Austral Líneas Aéreas
Encyclopedia
Austral Líneas Aéreas more commonly known by its shortened name Austral, is a domestic airline of Argentina
, the sister company of Aerolíneas Argentinas
. It is the second largest domestic scheduled airline in the country, after Aerolíneas Argentinas itself. As a subsidiary of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the company shares its headquarters with that airline, which is located in the Torre Bouchard
, San Nicolás
, Buenos Aires
. Its main base of operations is Aeroparque Jorge Newbery
, Buenos Aires.
Austral is currently fully integrated into Aerolíneas Argentinas; however, some differences arise, especially those relying upon the Unions the staff of both companies are affiliated to, which lead to constant conflicts. Although the carrier is assigned the IATA airline code AU and the ICAO airline code AUT for its operations, it currently uses the AR and ARG codes of the parent airline Aerolíneas Argentinas. Austral's callsign is AUSTRAL.
The airline currently operates a mixed fleet of MD-80 series and recently-delivered Embraer 190s. As more Embraer 190s are delivered the MD-80s will be withdrawn and the airline will eventually operate an all-Embraer fleet.
The so-called Federal Corridor , a two-way route linking the cities of Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Córdoba
, Iguazú, Mendoza and Salta
, is commercially run by Aerolíneas Argentinas, yet the route is actually operated using Austral equipment.
and jetliners BAC One-Eleven
.
Austral became a government-owned company in 1980. After poor economic performances, there were two failed attempts to re-privatise Austral in 1981 and 1983. All that time Austral and Aerolíneas Argentinas were competitors on a number of domestic routes. Realizing that such a situation could not persist much longer, the government decided again to privatise Austral. This was much resisted by the Aerolíneas Argentinas' personnel, and more specifically its pilots, who claimed their salaries were lower than those of Austral's counterparts. Aerolíneas Argentinas' pilots union understood the government effort was not to solve their affiliates salary conflict, but to focus on privatising a loss-making carrier as Austral was instead. The consequence of this discrepance was the announcement that Aerolíneas Argentinas flights were to be indefinitely suspended effective . The strike affected both Aerolineas Argentinas' domestic and international operations. Argentine as well as foreign carriers were benefited from this strike. Ironically, Austral was included among that carriers, gaining the domestic market share Aerolíneas Argentinas lost.
Austral became once again a privately-owned firm when it was acquired by the holding company Cielos del Sur S.A. in late 1987. The acquisition generated some controversy on the Argentine aviation sector at that time, as it was raised that the new owner had little or no experience in managing an airline. On April 1988, the carrier became a IATA
member. Shortly afterwards, the company faced a major accident during its new private era on 12 June 1988, when a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 hit a tree on a low visibility approach into Posadas
and crashed. Apart from the 22 fatalities involved in the accident, it also spread concerns on the aviation sector over the airline's poor rate of occupation on some routes, of just 10.32% for this particular flight.
Cielos del Sur S.A. and Iberia
formed a consortium
to acquire an 85% stake in Aerolíneas Argentinas in 1990, within the framework of that flag carrier privatisation. Soon afterwards, Cielos del Sur S.A. sold Austral to Iberia. The destiny of both Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral became aligned thereafter. By July 1998, the company was 10% owned by its erstwhile competitor Aerolíneas Argentinas.
On the Argentine Government took the airline back into state control after acquiring 99.4% of the share capital for an undisclosed price. The remaining 0.6% continues to be owned by the company's employees. In September 2008, Argentina's Senate approved the nationalization of Aerolíneas Argentinas and its subsidiary Austral Líneas Aéreas on a 46-21 vote in favor of the takeover.
