Dutch Caribbean Airlines
Encyclopedia
Dutch Caribbean Airlines was an airline based in Curaçao
, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
. It was founded after the demise of Curaçao's first airline, Air ALM
. Dutch Caribbean Airline began its operations smoothly but went downhill with different problems during its time in service.
had deteriorated to the point where it just couldn't be kept alive. Strong suspicions exist that fraud, corruption and theft by workers and management were going on and the airline had built up an enormous debt of almost fls340 Million (guilders) in the years since 1969, when the Antillean government had taken over the shares from KLM.
The airline was succeeded by Air ALM, which was owned by the same DC Holding that owned ALM Antillean Airlines and later Dutch Caribbean Airlines. The ownership of DC Holding [passed from the Antillean government to the Curaçao island government and was controlled by Fundashon DC Beheer (the "DC Beheer foundation"). It seems worker's rights were guaranteed by the Antillean government.
After an interlude that did not last longer than a couple of months, it seemed that Air ALM could not survive, and a similar construction was used to transfer the airline's assets once more, this time to Dutch Caribbean Airlines. The airline officially declared bankruptcy in 2002. The new director, Mario Evertsz, was to prepare the company for privatization in less than six months.
In Aruba and later on in other countries, the company was named Dutch Caribbean Express (DCE), because the company name DCA had already been registered. Between the end of ALM in 2000 and the near end of DCA in 2004, the personnel of the airline shrunk from 1000 workers to about 500 workers.
. But Citybird went bankrupt and Sobelair
(a division of Belgian Sabena
) was followed up as DCA's partner.
Other airlines joined the fray, such as Holland based Air Holland
. It also began flying Amsterdam-Curaçao with prices as low as fls245 guilders. DCA stopped dealing with travel agencies that sold the competing Air Holland tickets. Later on, Sobelair
went bankrupt and DCA had no choice but to turn to Air Holland. DCA desperately tried contracting other charter companies, but had no such luck and the airline left passengers stranded in Amsterdam and Curaçao. The airline lacked the resources and money to fulfill their obligations.
for its international flights to South America.
, an air commuter with daily flights between Bonaire and Curaçao and also offering charter flights between Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Venezuela. With the introduction of Divi Divi, DCA began its downfall, though still maintaining some of its operations. But in 2003, a new airline began flying between the ABC islands, as well as St Maarten, another DCA destination. BonairExel began competing against DCA and it operated under the Exel Aviation Group. Eventually DCA's partner out of desperation joined the Exel Group and was renamed HollandExel. When BonairExel began competing against DCA, DCA had to lower their prices to almost that of Divi Divi Air's level, and forced BonairExel to fly that cheaply as well.
While under Mario Evertsz's management, things rapidly grew even worse. Instead of preparing the airline for privatization, as he was instructed to do, DCA started the competition with KLM on the Curaçao Amsterdam route and began buying and leasing more and more aircraft. This led to the re-use of the Twin Otter and the acquisition of 4 leased DC9-30s. After the downfall of Sobelair and the Air Holland fiasco with Exel Aviation, the airline began leasing other longer range aircraft to fly their international routes. The airline leased a L-1011 and a B767 for their flights but that ended up throwing DCA off the cliff for good.
By 2004, things were so bad that the airline applied for several loans to keep the airline steady. The airline eventually got them and received fls37 million guilders that were used to enable the company to continue operating
In July 2004, only one DC9 was left in operation while the rest of its MD80 & DC9 aircraft were grounded, its Dash 8s were removed from its fleet and were replaced with the Twin Otters, and the 767s and L-1011 were returned to their original operators. Mario Evertsz resigned as DCA's director -without any announcement- but he did stay on as the director of Curaçao Airlines and Winair.
In October 2004, the airline finally collapsed and by then DCA had cost the government of Curaçao at least fls800 million guilders and likely much more. After the airlines demise, most of its aircraft were either sold to other operators (e.g. one Twin Otter was sent to Winair
and one Dash 8 was sent to LIAT and the DC-9's were sold to Aserca Airlines
), scrapped (e.g. one MD82 parked next to the hangar at the Curaçao airport) and others still awaiting their future.
