CENTRAL AMERICA CHILE & PERU

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EL SALVADOR

TACA International Airlines, S.A. – (Transportes Aéreos Centro Americanos)

The El Salvador based TACA (flight prefix ‘TA’)was the first airline in Central America to order One-Elevens when it placed an order for two Series 407AWs on 19th March 1965. An option on two additional aircraft was placed at the same time but it was not taken up. The aircraft were delivered in December 1966 and February 1967 in a single class 74 seat configuration. In April 1973 a Series 409AY was purchased from Lineas Aéreas Costarricenses SA – LACSA but this was sold in January 1979. A Series 531FS was leased from the same source from November 1981 to March 1982. Service was inaugurated on 28th December 1966. The aircraft were flown on schedules from San Salvador to Belize City, Guatemala City, Houston, Kingston ( Jamaica), Mexico City, Miami, New Orleans, Panamá City, San José ( Costa Rica) and Tegucigalpa. During the later years of service the aircraft were also flown on charter flights throughout Central America and to Mexican destinations before the type was finally withdrawn from use on 1st June 1988 after some twenty-one and half years of continuous operation.

Names known to have been carried by the TACA aircraft were:-

YS-01C El Izalco

YS-17C El Centroamericano

YS-18C El Salvador

COSTA RICA

Lineas Aéreas Costarricenses, S.A. – LACSA

This Costa Rican based airline (flight prefix LR) was the second Central American carrier to order the type when it placed its first order for a Series 409AY on 19th January 1966 with an option on a second. The first aircraft was delivered in April 1967 in a 74 seat single class configuration and entered service on 14th May 1967 from San José to Miami. The option was taken up and although this aircraft was accepted by LACSA in early 1969 it was retained by BAC and used for Quebecair crew training, demonstrations to Gulf Aviation and for a three month lease to TAROM of Romania and a two month lease to Germanair before it was eventually delivered to LACSA in November 1969. Over the years the type was operated on scheduled services from San José to Barranquilla, Cartagena and San Andrés Island in Columbia, Caracas and Maracaibo in Venezuela, Panamá City, Grand Cayman, Miami and Mexico City. Three new Series 531FSs were later ordered and delivered in May 1971, November 1972 and May 1973 which led to the withdrawal of one of the Series 409AYs in November 1972 and subsequent sale to TACA. In December 1973 a used Series 515FB was added to the fleet which saw the second Series 409AY being returned to BAC. One of the Series 531FSs suffered a heavy landing in September 1975 which led to its return to Hurn for repair which took nearly two months. From 1973 to November 1977 one aircraft was operated on behalf of Cayman Airways in full colours. Other aircraft, both Series 400 and 500, were also operated on behalf of Cayman Airways for short periods sometimes with Cayman Airways titles added. Another Series 500 aircraft was leased to TACA from November 1981 to March 1982. The last aircraft was disposed of in May 1982 after the type had served the airline for some fourteen years.

Names known to have been carried by the LACSA aircraft were:-

TI-1056C El Tico

TI-1084C Miravalles

TI-1095C Poas

TI-LRJ Chiripo

TI-LRK Arenal

TI-LRL Arenal

NICARAGUA

Lineas Aéreas de Nicaragua, S.A. – LANICA

This airline became the third Central American airline to order One-Elevens when it placed its initial order for one Series 412EB on 4th April 1966 with an option on a second. Prior to delivery of its own aircraft, service was inaugurated on the Miami to Managua route (flight prefix NI) on 1st November 1966 with a Series 208AL leased from Aer Lingus. LANICA’s own aircraft entered service on 1st May 1967 in a single class 74 seat configuration. Apart from Miami, schedules were also flown from Managua to San Pedro Sula, Mexico City and San Salvador. The aircraft also flew on behalf of Transportes Aéreos Nacionales – TAN on a pooled route between San Pedro Sula and Miami and also on TAN’s own schedules from Tegucigalpa to Miami via San Pedro Sula and or Belize City and to Mexico City. On 12th December 1971 the aircraft was hi-jacked when operating flight NI419 from Miami to Managua. The aircraft was diverted to San José, Costa Rica to pick up fuel before continuing to Cuba. However, departure was refused and the aircraft was stormed by the National Guard. Much gun shot damage was done to the aircraft and it was repaired sufficiently for a ferry to the United Kingdom for a permanent repair. A Series 518FG was leased from Court Line as a replacement from late December 1971 to mid March 1972 this in turn being replaced by an American Airlines Series 401AK. The Hughes Tool Company took a 25% holding in LANICA in July 1972 and decided to replace the One-Eleven with company owned Convair 880s and the Series 412EB was retained by the manufacturer after its repair.

