Viasa was a Venezuelan airline.

History

Viasa, Venezolana Internacional de Aviación, Sociedad Anónima - Viasa - was the result of a government decision in 1959 to transfer the international operations of Venezuela's government airline Línea Aeropostal Venezolana - (Aeropostal) - to a newly-created joint venture which, free from government interference, could adequately perform the task of serving as the nation's flag carrier. 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Aeropostal (Alas de Venezuela) is an airline based in Caracas in Venezuela. ...

Aeropostal put up 51% of the capital and private investors including Avensa (owned then by Pan American World Airways) the remaining 49%. The board of directors came entirely from the private sector. Avensa (Aerovias Venezolanas Sociedad Anonima) is Venezuelas national airline. ... Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991. ...

Viasa began its life as an entity in November of 1960, placing an order for two Convair 880-22M and entering an agreement with KLM for a wet-lease of DC-8 equipment with which to begin operations to Europe in April 1, 1961. KLM would maintain a nurturing relationship with Viasa for another 24 years. 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ... The first Convair 880 The Convair 880 was a jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. ... KLM Tailfins KLM (in full: Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, literally Royal Aviation Company; usual English: Royal Dutch Airlines) is a subsidiary of Air France-KLM. Before its merger with Air France, KLM was the national airline of the Netherlands. ... The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined jet airliner, manufactured between 1959 and 1972. ... April 1 is the 91st day of the year (92nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 274 days remaining. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ...

Viasa was the only Latin American airline that flew jet aircraft since its creation, starting with services to the Azores, Lisbon, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Milan, Amsterdam and London in April of 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. 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. ... Location Motto of the autonomous region: Antes morrer livres que em paz sujeitos (Portuguese: To die free rather than to be subjugated in peace) Official language Portuguese Capitals Ponta Delgada (Presidency of the autonomous government), Angra do Heroísmo (Supreme Court), Horta (Legislative Assembly) Other towns Praia da Vitória... Location    - Country Portugal    - Region Lisbon  - Subregion Grande Lisboa  - District or A.R. Lisbon Mayor Carmona Rodrigues  - Party PSD Area 84. ... Location Location of Madrid in Europe Coordinates : 40° 23’N , 3°43′0″W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Villa de Madrid (Spanish) Spanish name Villa de Madrid Founded 9th century Postal code 28001-28080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 91 (Villa de... Part of the Paris skyline with from left to right: Montparnasse Tower, Eiffel Tower, and in the background, towers of neighboring La Défense. ... Nickname: The Eternal City Location within Province of Rome in the Region of Lazio Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Mayor of Rome Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1,285 Your Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! km²  (496. ... Country Italy Region Lombardy Province Milan (MI) Mayor Letizia Moratti Elevation 120 m Area 182 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 1,308,311  - Density 6,988/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Milanesi Dialing code 02 Postal code 20100 Patron St. ... Amsterdam Location Flag Country Netherlands Province North Holland Population 743,905 (1 April 2006) Demonym Amsterdammer Coordinates Website www. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Official language(s) English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq mi (141,205 km²)  - Width 285 miles (455 km)  - Length 330 miles (530 km)  - % water 13. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... City motto: Muy noble y leal (English: Very noble and loyal) City nickname: La Tierra del Sol Amada (Spanish: The Land Beloved by the Sun) Location of Maracaibo Municipalities Maracaibo Municipality Mayor Gian Carlo Di Martino (2004 – 2008) Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 550 km² N/A km² N/A km² Population... Anthem: Himno di Kòrsou Capital Willemstad Area  - Total  - % water (Not ranked) 450 km² Negligible Population  - Total  - Density 173,400 (2006) 391/km² Curaçao (pronounced [kurasão]) is an island in the southern part of the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Venezuela. ... This article is about the city in Florida. ... Houston redirects here. ... Nickname: Athens of Latin America Motto: Y tú, ¿qué sabes de Bogotá? Municipalities of Bogotá Country Colombia Department Bogotá, D.C.* Foundation August 6, 1538 Mayor Luís Eduardo Garzón, PDA Area    - City 1,732 km² Elevation 2,640 m Population    - City (2005 est. ... This article is about Lima, Peru. ...

In 1963, Viasa pooled services with Iberia and Alitalia and received its third Convair, which it sublet to KLM for its Netherlands Antilles services (later transferred to Air ALM). 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). 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. (Iberia Airlines of Spain in English), usually shortened to Iberia, is the most important airline of Spain, based in Madrid. ... Alitalia (ISE: IT0003331888) (Linee Aeree Italiane) (IATA: AZ, ICAO: AZA, and Callsign: Alitalia) is the national airline of Italy. ... Air ALM de Havilland Dash 8-300, registration number PJ-DHI, at Luis Munoz Marin Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico, in April 1999 Air ALM was an airline based in the Netherlands Antilles, flying out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao. ... Doctors Cave Beach Club is a popular tourist destination in Montego Bay Montego Bay is a city in Jamaica that contains Jamaicas largest airport, Sangster International Airport. ... 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1965 calendar). ...

In 1967 it began operations with a couple of DC-9-15s, 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. 1967 (MCMLXVII) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar (the link is to a full 1967 calendar). ... The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 (initially known as the Douglas DC-9) is a family of twin-engine, single-aisle jet airliners, first manufactured in 1965 and subsequently, in greatly modified form, under a succession of different names. ... San José is the capital and largest city of the nation of Costa Rica. ... Nickname: La Arenosa Location in the Atlantico Department. ... City motto: Muy noble y leal (English: Very noble and loyal) City nickname: La Tierra del Sol Amada (Spanish: The Land Beloved by the Sun) Location of Maracaibo Municipalities Maracaibo Municipality Mayor Gian Carlo Di Martino (2004 – 2008) Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 550 km² N/A km² N/A km² Population... City motto: Ave María Santísima, sin pecado concebida, en el primer instante de su ser natural. ... Motto: Together we aspire, together we achieve Anthem: Forged From The Love of Liberty Capital Port of Spain Largest city Port-of-Spain Official language(s) English Government President Prime Minister George Maxwell Richards Patrick Manning Independence from the UK 31 August 1962 Area    - Total 5,128 km² (172nd)   (1... After technical problems with the Comet, BOAC resumed jet service with imported Boeing 707s. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ...