Today, DCA has been replaced with Insel Air which is also an MD80 operator, while Divi Divi Air still operates the same fights under the same name and BonairExel has been reformed into Dutch Antilles Express
. The DCA breakdown had almost led to the third government crisis in two years on the island of Curaçao.
PJ-SNK: Kiyo
PJ-SNL: Liyo
PJ-SNM: Miyo
PJ-SNN: Niyo
Here is the list of the names of the MD80's:
The airline leased the Lockheed L-1011
from Luzair
and Boeing 767
from Air Atlanta Icelandic
after a struggle with most of its MD80 aircraft grounded with technical difficulties and the collapse of Sobelair
.
Curaçao
Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
. It was founded after the demise of Curaçao's first airline, Air ALM
Air ALM
ALM Antillean Airlines was the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao....
. Dutch Caribbean Airline began its operations smoothly but went downhill with different problems during its time in service.
History
Dutch Caribbean Airlines was actually established in 1964 as Air ABC (Air Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao) and the airline was later renamed to Antillianse Luchtvaart Maatchappij (ALM) to take over the services of the Caribbean division of KLM. In the year 2000, ALM Antillean AirlinesAir ALM
ALM Antillean Airlines was the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao....
had deteriorated to the point where it just couldn't be kept alive. Strong suspicions exist that fraud, corruption and theft by workers and management were going on and the airline had built up an enormous debt of almost fls340 Million (guilders) in the years since 1969, when the Antillean government had taken over the shares from KLM.
The airline was succeeded by Air ALM, which was owned by the same DC Holding that owned ALM Antillean Airlines and later Dutch Caribbean Airlines. The ownership of DC Holding [passed from the Antillean government to the Curaçao island government and was controlled by Fundashon DC Beheer (the "DC Beheer foundation"). It seems worker's rights were guaranteed by the Antillean government.
After an interlude that did not last longer than a couple of months, it seemed that Air ALM could not survive, and a similar construction was used to transfer the airline's assets once more, this time to Dutch Caribbean Airlines. The airline officially declared bankruptcy in 2002. The new director, Mario Evertsz, was to prepare the company for privatization in less than six months.
In Aruba and later on in other countries, the company was named Dutch Caribbean Express (DCE), because the company name DCA had already been registered. Between the end of ALM in 2000 and the near end of DCA in 2004, the personnel of the airline shrunk from 1000 workers to about 500 workers.
The Mid-Atlantic war
KLM's final joint activity with ALM/DCA was when KLM invested in the airline's new catering building. At the time KLM was still using Curaçao as the connecting hub for its South America-Europe flights, which was an extremely profitable operation with a traditional cooperation between KLM and ALM/DCA. But later on, DCA itself began competing with KLM on the Curaçao-Amsterdam flights with Holland based, Belgian CitybirdCityBird
CityBird was an airline founded in 1996 and based in Building 117D, Melsbroek Airport in Zaventem. Founded in 1996, the airline filed for bankruptcy in October 2001. Thomas Cook toyed with the idea of buying them out of bankruptcy, but later pulled out....
. But Citybird went bankrupt and Sobelair
Sobelair
Sobelair was an airline from Belgium. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.-History:...
(a division of Belgian Sabena
Sabena
SABENA was the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001, with its base at Brussels National Airport. After its bankruptcy in 2001, the newly formed SN Brussels Airlines took over part of SABENA's assets in February 2002, which then became Brussels Airlines...
) was followed up as DCA's partner.
Other airlines joined the fray, such as Holland based Air Holland
Air Holland
Air Holland was an airline based in the Netherlands. It operated passenger and cargo charters to Africa, Asia and the Mediterranean, as well as dry and wet leasing of aircraft to other airlines. It ceased operations on 25 March 2004. The airline was headquartered in Oude Meer, Haarlemmermeer.-...
. It also began flying Amsterdam-Curaçao with prices as low as fls245 guilders. DCA stopped dealing with travel agencies that sold the competing Air Holland tickets. Later on, Sobelair
Sobelair
Sobelair was an airline from Belgium. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.-History:...
went bankrupt and DCA had no choice but to turn to Air Holland. DCA desperately tried contracting other charter companies, but had no such luck and the airline left passengers stranded in Amsterdam and Curaçao. The airline lacked the resources and money to fulfill their obligations.