In June 2010 Aerolíneas Argentinas launched a new paint scheme to revamp the airline's image. The new livery resembles the colour blue of Argentina's flag and the colour yellow of the sun. As its subsidiary airline, Austral also adopted the new image. Austral's livery actually differs from the Aerolíneas Argentinas' one by a red cheatline only. In the meantime the airline also announced the incorporation of 20 new Embraer 190 to its fleet, receiving the first two of them in September 2010. The MD-80 series will be gradually phased out from the fleet as these aircraft are delivered.
for the purchase of 20 Embraer 190. The airline's current fleet comprises the following equipment:
, Austral is the third worldwide largest operator of the Embraer 190; the carrier's fleet age is 8.9 years.
records 11 accidents/incidents for Austral Líneas Aéreas, totalling 224 deaths.
LV-GED, that operated a Buenos Aires–Mar del Plata
scheduled passenger service, crashed into sea 1.2 kilometre (0.745647283979768 mi) off the coast after a missed approach into the destination airport. There were 51 fatalities.: Flight 9, a BAC One-Eleven 420EL
, tail number
LV-JGY, that operated a chartered Buenos Aires–San Carlos de Bariloche
passenger service, suffered pressurization problems during climbout to 35000 feet (10.7 km). The plane flew the route despite this, although at a lower flight level
. On approach into San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport the aircraft collided with the ground 21 kilometres (13 mi) east of the destination city. All 5 crew and 41 of 74 passengers perished.: Flight 901, operating a scheduled domestic Tucumán–Buenos Aires passenger service with a BAC One-Eleven 529FR, tail number LV-LOX, crashed into the Río de la Plata
amid stormy weather while on approach, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east-southeast of the destination airport.: Flight 46, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, registration N1003G, operating a scheduled Resistencia
–Posadas
service, crashed on final approach into the destination airport after hitting trees in low visibility. There were no survivors among the 22 occupants of the airplane.: Flight 2553
, a Douglas DC-9-32, tail number LV-WEG, en route from Posadas to Buenos Aires, crashed near Nuevo Berlín
, Uruguay
, after entering a storm, resulting in the death of all 74 occupants, of whom 69 were passengers. The likely cause of the accident was the icing of the pitot tube
s. The accident remains the deadliest one experienced by the carrier all through its history.
at climbout after an improper selection of the fuel pump
. The pilots managed to land the plane in a nearby sports field. The aircraft was damaged beyon repair.: A Bac One-Eleven 521FH
, registration LV-JNR, that operated a scheduled passenger service, suffered a power loss on an engine after departing from Comandante Espora Airport
. The pilots made a forced landing
using the remaining length of the runway. Arresting cables deployed on it were unable to stop the aircraft, and damaged the fuel tanks as they broke off. Despite sparks ignited the fuel, all occupants managed to escape unharmed from the aircraft.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, the sister company of Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
. It is the second largest domestic scheduled airline in the country, after Aerolíneas Argentinas itself. As a subsidiary of Aerolíneas Argentinas, the company shares its headquarters with that airline, which is located in the Torre Bouchard
Torre Bouchard
Torre Bouchard is a skyscraper in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The building houses the headquarters of Aerolíneas Argentinas. The World Bank has its Argentina offices in the tower....
, San Nicolás
San Nicolás, Buenos Aires
San Nicolás is one of the neighbourhoods of the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, sharing most of the city and national government structure with neighboring Montserrat and home to much of Buenos Aires' financial sector...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. Its main base of operations is Aeroparque Jorge Newbery
Aeroparque Jorge Newbery
-Accidents and incidents:*On 17 December 1969, an Austral Líneas Aéreas C-46 Commando, lost engine 1 due to fuel exhaustion shortly after take-off. The plane failed to gain height and made a crash landing in a small sport field...
, Buenos Aires.
Austral is currently fully integrated into Aerolíneas Argentinas; however, some differences arise, especially those relying upon the Unions the staff of both companies are affiliated to, which lead to constant conflicts. Although the carrier is assigned the IATA airline code AU and the ICAO airline code AUT for its operations, it currently uses the AR and ARG codes of the parent airline Aerolíneas Argentinas. Austral's callsign is AUSTRAL.
The airline currently operates a mixed fleet of MD-80 series and recently-delivered Embraer 190s. As more Embraer 190s are delivered the MD-80s will be withdrawn and the airline will eventually operate an all-Embraer fleet.
