Ecuatoriana 727 at Tucson, Arizona. This livery was adopted after VASP took over 50 percent of Ecuatoriana during the 1990s. Photo copyrighted by, and courtesy of, Mr. Marcus Jellyman

Ecuatoriana de Aviacion, also commonly known simply as Ecuatoriana, is the national flag carrier airline of Ecuador. Viação Aérea São Paulo (VASP) is a Brazilian airline based in São Paulo. ... This is a list of airlines in operation. ...

History

Ecuatoriana began to operate in 1956 after a group of American and several Ecuadorian investors decided to set up the airline. At first, fifty percent of the airline was owned by Americans. 1956 was a leap year starting on Sunday. ...

Serving a relatively small country, the airline had a varied fleet that consisted of Curtiss C-46, DC-4, DC-6 and one Junkers K16 aircraft. The Junkers airplane was a rarity, as Junkers airliners were already considered to be classics at the time. The designation DC-4 was used by Douglas Aircraft Company when developing the DC-4E as a large, four-engined type to complement its forthcoming DC-3 design. ... The Douglas DC-6 is an aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1959. ... Fixed-wing aircraft is a term used to refer to what are more commonly known as aeroplanes in Commonwealth English (excluding Canada) or airplanes in North American English. ...

Ecuatoriana began serving domestic as well as international destinations immediately after it started flying. International routes proved to be rather long trips: there were jets already in operation when Ecuatoriana began flying (that is, before the Boeing 707 made its first flight), but these were predominantly used by European airlines, and Ecuatoriana's equipment's technology made it a requirement for Ecuatoriana's first international route, from Quito to Miami, to include a stop over in Panama City, Panama. Likewise, routes from Quito and Guayaquil to Santiago included stop overs in Lima, Peru. Pan Am 707 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... World map showing location of Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ... Quito is the capital city of Ecuador. ... The Miami skyline, as it is seen from the northeast. ... This is about the capital of Panama. ... Santiago de Guayaquil, or just Guayaquil, is the most populous and largest city in Ecuador, as well as that nations main sea port city. ... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... This article is about Lima, Peru. ...

American investors pulled out of the company during the 1970s and the airline was then declared Ecuador's national carrier. By this time, the airline had modernized its fleet to include jets like the 707, and a new, colorful livery attracted airplane spotters at new destinations such as New York's JFK International Airport and Buenos Aires' Ezeiza International Airport. Events and trends Although in the United States and in many other Western societies the 1970s are often seen as a period of transition between the turbulent 1960s and the more conservative 1980s and 1990s, many of the trends that are associated widely with the Sixties, from the Sexual Revolution... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the state of New York and the entire United States. ... John F. Kennedy International Airport (IATA Airport Code: JFK, ICAO Airport Code: KJFK) is the main international airport in New York City, and is one of the largest airports in the world. ... Buenos Aires (BWEH-naus EYE-ress, literally Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest in South America. ... Ministro Pistarini International Airport De Ezeiza, commonly known as Ezeiza , is located in a suburb of Buenos Aires and serves the city as Argentinas largest international and domestic gateway. ...

The 707's came from the Ecuadorian Air Force, which was in charge of operating the airline. It was common in South America (and it still is, to some degree) that national airlines were operated by the nation's Air Force department. To reinforce its fleet, Ecuatoriana bought a number of DC-10s from Swissair, and it also opened non-stop routes to Canada. For Ecuatoriana de Aviacion, having jet equipment also meant that the old, long flights with stop overs were not necessary anymore, and non-stop routes were opened all over South America and to other North American cities. South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... Biman Bangladesh Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-10 The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engined long-range airliner, with two engines mounted on underwing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. ... Swissair MD-11 Swissair, short for Swiss Air Transport Company Limited, was Switzerlands national air carrier for seventy-one years until 2002. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... World map showing location of North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is the third largest continent in area and in population after Eurasia and Africa. ...

Ecuatoriana also opened flights to such other destinations as Mexico City, Mexico and Madrid, Spain. The Quito and Guayaquil to Madrid routes in particular proved extremely competitive, as Iberia has also proven to be a popular airline among travelers that fly those two routes. Mexico City (Spanish: Ciudad de México) is the federal capital of and largest city in Mexico. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... Iberia Airlines of Spain (IATA: IB, ICAO: IBE, and Callsign: Iberia), often shortened to Iberia, is the name of the national airline of Spain. ...

During the 1980s, Ecuatoriana de Aviacion began to make business with the European Airbus consorsium, buying their A310 jetliners. Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... Airbus S.A.S. is a commercial aircraft manufacturer based in Toulouse, France. ... The Airbus A310 is a short to medium range widebody airliner developed from the Airbus A300 and manufactured by Airbus Industrie. ...

Affected by the general economical crisis in South America during the 1990s, Ecuatoriana was met with deep financial problems. This was met with surprise by many airline experts and enthusiasts, as the airline was generally thought to be in good financial condition because Ecuatoriana's management usually kept quiet about the company's finances. But, in reality, the airline stopped flying in 1994, as some of their leased airplanes were taken back by the leasing companies since Ecuatoriana was not able to meet with the lease payment requirements. Rumors that government officials flew their family members for free on Ecuatoriana flights also hurt the airline's reputation. Events and trends Technology The World Wide Web was born at CERN Explosive growth of the Internet; decrease in the cost of computers and other technology Reduction in size and cost of mobile phones leads to a massive surge in their popularity Year 2000 problem (commonly known as Y2K) Microsoft... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

Brazilian airline VASP soon came to save the airline, buying over 50 percent of it in 1995, and letting the Ecuatorian government retain the other 50 percent. Ecuatoriana received some Boeing 727s, which were repainted in Miami and at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona, and, by 1996, short domestic and international services were re-started, with a livery that resembled that of VASP's. A single DC-10, also borrowed from VASP, allowed the airline to re-introduce services to Madrid's Barajas International Airport. Viação Aérea São Paulo (VASP) is a Brazilian airline based in São Paulo. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Sun Country 727 The Boeing 727 was, for a very long time, the most popular jet-liner in the world. ... Tucson International Airport is the second largest commercial aviation institution in the state of Arizona. ... Congress Street, the main thoroughfare in downtown Tucson, Arizona. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... Barajas International Airport, located in Madrid, is Spains most important international and domestic getaway center. ...

By 2000, Ecuatoriana was once again, in financial troubles, and VASP decided to sell it's part of the airline to Lan Chile. Lan Chile, now a giant among Latin American airlines, owned fifty percent of the airline, leasing two Boeing 767's to the company.but in 2004 they sold their part to Lloyd Aereo Boliviano 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Lan (formerly LanChile) is a airline based at Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, with flights to Latin America, North America, Polynesia, and Europe. ... Latin America consists of the countries of South America and some of North America (including Central America and some the islands of the Caribbean) whose inhabitants mostly speak Romance languages, although Native American languages are also spoken. ... The Boeing 767 is a commercial passenger airplane manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. ... LAB Boeing 727-200 (CP-1366) at Cochabamba Airport Lloyd Aereo Boliviano (LAB Airlines) is the national and international passenger airline of Bolivia. ...

External Links

About Ecuatoriana (http://airlines.afriqonline.com/airlines/224.htm)