KLM’s revenge
KLM now decided that it had to take revenge against DCA for betraying them and began to lower its prices and moved its South American stops to Bonaire, therefore ending the use of Hato International Airport as a hub. But KLM did not stop flying to Curaçao altogether, it kept on flying to Curaçao as a regular destination. But Bonaire itself is not benefitting as much as one would think since the island is stuck with the cost to extend its runway and airport building to suit the new KLM flights. Today, KLM still uses Bonaire as a hub for its South American flights and is in the process of using the new and improved Boeing 777Boeing 777
The Boeing 777 is a long-range, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It is the world's largest twinjet and is commonly referred to as the "Triple Seven". The aircraft has seating for over 300 passengers and has a range from , depending on model...
for its international flights to South America.
The demise
In the early years of 2000, a new airline was introduced in Curaçao, Divi Divi AirDivi Divi Air
Divi Divi Air N.V. is a small regional service airline in the Curaçao. It was established in 2001 and is based on Curaçao in the Netherlands Antilles, with ticket offices in both Curaçao and Bonaire. In the area its nickname is "e Divi Divi"...
, an air commuter with daily flights between Bonaire and Curaçao and also offering charter flights between Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and Venezuela. With the introduction of Divi Divi, DCA began its downfall, though still maintaining some of its operations. But in 2003, a new airline began flying between the ABC islands, as well as St Maarten, another DCA destination. BonairExel began competing against DCA and it operated under the Exel Aviation Group. Eventually DCA's partner out of desperation joined the Exel Group and was renamed HollandExel. When BonairExel began competing against DCA, DCA had to lower their prices to almost that of Divi Divi Air's level, and forced BonairExel to fly that cheaply as well.
While under Mario Evertsz's management, things rapidly grew even worse. Instead of preparing the airline for privatization, as he was instructed to do, DCA started the competition with KLM on the Curaçao Amsterdam route and began buying and leasing more and more aircraft. This led to the re-use of the Twin Otter and the acquisition of 4 leased DC9-30s. After the downfall of Sobelair and the Air Holland fiasco with Exel Aviation, the airline began leasing other longer range aircraft to fly their international routes. The airline leased a L-1011 and a B767 for their flights but that ended up throwing DCA off the cliff for good.
By 2004, things were so bad that the airline applied for several loans to keep the airline steady. The airline eventually got them and received fls37 million guilders that were used to enable the company to continue operating
In July 2004, only one DC9 was left in operation while the rest of its MD80 & DC9 aircraft were grounded, its Dash 8s were removed from its fleet and were replaced with the Twin Otters, and the 767s and L-1011 were returned to their original operators. Mario Evertsz resigned as DCA's director -without any announcement- but he did stay on as the director of Curaçao Airlines and Winair.
In October 2004, the airline finally collapsed and by then DCA had cost the government of Curaçao at least fls800 million guilders and likely much more. After the airlines demise, most of its aircraft were either sold to other operators (e.g. one Twin Otter was sent to Winair
Windward Islands Airways
Winair, an abbreviation of Windward Islands Airways, is a government-owned airline based in the Netherlands Antilles. Founded in 1961 by Georges Greaux, It has a fleet of four aircraft serving ten destinations, all within the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles in the North East Caribbean...
and one Dash 8 was sent to LIAT and the DC-9's were sold to Aserca Airlines
Aserca Airlines
Aserca Airlines is an airline based in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela. It operates domestic and regional scheduled services to destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and the USA...
), scrapped (e.g. one MD82 parked next to the hangar at the Curaçao airport) and others still awaiting their future.
Today, DCA has been replaced with Insel Air which is also an MD80 operator, while Divi Divi Air still operates the same fights under the same name and BonairExel has been reformed into Dutch Antilles Express
Dutch Antilles Express
Dutch Antilles Express is a regional airline of the former territory of Curaçao. It operates high-frequency scheduled services in the Dutch Caribbean and to Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic. Its main base is at Hato International Airport, Curaçao. The head office is at Pietermaai,...
. The DCA breakdown had almost led to the third government crisis in two years on the island of Curaçao.
Destinations
These are the destinations that were operated by "Dutch Caribbean Airlines" when the airline was in service:Caribbean
- ArubaArubaAruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
- OranjestadOranjestad, ArubaOranjestad is the capital and largest city of Aruba, which is in the Caribbean north of Venezuela. Oranjestad is located on the southern coast near the western end of the island country...
