Viasa
Encyclopedia
Venezolana Internacional de Aviación Sociedad Anónima (JSC Venezuelan International Airways), or VIASA for short, was the Venezuela
n national airline between 1960 and 1997. It was headquartered in the Torre Viasa in Caracas
. Launched in 1960, it was nationalised in 1975 due to financial problems, and re-privatised in 1991, with the major stake going to Iberia
. The company ceased operations in , and went into liquidation
.
Viasas livery consisted of silver on the belly, white on the top part of the fuselage color, with orange and blue cheatlines that went all the way to the start of the tail. The fuselage featured the name Viasa written in orange on top of the cheatlines. The tail was all orange, with the name Viasa in white. After Iberia took over, all the fuselage went white, and so did the tail. The cheatlines were made thicker around the plane's cockpit, to resemble Iberia's planes.
in 1959 to create a new company that could serve as the country's flag carrier
and run without the government intervention
. It was set up in 1960 when the international routes operated by Línea Aeropostal Venezolana
(LAV) and Avensa
were merged and taken over by the newly created carrier. The government contributed with 55% of the capital, while private investors —among which were LAV and Avensa, the latter owned by Grupo Boulton and Pan American World Airways
— contributed with the remainder. The board of directors came entirely from the private sector. The first president of the airline was Mr. R. van den Branden; the first chairman of the board
was Mr. Oscar Augusto Machado Zuloaga, a very competent and well liked gentleman, who was instrumental in Viasa's commercial success and immediate acceptance by the market. Viasa began its life as an entity in .
In early 1961, the airline signed an agreement with KLM for operating a Douglas DC-8
on Viasa's behalf, aimed at starting operations to Europe
in April that year; KLM would actually maintain a nurturing relationship with Viasa for another 24 years. In the same year, Avensa transferred to the company two Douglas DC-6Bs, as well as an order for a Convair 880-22M
. Viasa boosted its Convair 880 order by purchasing another one; the airline would fly the type mostly on routes to North America
. Also in 1961, the airline joined the International Air Transport Association
, becoming its overall 89th member.
In 1963, Viasa started a commercial agreement with Iberia
and KLM for the operations through the mid-Atlantic
. The same year, the fleet saw the incorporation of a third Convair 880; later that year, the type was chartered to KLM to be flown on the Dutch
airline's Caribbean
routes. Montego Bay
and Mexico
were added. By 1965, its first DC-8-53 (YV-C-VIC) was delivered, followed by a second DC-8-53 a year later (YV-C-VID).
In 1967 it began operations with a couple of DC-9-15s
, wet leased from Avensa, and provided technical support to a Panamanian airline (Paisa) with routes to San José
in Costa Rica
, Panama, Barranquilla
, (Colombia
), Maracaibo
and Caracas
. Equally, it began flights to Trinidad
and Barbados
and signed a pool agreement with BOAC
for the Caracas-Antigua
-London
route.
In December 1968, Viasa received its first DC-8-63 followed by the second one in May 1969, standardizing its fleet on Douglas
airliner
s.
It also formed a full-cargo subsidiary known as Transcarga
with a dry-leased DC-8F (N804SW), which flew from Caracas and Maracaibo to Miami, Panama and New York.
In 1971, Viasa signed another agreement with KLM for the dry-leasing of 747-200
equipment from April 1972. PH-BUG was appropriately christened "Orinoco" after Venezuela's largest river and began operations from Caracas to Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam and, in the summer of 1973, to Rome, Milan, Maracaibo
and Panamá.
With the arrival of its own McDonnel Douglas DC-10-30
in April 1974 again with KLM's help, Viasa began a process of fleet standardisation based on the DC-10-30.
In 1980 Viasa partly leased 747 freighters from Seaboard World, based in JFK, to operate freight flights from Miami and New York to Caracas. Later, a 747 freighter was dry leased from World Airways, based in Oakland California.
Also, temporarily, a passenger 747 was leased from World Airways to operate passenger flights during the high vacation season in July/August/September to operate to Orlando, FL. Viasa's crews used to refer to it as the "white whale" due to its totally white painted airframe
Upon the devaluation of the bolivar, in 1983, imports dropped precipitously, and Viasa ended the 747 freight operation. It was resumed in 1985 partially leasing another 747 freighter from Flying Tigers, based in Los Angeles. And it was maintanined until 1987 when it finally ended 747 operation forever.
