LASER Airlines
LASER Airlines (legally and officially Línea Aérea de Servicio Ejecutivo Regional, C.A.) is an airline based in Caracas, Venezuela.[1] It operates scheduled and passenger charter services within Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America. Its main base is Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas.[2]
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| Founded | 1993 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | March 11, 1994 | ||||||
| Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Porlamar | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | LASER Viajero Frecuente | ||||||
| Fleet size | 12 | ||||||
| Destinations | 16 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
The airline was established in 1993 and started operations in 1994.[3] At the beginning, the company had only one Douglas DC-9-14 passenger plane, and only the following year purchased a Boeing 727-200, and began to expand domestic and international destinations, becoming one of Venezuela’s main airlines .
After the outbreak of the Venezuelan crisis in 2014, due to the embargo sanctions imposed by the United States, some of LASER’s international routes were changed to origin and end at the American International Airport in Dominican Republic to ensure that relevant routes continue to operate.
LASER Airlines began to fly to Miami in alliance with World Atlantic Airlines, which has been a partner since November 2016, an alliance was established through which the Miami-Caracas flight was created on a daily basis. A second frequency was added to this frequency by partnering with Swift Air to offer greater comfort to passengers on both frequencies, it was possible to expand the baggage allowance and operate 2 classes. Both are operated with equipment of Boeing 737s, thus dissolving the alliance with World Atlantic Airlines.
Subsequently, due to the decision taken by the United States Government, on May 15, 2019, commercial and cargo flights to Venezuela from the United States were suspended indefinitely. Due to this, LASER Airlines creates a connection center at the Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican Republic, adding an additional frequency to this destination, leaving 2 daily frequencies and with the possibility of connecting to Miami, maintaining the alliance with Swift Air.
On December 1, 2019, LASER was forced to cancel its Caracas-Guayaquil route due to complex migratory demands by the Government of Ecuador for Venezuelans; But a few weeks later, it announced a new route to Caracas-Bogotá with a daily frequency that began operating on February 10, 2020.
Lately, the company have been in talks with the authorities of Peru, Chile, and Argentina to open a route to these South American nations.
Destinations
As of December 2020, LASER operates services to the following domestic and international scheduled destinations:[4]
Codeshare agreements
Fleet
Current Fleet
As of December 2020, the LASER Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[5]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 4 | 163 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 6 | 165 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2 | 172 | |
| Total | 12 |
Former Fleet
LASER Airlines had in the past operated the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727-200 | 3 | 1995 | 2000 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 | 1 | 1994 | 2007 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 6 | 1999 | 2016 |
References
- "Ubicanos - Laser Airlines". Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 105.
- "Empresa - Laser Airlines".
- laserairlines.com - Find flight retrieved September 16, 2020
- "LASER Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
External links
Media related to LASER Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
 Airlines of Venezuela | |
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| Defunct | |