Intercontinental de Aviación

Intercontinental de Aviación S.A., formerly Aeropesca Colombia, was an airline based in Bogotá, Colombia. It operated domestic services and flights to neighbouring countries. Its main base was located at El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, with a secondary hub at Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali. The airline closed operations in 2005.

Not to be confused with Continental airlines.
Intercontinental de Aviación
IATA ICAO Callsign
RS ICT INTER
FoundedOctober 16, 1960
(as AeroPesca)
Ceased operationsSeptember 2005
HubsEl Dorado International Airport
Secondary hubsAlfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport
Fleet size5
Destinations25
HeadquartersBogotá, Colombia
Key peopleLuis Alfredo Gallego Ramos

History
An Aeropesca Colombia Curtiss C-46 Commando in 1979

The airline was founded and started operations on October 16, 1960 as Aeropesca Colombia.

The company had several accidents, and was sold to a group of shareholders who changed their name and image to Intercontinental de Aviacion in 1982. Only the Vickers Viscount and Curtiss C-46 left the company. A Douglas DC-9-15 and another Vickers Viscount were purchased, and in June 1983, it began operating from Bogotá to the west.

In 1986 it changed shareholders, consolidated itself as a developing company and became a competition for Avianca and SAM. The airline begins operating international flights in 1991, and in 1993 more DC-9-15 and DeHavilland DHC-8 were acquired. The Executive Class and VIP lounges began to be offered in Bogotá, Cali, Medellin and Barranquilla. In 2000, Beechcraft 1900D aircraft were purchased, which, as well as two Boeing 737-300s, which were never operated.

The airline was forced to cease operations in September 2005 following the crash of West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 in Venezuela. After the crash, the Colombian Civil Aviation authority required that all airlines undergo a special inspection of its maintenance facilities and aircraft.

Intercontinental de Aviación was one of three airlines forced to cease operating due to a failure of these inspections (along with AeroTACA and West Caribbean itself).

Destinations
An Intercontinental de Aviacion Vickers Viscount in 1991

National

International

Fleet
An Intercontinental de Aviacion McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 in 1993

Aeropesca Colombia and Intercontinental de Aviación consisted of the following fleet:

Accidents and incidents
  • On 14 August 1978, an Aeropesca Colombia Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando (registration HK-1350) flying in worsening weather conditions drifted off course during a flight from Bogotá to Tame and crashed into Mount Paramo de Laura near Tota, Colombia, killing all 18 people in board. Certified to carry only six passengers, it had 15 passengers on board at the time of the crash.[2]
  • On 26 August 1981, Vickers Viscount HK-1320 of Aeropesca Colombia flew into Mount Santa Elena killing all 50 people on board.[3]

References
  1. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  2. Aviation Safety Network Accident Description
  3. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  4. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 8 October 2009.
  5. "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 9 October 2009.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.