The so-called Federal Corridor , a two-way route linking the cities of Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Córdoba
Córdoba, Argentina
Córdoba is a city located near the geographical center of Argentina, in the foothills of the Sierras Chicas on the Suquía River, about northwest of Buenos Aires. It is the capital of Córdoba Province. Córdoba is the second-largest city in Argentina after the federal capital Buenos Aires, with...
, Iguazú, Mendoza and Salta
Salta
Salta is a city in northwestern Argentina and the capital city of the Salta Province. Along with its metropolitan area, it has a population of 464,678 inhabitants as of the , making it Argentina's eighth largest city.-Overview:...
, is commercially run by Aerolíneas Argentinas, yet the route is actually operated using Austral equipment.
History
The origins of the carrier can be traced back to 1957, when Compañía Austral de Transportes Aéreos SACI (CATASACI) was founded; Austral Líneas Aéreas was formally established in June 1971 from the merger of CATASACI and Aerotransportes Litoral Argentino (ALA), In practice, operations of the latter airline were absorbed by CATASACI, which was rebranded as Austral Líneas Aéreas S.A. after merging. Austral inherited both companies' fleet, consisting of turboprops NAMC YS-11NAMC YS-11
The NAMC YS-11 is a turboprop airliner built by a Japanese consortium, the Nihon Aircraft Manufacturing Corporation. The program was initiated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry in 1954, the aircraft was rolled out in 1962, and production ceased in 1974.-Development and design:In...
and jetliners BAC One-Eleven
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
.
Austral became a government-owned company in 1980. After poor economic performances, there were two failed attempts to re-privatise Austral in 1981 and 1983. All that time Austral and Aerolíneas Argentinas were competitors on a number of domestic routes. Realizing that such a situation could not persist much longer, the government decided again to privatise Austral. This was much resisted by the Aerolíneas Argentinas' personnel, and more specifically its pilots, who claimed their salaries were lower than those of Austral's counterparts. Aerolíneas Argentinas' pilots union understood the government effort was not to solve their affiliates salary conflict, but to focus on privatising a loss-making carrier as Austral was instead. The consequence of this discrepance was the announcement that Aerolíneas Argentinas flights were to be indefinitely suspended effective . The strike affected both Aerolineas Argentinas' domestic and international operations. Argentine as well as foreign carriers were benefited from this strike. Ironically, Austral was included among that carriers, gaining the domestic market share Aerolíneas Argentinas lost.
Austral became once again a privately-owned firm when it was acquired by the holding company Cielos del Sur S.A. in late 1987. The acquisition generated some controversy on the Argentine aviation sector at that time, as it was raised that the new owner had little or no experience in managing an airline. On April 1988, the carrier became a IATA
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
member. Shortly afterwards, the company faced a major accident during its new private era on 12 June 1988, when a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 hit a tree on a low visibility approach into Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
and crashed. Apart from the 22 fatalities involved in the accident, it also spread concerns on the aviation sector over the airline's poor rate of occupation on some routes, of just 10.32% for this particular flight.
Cielos del Sur S.A. and Iberia
Iberia Airlines
Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A., commonly known as Iberia, is the flag carrier airline of Spain. Based in Madrid, it operates an international network of services from its main bases of Madrid-Barajas Airport and Barcelona El Prat Airport....
formed a consortium
Consortium
A consortium is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for achieving a common goal....
to acquire an 85% stake in Aerolíneas Argentinas in 1990, within the framework of that flag carrier privatisation. Soon afterwards, Cielos del Sur S.A. sold Austral to Iberia. The destiny of both Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral became aligned thereafter. By July 1998, the company was 10% owned by its erstwhile competitor Aerolíneas Argentinas.
On the Argentine Government took the airline back into state control after acquiring 99.4% of the share capital for an undisclosed price. The remaining 0.6% continues to be owned by the company's employees. In September 2008, Argentina's Senate approved the nationalization of Aerolíneas Argentinas and its subsidiary Austral Líneas Aéreas on a 46-21 vote in favor of the takeover.
