
| Boeing 737-400 | 0 | 8 | 142 | 150 | Domestic, South American | ||
| Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe... |
14 | 58 | 379 | 451 | Madrid | leased from Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic Airways Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited is a British airline owned by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Singapore Airlines... Denominated Súper Torísimo |
|
| Boeing 767-200ER | — | 18 24 |
157 175 |
175 199 |
American | one aircraft stored Sharko-livery |
|
| Total | 11 | ||||||
AeroSur does not operate any dedicated cargo aircraft, but uses the cargo holds of its passenger airliners for network-wide freight transport. Additionally, tourist sightseeing flights are offered on a single 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...
.
Fleet development
Over the years, AeroSur operated the following aircraft types:| Aircraft | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|
| BAe 146-100/200 | ||
| Boeing 727-100/200 Boeing 727 The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced... |
||
| Boeing 737-200 | ||
| Boeing 737-300 | ||
| Boeing 737-400 | ||
| Boeing 747-300 | ||
| Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-400 The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe... |
||
| Boeing 757-200 | ||
| Boeing 767-200 | ||
| Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States.... |
||
| Yakovlev Yak-40 Yakovlev Yak-40 The Yakovlev Yak-40 is a small, three-engined airliner that is often called the first regional jet transport aircraft... |
||
Incidents
- On 31 December 1997, an AeroSur Fairchild Swearingen MetrolinerFairchild Swearingen MetrolinerThe Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner or the Fairchild Aerospace Metro is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild at a plant in San Antonio, Texas, United States....
(registeredAircraft registrationAn aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
CP-2321) was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway at Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz AirportTeniente Jorge Henrich Arauz AirportTeniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport is an airport in Trinidad, Bolivia. It is the main hub both for Amaszonas and Aerocon. Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport is the main airport and entrance to the Bolivian Amazonic region.-Airlines and destinations:...
. The two pilots had lost control of the aircraft during take-off run. There were no notable injuries amongst the 18 passengers on board.
Awards and recognitions
- 2008: Named Most Powerful Brand among Bolivian airlines by PricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopersPricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
. - 2009: Awarded one Bizz Award as Inspiring Company.