(Queen Beatrix International AirportQueen Beatrix International AirportQueen Beatrix International Airport , in Oranjestad, Aruba, is an aviation facility. It has flight services to the United States, most countries in the Caribbean, the northern coastal countries of South America, Canada and some parts of Europe, notably the Netherlands...
)
- Oranjestad
- Dominican RepublicDominican RepublicThe Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
- Puerto Plata (Gregorio Luperón International AirportGregorio Luperón International Airport- Cargo carriers :- External links :*...
) - Punta CanaPunta CanaPunta Cana is part of the newly created Punta Cana-Bávaro-Veron-Macao municipal district in La Altagracia, the easternmost province of the Dominican Republic. The area is best known for its beaches and balnearios, which face both the Caribbean and Atlantic, and it has been a popular tourist...
(Punta Cana International AirportPunta Cana International AirportPunta Cana International Airport is a privately owned commercial airport in Punta Cana, eastern Dominican Republic. The airport is built in a traditional Dominican style with open-air terminals with their roofs covered in palm fronds. built the Punta Cana International Airport in 1984. A number...
) - Santo DomingoSanto DomingoSanto Domingo, known officially as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city in the Dominican Republic. Its metropolitan population was 2,084,852 in 2003, and estimated at 3,294,385 in 2010. The city is located on the Caribbean Sea, at the mouth of the Ozama River...
(Las Américas International AirportLas Américas International Airport-Cargo airlines:-Accidents and incidents:*On February 15, 1970, a Dominicana de Aviación DC-9 flying to Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, crashed, killing all 102 persons on board ....
)
- Puerto Plata (Gregorio Luperón International Airport
- HaitiHaitiHaiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
- Port-au-PrincePort-au-PrincePort-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
(Toussaint Louverture International Airport)
- Port-au-Prince
- Netherlands AntillesNetherlands AntillesThe Netherlands Antilles , also referred to informally as the Dutch Antilles, was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, consisting of two groups of islands in the Lesser Antilles: Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao , in Leeward Antilles just off the Venezuelan coast; and Sint...
- Bonaire (Flamingo International AirportFlamingo International AirportFlamingo International Airport or Bonaire International Airport is an international airport located at Kralendijk, Bonaire, Netherlands. The Flamingo Airport serves as a connecting point for flights of KLM to some airports in South America...
) - CuraçaoCuraçaoCuraçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast. The Country of Curaçao , which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao , is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
(Hato International AirportHato International AirportHato International Airport or Curaçao International Airport is the airport of Willemstad, Curaçao. It has services to the Caribbean region, South America, North America and Europe...
) - PhilipsburgPhilipsburg, Netherlands AntillesPhilipsburg is the main town and capital of the country of Sint Maarten, on a narrow stretch of land between Great Bay and the Great Salt Pond. It functions as the commercial center of Saint Martin island, whereof Sint Maarten encompasses the southern half...
(Princess Juliana International AirportPrincess Juliana International AirportPrincess Juliana International Airport serves the Dutch part of the island of Sint Maarten. In 2007, the airport handled 1,647,824 passengers and 103,650 aircraft movements. The airport serves as a hub for Windward Islands Airways and is the major gateway for the smaller Leeward Islands,...
)
- Bonaire (Flamingo International Airport
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Port of SpainPort of SpainPort of Spain, also written as Port-of-Spain, is the capital of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and the country's third-largest municipality, after San Fernando and Chaguanas. The city has a municipal population of 49,031 , a metropolitan population of 128,026 and a transient daily population...
(Piarco International AirportPiarco International AirportPiarco International Airport is the main airport serving Trinidad and Tobago located in Piarco, a town in northern Trinidad, about east of the capital city, Port of Spain. It is one of two international airports serving the twin isle republic. The other is located on the island of Tobago, A.N.R...
)
- Port of Spain
Europe
- GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
- CologneCologneCologne is Germany's fourth-largest city , and is the largest city both in the Germany Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia and within the Rhine-Ruhr Metropolitan Area, one of the major European metropolitan areas with more than ten million inhabitants.Cologne is located on both sides of the...