By 1979, Viasa had built up a fleet of 6 DC-10-30s, 2 DC-8-63s, 2 DC-8-53s and 1 DC-8-63F.
In the summer of 1982, Viasa leased a couple of MD-82s from KLM for the Caribbean routes and for new flights from Barquisimeto, Barcelona and Porlamar to Miami, but these were returned to KLM in 1984.
In 1985, Viasa got rid of all its old DC-8s plus a DC-10-30 and kept just 5 DC-10-30s. It revamped its livery almost completely in 1986 by changing its aircraft livery, adopting a whiter body with 3-tone blue cheatlines under the windows. The orange tail kept the white Viasa letters which had been adopted in 1978 with the arrival of DC-10-30 YV-135C.
Two former Lufthansa
Airbus A300-B4
jets were leased from GPA in 1987 for the United States
and South American services. The airline was allowed the same year, for the first time ever, to begin domestic services (something it never quite did as it preferred to stick to international routes instead) and make use of empty seats on the Caracas-Maracaibo and Caracas-Porlamar legs.
Iberia
, the Spanish
flag carrier, was the favored bidder in August 1991, competing against KLM, Viasa's past partner. Iberia apparently milked the airline, (some Venezuelans point at this as one of Viasa's causes of bankruptcy). While it could be argued that it was not wise to sell a government owned losing company to another government owned losing company, changing the old ways of Viasa was an uphill battle.
All its aircraft were placed under Iberia's ownership, the Airbuses were sent back to GPA, former Iberia 727s were used by Viasa (competing on the US routes versus American
's 757s
or A300-600s and United
's 757s) and all supplies were purchased centrally through Madrid.
The airline closed for good under acrimony and very sour labour relations in January 1997.
n airline that flew jet aircraft since its creation, starting with services to the Azores
, Lisbon
, Madrid
, Paris
, Rome
, Milan
, Amsterdam
and London
in April 1961, and, after the delivery of its two Convair 880-22M planes, to New York
, the Dominican Republic
, Panama
, New Orleans, Maracaibo
, Aruba
, Curaçao
, Miami, Houston, Bogotá
and Lima.
For many years, Viasa offered service on the route between Simón Bolívar International Airport
and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
. This route was one of the first to be cut-off after Viasa ended their relationship with KLM.
, Viasa experienced 5 accidents/incidents events throughout its history, with two of them being deadly ones, yielding a combined death toll
of 216 fatalities, plus a hijacking
episode. The two deadly accidents occurred with leased aircraft. Following is a list of the events that carried with the hull-loss of the aircraft involved.
Venezuela
Venezuela , 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...
n national airline between 1960 and 1997. It was headquartered in the Torre Viasa in Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , 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...
. Launched in 1960, it was nationalised in 1975 due to financial problems, and re-privatised in 1991, with the major stake going to Iberia
Iberia
The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia...
. The company ceased operations in , and went into liquidation
Liquidation
In law, liquidation is the process by which a company is brought to an end, and the assets and property of the company redistributed. Liquidation is also sometimes referred to as winding-up or dissolution, although dissolution technically refers to the last stage of liquidation...
.
Viasas livery consisted of silver on the belly, white on the top part of the fuselage color, with orange and blue cheatlines that went all the way to the start of the tail. The fuselage featured the name Viasa written in orange on top of the cheatlines. The tail was all orange, with the name Viasa in white. After Iberia took over, all the fuselage went white, and so did the tail. The cheatlines were made thicker around the plane's cockpit, to resemble Iberia's planes.
Early years
Viasa was envisioned by the Government of VenezuelaGovernment of Venezuela
|Venezuela is a federal presidential republic governed by a constitution. There are five branches of government: Executive, Legislative, Judicial, Citizen, and Electoral....
in 1959 to create a new company that could serve as the country's flag carrier
Flag carrier
A flag carrier is a transportation company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given country, enjoys preferential rights or privileges, accorded by the government, for international operations. It may be a state-run, state-owned or private but...
and run without the government intervention
Interventionism (politics)
Interventionism is a term for a policy of non-defensive activity undertaken by a nation-state, or other geo-political jurisdiction of a lesser or greater nature, to manipulate an economy or society...
. It was set up in 1960 when the international routes operated by Línea Aeropostal Venezolana
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela
Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela, normally referred to as just Aeropostal, is a flag carrier and the national airline of Venezuela also an airline based in Torre Polar Oeste in Caracas, Venezuela. It operates domestic services and international services in the Caribbean...