In June 2010 Aerolíneas Argentinas launched a new paint scheme to revamp the airline's image. The new livery resembles the colour blue of Argentina's flag and the colour yellow of the sun. As its subsidiary airline, Austral also adopted the new image. Austral's livery actually differs from the Aerolíneas Argentinas' one by a red cheatline only. In the meantime the airline also announced the incorporation of 20 new Embraer 190 to its fleet, receiving the first two of them in September 2010. The MD-80 series will be gradually phased out from the fleet as these aircraft are delivered.
Fleet
Austral Líneas Aéreas is undergoing a major fleet renewal. In 2009, the company signed a contract with EmbraerEmbraer
Embraer S.A. is a Brazilian aerospace conglomerate that produces commercial, military, and executive aircraft and provides aeronautical services....
for the purchase of 20 Embraer 190. The airline's current fleet comprises the following equipment:
| Aircraft | In Fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Embraer 190 | 20 | — | 8 | 88 | 96 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 1 | — | — | 160 | 160 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 10 | — | 8 | 140 | 148 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-88 | 3 | — | 12 | 130 | 142 | Leased from AeroMéxico Aeroméxico Airways of Mexico, SA de CV , operating as Aeroméxico, is the flag carrier airline of Mexico based in Colonia Cuauhtémoc, Cuauhtémoc, Mexico City. It operates scheduled domestic and international services to North America, South America, Central America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia... |
| Total | 34 | — | ||||
, Austral is the third worldwide largest operator of the Embraer 190; the carrier's fleet age is 8.9 years.
Retired
Austral has previously operated the following aircraft:- BAC One-Eleven 400
- BAC One-Eleven 500
- Boeing 737-228 Advanced
- CASA CN-235CASA CN-235The CASA/IPTN CN-235 is a medium-range twin-engined transport plane that was jointly developed by CASA of Spain and IPTN of Indonesia as a regional airliner and military transport. Its primary military roles include maritime patrol, surveillance, and air transport...
(operated for Inter Austral, a former Córdoba-based subsidiary of Austral) - Curtiss C-46
- 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...
- 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...
- DC-9 Series 30
- DC-9 Series 50
- DC-9 Super 80
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
- YS-11A
Accidents and incidents
, Aviation Safety NetworkAviation Safety Network
-External links:**...
records 11 accidents/incidents for Austral Líneas Aéreas, totalling 224 deaths.
Accidents involving fatalitites
: Flight 205, a Curtiss C-46, registrationAircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
LV-GED, that operated a Buenos Aires–Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is an Argentine city located on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, south of Buenos Aires. Mar del Plata is the second largest city of Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" had apparently the sense of "sea of the Río de la Plata region" or "adjoining sea to the Río de la Plata"...
scheduled passenger service, crashed into sea 1.2 kilometre (0.745647283979768 mi) off the coast after a missed approach into the destination airport. There were 51 fatalities.: Flight 9, a BAC One-Eleven 420EL
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
, tail number
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...
LV-JGY, that operated a chartered Buenos Aires–San Carlos de Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is a city in the , situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake and is located inside Nahuel Huapi National Park...
passenger service, suffered pressurization problems during climbout to 35000 feet (10.7 km). The plane flew the route despite this, although at a lower flight level
Flight level
A Flight Level is a standard nominal altitude of an aircraft, in hundreds of feet. This altitude is calculated from the International standard pressure datum of 1013.25 hPa , the average sea-level pressure, and therefore is not necessarily the same as the aircraft's true altitude either...
. On approach into San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport the aircraft collided with the ground 21 kilometres (13 mi) east of the destination city. All 5 crew and 41 of 74 passengers perished.: Flight 901, operating a scheduled domestic Tucumán–Buenos Aires passenger service with a BAC One-Eleven 529FR, tail number LV-LOX, crashed into the Río de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
amid stormy weather while on approach, 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east-southeast of the destination airport.: Flight 46, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81, registration N1003G, operating a scheduled Resistencia
Resistencia
Resistencia may refer to:* Resistencia, Chaco, a city in Argentina* Resistencia International Airport , an airport in Chaco Province, Argentina* Resistencia Civil, Civil resistance* La Resistencia, a 1972 Argentine film...