(Cologne Bonn Airport)
- Cologne
- NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(Amsterdam Schiphol AirportAmsterdam Schiphol AirportAmsterdam Airport Schiphol ) is the Netherlands' main international airport, located 20 minutes southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipality of Haarlemmermeer. The airport's official English name, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, reflects the original Dutch word order...
)
- Amsterdam
South America
- SurinameSurinameSuriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
- ParamariboParamariboParamaribo is the capital and largest city of Suriname, located on banks of the Suriname River in the Paramaribo District. Paramaribo has a population of roughly 250,000 people, more than half of Suriname's population...
(Johan Adolf Pengel International AirportJohan Adolf Pengel International AirportJohan Adolf Pengel International Airport , also known as Paramaribo-Zanderij International Airport, is an airport located in the town of Zanderij, 45 km south of Paramaribo...
)
- Paramaribo
- VenezuelaVenezuelaVenezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
- CaracasCaracasCaracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
/MaiquetíaMaiquetíaMaiquetía is a city in the Vargas state of Venezuela, near Caracas.Simón Bolívar International Airport, which handles both international and domestic flights, is located in the city....
(Simón Bolívar International AirportSimón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
) - Las PiedrasLas PiedrasLas Piedras may refer to:*Las Piedras, Puerto Rico*Las Piedras, Uruguay*Las Piedras, Venezuela...
(Josefa Camejo International AirportJosefa Camejo International AirportJosefa Camejo International Airport , is an airport serving Paraguana. It goes to destinations in major cities in Venezuela, and nearby islands.-Airlines and destinations:...
) - MaracaiboMaracaiboMaracaibo is a city and municipality located in northwestern Venezuela off the western coast of the Lake Maracaibo. It is the second-largest city in the country after the national capital Caracas and the capital of Zulia state...
(La Chinita International AirportLa Chinita International Airport-Accidents and incidents:*On 1 November 1971, Vickers Viscount YV-C-AMZ of Linea Aeropostal Venezolana crashed shortly after take-off. All four people on board were killed....
) - Valencia (Arturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International AirportArturo Michelena International Airport serves the fast-growing industrial city of Valencia in Venezuela two hours from Caracas . It is an active airport but with few facilities, located at 10° 9' 29.46 North latitude, 67° 55' 36.31 W longitude....
)
- Caracas
Fleet
During the transfer of the airline’s assets from Air ALM, the airline acquired some of the Air ALM aircraft and later on received other aircraft for its own.Self owned aircraft
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
Registration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier Dash 8-311 | 2 | 50 | PJ-DHE, PJ,DHI | The Dash 8's were replaced later on with the Twin Otters. The registration PJ-DHE was later changed to PJ-DHL and was sitting on the General Aviation's ramp at Curaçao for over three years with continual run up tests. The aircraft has now left the island and is in service with LIAT along with PJ-DHI. |
| De Havilland Canada Dash 6-300 Twin Otter De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian 19-passenger STOL utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada and currently produced by Viking Air. The aircraft's fixed tricycle undercarriage, STOL abilities and high rate of climb have made it a successful cargo, regional passenger airliner and MEDEVAC... |
2 | 19 | PJ-TOC, PJ-TOD | The Twin Otters were the replacement aircraft for the "supposed" aging Dash 8's PJ-TOD was sold to Windward Island Airways (Winair) Windward Islands Airways Winair, an abbreviation of Windward Islands Airways, is a government-owned airline based in the Netherlands Antilles. Founded in 1961 by Georges Greaux, It has a fleet of four aircraft serving ten destinations, all within the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles in the North East Caribbean... and has been leased to Curaçao's new regional airline Insel Air Insel Air Insel Air International B.V. ' is an airline based in Willemstad, Curaçao. It has Hato International Airport in Curaçao as its home base. Insel is German for island... to replace the airline's Embraer 110-P1 Bandeirante when in maintenance or on leave for a C-Check |
| Douglas DC-9-32 | 4 | 115 | PJ-SNL, PJ-SNK, PJ-SNM, PJ-SNN | The DC9's were all sold to Aserca Airlines Aserca Airlines Aserca Airlines is an airline based in Valencia, Carabobo, Venezuela. It operates domestic and regional scheduled services to destinations in the Caribbean, Central America and the USA... , where they are still in service flying for Aserca. All of the aircraft have received new registrations and a new livery, complying with Aserca's color schemes. |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 2 | 152 | PJ-SEF, PJ-SEG | After years of being parked next to the hangars of the airport, PJ-SEF sadly was towed away from the hangars at the Curaçao Airport to the shredder on August 1, 2008 and PJ-SEG is supposedly scrapped in 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... . |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 1 | 155 | PJ-SEH |