(LAV) and Avensa
Avensa
Avensa was a Venezuelan airline headquartered in Caracas. It is in the process of financial restructuring, after it went into bankruptcy due to poor management in 2002...
were merged and taken over by the newly created carrier. The government contributed with 55% of the capital, while private investors —among which were LAV and Avensa, the latter owned by Grupo Boulton and Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal and largest international air carrier in the United States from 1927 until its collapse on December 4, 1991...
— contributed with the remainder. The board of directors came entirely from the private sector. The first president of the airline was Mr. R. van den Branden; the first chairman of the board
Chairman of the Board
The Chairman of the Board is a seat of office in an organization, especially of corporations.Chairman of the Board may also refer to:*Chairman of the Board , a 1998 film*Chairmen of the Board , a 1970s American soul music group...
was Mr. Oscar Augusto Machado Zuloaga, a very competent and well liked gentleman, who was instrumental in Viasa's commercial success and immediate acceptance by the market. Viasa began its life as an entity in .
In early 1961, the airline signed an agreement with KLM for operating a Douglas DC-8
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
on Viasa's behalf, aimed at starting operations to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in April that year; KLM would actually maintain a nurturing relationship with Viasa for another 24 years. In the same year, Avensa transferred to the company two Douglas DC-6Bs, as well as an order for a Convair 880-22M
Convair 880
The Convair 880 was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand...
. Viasa boosted its Convair 880 order by purchasing another one; the airline would fly the type mostly on routes to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. Also in 1961, the airline joined the International Air Transport Association
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...
, becoming its overall 89th member.
In 1963, Viasa started a commercial agreement with 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....
and KLM for the operations through the mid-Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The same year, the fleet saw the incorporation of a third Convair 880; later that year, the type was chartered to KLM to be flown on the Dutch
Netherlands
The 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...
airline's Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
routes. Montego Bay
Montego Bay
Montego Bay is the capital of St. James Parish and the second largest city in Jamaica by area and the fourth by population .It is a tourist destination with duty free shopping, cruise line terminal and the beaches...
and 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...
were added. By 1965, its first DC-8-53 (YV-C-VIC) was delivered, followed by a second DC-8-53 a year later (YV-C-VID).
In 1967 it began operations with a couple of DC-9-15s
McDonnell Douglas DC-9
The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is a twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliner. It was first manufactured in 1965 with its maiden flight later that year. The DC-9 was designed for frequent, short flights. The final DC-9 was delivered in October 1982.The DC-9 was followed in subsequent modified forms by...
, wet leased from Avensa, and provided technical support to a Panamanian airline (Paisa) with routes to San José
San José, Costa Rica
San José is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica. Located in the Central Valley, San José is the seat of national government, the focal point of political and economic activity, and the major transportation hub of this Central American nation.Founded in 1738 by order of Cabildo de León, San...
in Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Panama, Barranquilla
Barranquilla
Barranquilla is an industrial port city and municipality located in northern Colombia, near the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Atlántico Department, it is the largest industrial city and port in the Colombian Caribbean region with a population of 1,148,506 as of 2005, which makes it Colombia's...
, (Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
), Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo 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...
and Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , 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...
. Equally, it began flights to Trinidad
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
and Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
and signed a pool agreement with BOAC
Boac
Boac may refer to:* Boac, Marinduque, a municipality in the Southern Philippines* Boac , an American rapper* British Overseas Airways Corporation, a former British state-owned airline...
for the Caracas-Antigua
Antigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
-London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
route.
In December 1968, Viasa received its first DC-8-63 followed by the second one in May 1969, standardizing its fleet on Douglas
McDonnell Douglas
McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer and defense contractor, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. It formed from a merger of McDonnell Aircraft and Douglas Aircraft in 1967. McDonnell Douglas was based at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport...
airliner
Airliner
An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft for transporting passengers and cargo. Such aircraft are operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an aircraft intended for carrying multiple passengers in commercial...
s.
It also formed a full-cargo subsidiary known as Transcarga
Transcarga
Transcarga is a cargo airline based in Caracas, Venezuela. It operates domestic charter cargo services.-History:The airline was established on 21 October 1998 and started operations in November 2001...
with a dry-leased DC-8F (N804SW), which flew from Caracas and Maracaibo to Miami, Panama and New York.