–Posadas
Posadas, Misiones
Posadas is the capital city of the Argentine province of Misiones, located at the south of the province, on the left-hand shore of the Paraná River, opposite Encarnación, Paraguay. The city has an area of 965 km² and a population of 323,739 ....
service, crashed on final approach into the destination airport after hitting trees in low visibility. There were no survivors among the 22 occupants of the airplane.: Flight 2553
Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553
Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553, better known as Austral 2553, was a domestic scheduled Posadas–Buenos Aires service operated with a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 that crashed on the lands of Estancia Magallanes, Nuevo Berlín, away from Fray Bentos, Uruguay, on . All 74 passengers and crew perished...
, a Douglas DC-9-32, tail number LV-WEG, en route from Posadas to Buenos Aires, crashed near Nuevo Berlín
Nuevo Berlín
Nuevo Berlín is a town in the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay. It is located on the east bank of Uruguay River northwest of the junction of Route 24 with Route 20. South of the town flows the stream Arroyo de la Yeguada and to its west, in the Uruguay River, is the island Isla del Burro...
, Uruguay
Uruguay
Uruguay ,officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay,sometimes the Eastern Republic of Uruguay; ) is a country in the southeastern part of South America. It is home to some 3.5 million people, of whom 1.8 million live in the capital Montevideo and its metropolitan area...
, after entering a storm, resulting in the death of all 74 occupants, of whom 69 were passengers. The likely cause of the accident was the icing of the pitot tube
Pitot tube
A pitot tube is a pressure measurement instrument used to measure fluid flow velocity. The pitot tube was invented by the French engineer Henri Pitot Ulo in the early 18th century and was modified to its modern form in the mid-19th century by French scientist Henry Darcy...
s. The accident remains the deadliest one experienced by the carrier all through its history.
Non-fatal hull-losses
: One of the engines of a Curtiss Commando, tail number LV-GEB, that operated a cargo service, ran out of fuelFuel Starvation
Fuel starvation and fuel exhaustion are problems that can affect internal combustion engines fuelled by either diesel, kerosene, petroleum or any other combustible liquid or gas. If no fuel is available for an engine to burn, it cannot function...
at climbout after an improper selection of the fuel pump
Fuel pump
A fuel pump is a frequently essential component on a car or other internal combustion engined device. Many engines do not require any fuel pump at all, requiring only gravity to feed fuel from the fuel tank through a line or hose to the engine...
. The pilots managed to land the plane in a nearby sports field. The aircraft was damaged beyon repair.: A Bac One-Eleven 521FH
BAC One-Eleven
The British Aircraft Corporation One-Eleven, also known as the BAC-111, BAC-1-11 or BAC 1-11, was a British short-range jet airliner of the 1960s and 1970s...
, registration LV-JNR, that operated a scheduled passenger service, suffered a power loss on an engine after departing from Comandante Espora Airport
Comandante Espora Airport
Comandante Espora Airport , also known as Bahía Blanca Airport, is a domestic airport in Bahía Blanca, Argentina, which is served by Aerolíneas Argentinas, Líneas Aéreas del Estado and LAN Argentina....
. The pilots made a forced landing
Forced landing
A forced landing is a landing by an aircraft made under factors outside the pilot's control, such as the failure of engines, systems, components or weather which makes continued flight impossible. For a full description of these, see article on Emergency landing...
using the remaining length of the runway. Arresting cables deployed on it were unable to stop the aircraft, and damaged the fuel tanks as they broke off. Despite sparks ignited the fuel, all occupants managed to escape unharmed from the aircraft.
See also
- List of BAC One-Eleven operators
- List of Embraer 190 operators
- List of NAMC YS-11 operators