HONDURAS

Transportes Aéreos Nacionales, S.A. – TAN

Following an inter-governmental agreement signed on 19th October 1967, this Honduran carrier commenced joint services with LANICA using their Series 412EB with capacity shared on a 50/50 basis over the San Pedro Sula to Miami route three times weekly with effect from 1st November 1967. The aircraft was flown in a 74 seat single class configuration using the flight pre/fix ‘TX’. The aircraft was also flown on TAN’s own routes from Tegucigalpa to Miami via San Pedro Sula and /or Belize City five times weekly and to Mexico City three times per week.

GUATEMALA

Aerolíneas de Guatemala – AVIATECA

 This company, known as Empresa Guatemalteca de Aviaciόn SA until 1974, leased a Series 518FG from Court Line in November 1970 until its own Series 516FP was delivered in March 1971. The company operated its new aircraft in a 99 seat single class configuration using the flight prefix ‘GU’. A second aircraft, a Series 518FG, was added in September 1975 while a Series 523FJ was taken on short term lease from late April to late May 1978. Daily schedules were flown from Guatemala City to Miami, Mexico City and San Pedro Sula with additional services to New Orleans and Mérida. The aircraft were finally disposed of in April 1979 and April 1980.

The following aircraft carried names as below:-

TG-AVA Zaculeu

TG-AZA Quetzel

Tikal Jets Airlines, S.A.

This company took delivery of two Srs.401AKs in June 1994 and August 1996. Service was inaugurated with the type on 25th June 1994 using ‘TJ’ as the flight prefix. Scheduled passenger services were flown from the home base to Flores Petén (tourist destination for the Tikal Mayan ruins) while passenger charter flights were flown to Cancún and Acapulco in Mexico, Havana in Cuba and to other Caribbean destinations. Operations ceased on 2nd February 1998. The company was re-launched after refinancing on 15th October 1998. Service was restarted on 19 th December 1998 with one of the One-Elevens. From January 2000 the company was marketed as Aero Guatemala, adopting a new colour scheme and the new flight prefix ‘A5’ for a short while. From 3rd September 2001 San Pedro Sula ( Honduras) was added to the schedules with a six times weekly service from Guatemala City. The aircraft were operated in a 79 seat two class configuration. The type was finally withdrawn from use on 21 April 2003 by which time the flight prefix ‘WU’ was being used.

The aircraft carried the following names:-

TG-TJF Quiriguá

TG-TJK Ciudad de Flores

PERU

Compañía de Aviaciόn Faucett, S.A.

 This company was the first to order Series 475 One-Elevens when it purchased two Series 476FMs laid out in an 84 seat configuration. They were delivered in July 1971 and July 1974 and served numerous domestic points on scheduled services from Lima including Arequipa, Ayacucho, Chiclayo, Cuzco, Iquitos, Piura, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Tacna, Talara, Tarapoto, Tingo Maria, Trujillo and Tumbes. Many of these points had gravel strips in mountainous terrain for which the Series 475 had been specifically developed. In August 1977 a Series 523FJ was leased from British Aerospace for use to the less demanding destinations. This last aircraft was eventually purchased from British Aerospace in September 1979. The Series 523FJ was withdrawn in early June 1982 and the Series 476FMs withdrawn in December of the same year. The company used the ‘CF’ flight prefix.

Names known to have been carried by the Faucett aircraft were:-

OB-R-1173 Río Ucayali

CHILE

Linea Aérea Nacional de Chile, S.A. - LAN

During 1970 a twice weekly schedule was flown by Austral Compañía Argentina de Transportes Aéreas on behalf of LAN between Puerto Montt and San Carlos de Bariloche with its One-Elevens.

Linea Aérea del Cobre, S.A. – LADECO

This company initially leased a Series 521FH for type familiarisation from Austral Lineas Aéreas for one month from early October 1990 prior to taking delivery of two Series 301AGs and two Series 207AJs between November 1990 and December 1991 obtained from ILFC. The aircraft flew single class schedules using the ‘UC’ flight prefix from Santiago to Antofagasta, Arica, Balmaceda, Concepciόn, Iquique, La Serena, Puerto Montt, Temuco, Valdivia and Viña del Mar and to Mendoza in Argentina. Charter flights were also flown as far south as Puerto Williams. The last aircraft was withdrawn at the end of December 1994.

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