Leased aircraft
When the airline began its downfall, it began creating alliances with other charter airlines. One by one these alliances were broken because of the allied airlines themselves had declared bankruptcy. When it seemed that the airline could not find a suitable airline to create an alliance with, the airline finally decided to declare bankruptcy. Here is the list for the leased aircraft:| Aircraft | Total | Passengers |
Registration | Leased from | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 767-204ER 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... |
1 | 181 | TF-ATY | Air Atlanta Icelandic Air Atlanta Icelandic Air Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and cargo airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI /wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and cargo capacity. It also operates charter services for Icelandic tour operators... |
|
| Boeing 767-330ER 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... |
2 | 218 | OO-SLR, OO-SLT | Sabena (Sobelair) Sobelair Sobelair was an airline from Belgium. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.-History:... |
OO-SLT was repainted in the Dutch Caribbean Airlines livery, meanwhile OO-SLR stayed in its original Sobelair livery. |
| Lockheed L-1011-500 Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed... |
1 | 234 | CS-TMR | Luzair Luzair Luzair - Transportes Aéreos, S.A. is an airline based in Lisbon, Portugal, specializing in wet lease and ad-hoc charter operations. It was founded in 1997. In 2000, Luzair developed into an airline consulting and brokerage business. It operated a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar until 2009, it now operates... |
CS-TMR is still operating for Luzair |
Aircraft names
While flying for ALM, all of the aircraft in their fleet had their own names; most of these names were adopted from names of tree types local to the islands. After ALM became DCA, usage of the aircraft names were dropped, except for the MD80's. However, employees continued to make use of the name among themselves.PJ-SNK: Kiyo
PJ-SNL: Liyo
PJ-SNM: Miyo
PJ-SNN: Niyo
Here is the list of the names of the MD80's:
| Aircraft | Registration | Name |
|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 / MD-90 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a family of twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliners. The MD-80 series were lengthened and updated from the DC-9. The airliner family can seat from 130 up to 172 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration.The MD-80... |
PJ-SEF | Flamboyant |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 / MD-90 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a family of twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliners. The MD-80 series were lengthened and updated from the DC-9. The airliner family can seat from 130 up to 172 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration.The MD-80... |
PJ-SEG | Kibrahacha |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 / MD-90 The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a family of twin-engine, short- to medium-range, single-aisle commercial jet airliners. The MD-80 series were lengthened and updated from the DC-9. The airliner family can seat from 130 up to 172 passengers depending on variant and seating configuration.The MD-80... |
PJ-SEH | Watapana |
The airline leased the Lockheed L-1011
Lockheed L-1011
The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, commonly referred to as the L-1011 or TriStar, is a medium-to-long range, widebody passenger trijet airliner. It was the third widebody airliner to enter commercial operations, following the Boeing 747 and the McDonnell Douglas DC-10. Between 1968 and 1984, Lockheed...
from Luzair
Luzair
Luzair - Transportes Aéreos, S.A. is an airline based in Lisbon, Portugal, specializing in wet lease and ad-hoc charter operations. It was founded in 1997. In 2000, Luzair developed into an airline consulting and brokerage business. It operated a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar until 2009, it now operates...
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...
from Air Atlanta Icelandic
Air Atlanta Icelandic
Air Atlanta Icelandic is a charter and cargo airline based in Kópavogur, Iceland. It specialises in leasing aircraft on an ACMI /wet lease basis to airlines worldwide needing extra passenger and cargo capacity. It also operates charter services for Icelandic tour operators...
after a struggle with most of its MD80 aircraft grounded with technical difficulties and the collapse of Sobelair
Sobelair
Sobelair was an airline from Belgium. It was headquartered in Brussels and operated mostly non-scheduled passenger and cargo flights out of Brussels Airport.-History:...
.