In 1971, Viasa signed another agreement with KLM for the dry-leasing of 747-200
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
equipment from April 1972. PH-BUG was appropriately christened "Orinoco" after Venezuela's largest river and began operations from Caracas to Madrid, Paris, Amsterdam and, in the summer of 1973, to Rome, Milan, Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo 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...
and Panamá.
With the arrival of its own McDonnel Douglas DC-10-30
McDonnell Douglas DC-10
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
in April 1974 again with KLM's help, Viasa began a process of fleet standardisation based on the DC-10-30.
In 1980 Viasa partly leased 747 freighters from Seaboard World, based in JFK, to operate freight flights from Miami and New York to Caracas. Later, a 747 freighter was dry leased from World Airways, based in Oakland California.
Also, temporarily, a passenger 747 was leased from World Airways to operate passenger flights during the high vacation season in July/August/September to operate to Orlando, FL. Viasa's crews used to refer to it as the "white whale" due to its totally white painted airframe
Upon the devaluation of the bolivar, in 1983, imports dropped precipitously, and Viasa ended the 747 freight operation. It was resumed in 1985 partially leasing another 747 freighter from Flying Tigers, based in Los Angeles. And it was maintanined until 1987 when it finally ended 747 operation forever.
Nationalisation
By 1975 the airline, which had been a model of management and had returned a profit every year since its creation, began showing a disease typical of many other airlines, as, plagued by rising fuel costs and union problems, it posted its first ever loss for the fiscal October 1975-September 1976 year. The Government intervened by nationalising the airline and thus began its downturn, not noticeable at first since Venezuela's economy was strong backed by high oil income and the government did not mind pumping in money to cover mounting losses.By 1979, Viasa had built up a fleet of 6 DC-10-30s, 2 DC-8-63s, 2 DC-8-53s and 1 DC-8-63F.
In the summer of 1982, Viasa leased a couple of MD-82s from KLM for the Caribbean routes and for new flights from Barquisimeto, Barcelona and Porlamar to Miami, but these were returned to KLM in 1984.
In 1985, Viasa got rid of all its old DC-8s plus a DC-10-30 and kept just 5 DC-10-30s. It revamped its livery almost completely in 1986 by changing its aircraft livery, adopting a whiter body with 3-tone blue cheatlines under the windows. The orange tail kept the white Viasa letters which had been adopted in 1978 with the arrival of DC-10-30 YV-135C.
Two former Lufthansa
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. The name of the company is derived from Luft , and Hansa .The airline is the world's fourth-largest airline in terms of overall passengers carried, operating...
Airbus A300-B4
Airbus A300
The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
jets were leased from GPA in 1987 for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and South American services. The airline was allowed the same year, for the first time ever, to begin domestic services (something it never quite did as it preferred to stick to international routes instead) and make use of empty seats on the Caracas-Maracaibo and Caracas-Porlamar legs.
Privatisation
The red ink continued to flow and, with the new government policies adopted in 1989, Viasa became the immediate target of privatisation, the idea being that airline employees would retain a 20% shareholding, private investors an additional 60% and the State would keep the rest plus a golden share.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....
, the Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
flag carrier, was the favored bidder in August 1991, competing against KLM, Viasa's past partner. Iberia apparently milked the airline, (some Venezuelans point at this as one of Viasa's causes of bankruptcy). While it could be argued that it was not wise to sell a government owned losing company to another government owned losing company, changing the old ways of Viasa was an uphill battle.
All its aircraft were placed under Iberia's ownership, the Airbuses were sent back to GPA, former Iberia 727s were used by Viasa (competing on the US routes versus American
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
's 757s
Boeing 757
The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Passenger versions of the twinjet have a capacity of 186 to 289 persons and a maximum range of , depending on variant and cabin configuration...
or A300-600s and United
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
's 757s) and all supplies were purchased centrally through Madrid.
The airline closed for good under acrimony and very sour labour relations in January 1997.
Destinations
Viasa was the only Latin AmericaLatin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
n airline that flew jet aircraft since its creation, starting with services to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, Lisbon
Lisbon
Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam 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...
and London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in April 1961, and, after the delivery of its two Convair 880-22M planes, to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The 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...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, New Orleans, Maracaibo
Maracaibo
Maracaibo 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...
, Aruba
Aruba
Aruba 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...
, Curaçao
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...
, Miami, Houston, Bogotá
Bogotá
Bogotá, Distrito Capital , from 1991 to 2000 called Santa Fé de Bogotá, is the capital, and largest city, of Colombia. It is also designated by the national constitution as the capital of the department of Cundinamarca, even though the city of Bogotá now comprises an independent Capital district...
and Lima.
For many years, Viasa offered service on the route between Simón Bolívar International Airport
Simón Bolívar International Airport (Venezuela)
Simón Bolívar International Airport of Maiquetia is an international airport located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from downtown Caracas....
and Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport
Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Carolina, Puerto Rico, three miles southeast of San Juan. Over 4 million passengers board a plane at the airport per year according to FAA reports . It is owned and managed by the Puerto Rico Ports...
in San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
. This route was one of the first to be cut-off after Viasa ended their relationship with KLM.
Fleet
- Airbus A300-B4Airbus A300The Airbus A300 is a short- to medium-range widebody jet airliner. Launched in 1972 as the world's first twin-engined widebody, it was the first product of Airbus Industrie, a consortium of European aerospace companies, wholly owned today by EADS...
- Convair 880-22MConvair 880The Convair 880 was a narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller and faster, a niche that failed to create demand...
- Douglas DC-8-63Douglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- Douglas DC-8 Series 30
- Douglas DC-8 Series 50
- Douglas DC-8-61CDouglas DC-8The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined narrow-body passenger commercial jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972 by the Douglas Aircraft Company...
- Boeing 747-100Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- Boeing 747-200FBoeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
- Boeing 727-200 AdvancedBoeing 727The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
- Douglas DC-6B
- Douglas DC-9-32
- Douglas DC-9-33(F)
- Lockheed Super Constellation
- McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30McDonnell Douglas DC-10The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engine widebody jet airliner manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 has range for medium- to long-haul flights, capable of carrying a maximum 380 passengers. Its most distinguishing feature is the two turbofan engines mounted on underwing pylons and a...
- McDonnell Douglas MD-82
Accidents and incidents
According to Aviation Safety NetworkAviation Safety Network
-External links:**...
, Viasa experienced 5 accidents/incidents events throughout its history, with two of them being deadly ones, yielding a combined death toll
Death Toll
Death Toll is a 2008 action film starring DMX, Lou Diamond Phillips, Leila Arcieri and Keshia Knight Pulliam, written and produced by Daniel Garcia of the rap group Kane & Abel and directed by Phenomenon...
of 216 fatalities, plus a hijacking
Aircraft hijacking
Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
episode. The two deadly accidents occurred with leased aircraft. Following is a list of the events that carried with the hull-loss of the aircraft involved.
| Date | Location | Aircraft | Tail number | Fate | Fatalities | Description | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DC-8-53 | PH-DCL | W/O | 61/61 | The aircraft, leased from KLM, was due to operate the third leg of an international scheduled Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... –Madrid Madrid Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan... –Lisbon Lisbon Lisbon is the capital city and largest city of Portugal with a population of 545,245 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Lisbon extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 3 million on an area of , making it the 9th most populous urban... –Santa Maria Santa Maria Island Santa Maria , Portuguese for Saint Mary, is an island located in the eastern group of the Azores archipelago and the southernmost island in the Azores... –Caracas Caracas Caracas , 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... passenger service as Flight 897 Viasa Flight 897 Viasa Flight 897 refers to an international scheduled Rome–Madrid–Lisbon–Santa Maria–Caracas passenger service that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal on , shortly after take-off from Portela Airport... , when it plunged into the sea shortly after take-off from Portela Airport Portela Airport Lisbon Portela Airport, also known as Lisbon Airport , is an international airport located north of Castle of São Jorge in the city of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal... , 3 km (1.9 mi) east-northeast of Fonte da Telha. |
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 AmsterdamAmsterdam Amsterdam 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... |
DC-8-53 | PH-DCH | W/O | 0 | Burned up while undergoing maintenance at Schiphol Airport owing to an explosion in one of its engines. The aircraft was on lease from KLM. | ||
 Buenos AiresBuenos 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... |
DC-10-30 | YV-135C | W/O | 0/123 | Inbound from Caracas Caracas Caracas , 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... as Flight 940, the aircraft started aquaplaning immediately after touchdown Landing thumb|A [[Mute Swan]] alighting. Note the ruffled feathers on top of the wings indicate that the swan is flying at the [[Stall |stall]]ing speed... in bad weather at Ezeiza Airport. Overran the runway threshold by 180 m (590.6 ft). The nosegear collapsed, causing both port and starboard engines to strike the ground. |