In December of 1968, Viasa received its first DC-8-63 followed by the second one in May of 1969, standardizing its fleet on Douglas airliners. 1968 (MCMLXVIII) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1968 calendar). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... DC-10, retired from American Airlines fleet at gate McDonnell Douglas was a major American aerospace manufacturer, producing a number of famous commercial and military aircraft. ... An Airbus A340 airliner operated by Air Jamaica An airliner is a large fixed-wing aircraft whose primary function is the transportation of paying passengers. ...

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. Transcarga (International Airways) is a cargo airline based in Caracas, Venezuela. ...

Viasa's first fatal accident occurred on March 16, 1969, in Maracaibo at Grano de Oro Airport where a DC-9-32 (also borrowed from Avensa) crashed on take off falling on nearby blocks of flats and killing all on board plus an almost equal number on the ground. The airplane had been delivered from McDonnell Douglas two weeks before. March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... City motto: Muy noble y leal (English: Very noble and loyal) City nickname: La Tierra del Sol Amada (Spanish: The Land Beloved by the Sun) Location of Maracaibo Municipalities Maracaibo Municipality Mayor Gian Carlo Di Martino (2004 – 2008) Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 550 km² N/A km² N/A km² Population... Avensa (Aerovias Venezolanas Sociedad Anonima) is Venezuelas national airline. ...

In 1971, Viasa signed another agreement with KLM for the dry-leasing of 747-200 equipment from April 1972, (becoming the first Latin American airline to fly the type). 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. 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1971 calendar). ... The Boeing 747, commonly called a Jumbo Jet, is one of the most recognizable of all jet airliners and is the largest airliner currently in service. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ... City motto: Muy noble y leal (English: Very noble and loyal) City nickname: La Tierra del Sol Amada (Spanish: The Land Beloved by the Sun) Location of Maracaibo Municipalities Maracaibo Municipality Mayor Gian Carlo Di Martino (2004 – 2008) Area   â€“Land   â€“Water 550 km² N/A km² N/A km² Population...

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. The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is a three-engined medium to long-range widebody airliner, with two engines mounted on underwing pylons and a third engine at the base of the vertical stabilizer. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ...

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. 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... 1976 (MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ...

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. 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Two former Lufthansa Airbus A300-B4 jets were leased from GPA in 1987 for the United States and South American services. In 1987, too, the airline was allowed 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. Deutsche Lufthansa (pronounced [luft-han-za]) AG is the largest German airline, and the second-largest in Europe (behind Air France-KLM, but before British Airways). ... The Airbus A300 is a short to medium range widebody aircraft. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

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. 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Iberia, the Spanish flag carrier, was the favored bidder in August of 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) and the Spanish airline itself was nearly bankrupt (the Spanish government claimed during Iberia's own privatisation, that it was worth just one peseta in 1996 before a massive rescue operation was put underway). 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. Viasa's operations were among the most inefficient since Iberia took over the company, which is believed to have been done in a way to take the company to bankruptcy, it made sense for Iberia, that way they would take over Viasa´s routes from Europe and try to take the leadership from Europe - South America. Iberia is facing the same future as Viasa, it keeps losing money and has a big burden with the Pilots and Cabin Crew Unions that some experts believe it will be hard for Iberia to keep up with it, with such a competitive market. Iberia Líneas Aéreas de España, S.A. (Iberia Airlines of Spain in English), usually shortened to Iberia, is the most important airline of Spain, based in Madrid. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The peseta was the former currency of Spain and, along with the French franc, of Andorra until 1999 (de facto, 2002). ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

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 (tales abound of flights without blankets, short of meals, etc. because of bureaucratic meddling and communication problems with headquarters in Spain). American Airlines Boeing 757 Delta Air Lines Boeing 757-232 at LAX in August 2003. ... Various United Airlines tails United Airlines, the primary subsidiary of the UAL Corporation, is a major airline of the United States headquartered in unincorporated Elk Grove Township, Illinois, near Chicagos OHare International Airport, the airlines largest traffic hub. ...

The airline closed for good under acrimony and very sour labour relations in January 1997. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

For many years also, Viasa offered an important 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. Simón Bolívar International Airport (IATA: CCS, ICAO: SVMI), also known as Maiquetia International Airport (Spanish: Aeropuerto Internacional de Maiquetia Simón Bolívar), is located in Maiquetía, Venezuela, about 13 miles from Downtown Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. ... Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (IATA: SJU, ICAO: TJSJ) is a public airport located in Carolina, 3 miles (5 km) southeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Viasas livery consisted of a 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. Viasa had agreements with Schabak and Gemini Jets to produce their die-cast airplane models, and with Hasegawa of Japan to produce their plastic plane models. Schabak is a die-cast toy producer from Germany. ... Gemini Jets is a die-cast metal model airplane manufacturer based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. ... Hasegawa (長谷川 long valley river) is common Japanese surname. ...

Recent times

Viasa is remembered fondly by many Venezuelans. There have been attempts to revive the airline, and some of Viasa's routes have been handed over by the Venezuelan Government to other airlines, such as Aeropostal, Avior and Santa Barbara. Avensa originally overtook all the existing routes that Viasa operated until it went bankrupt. Santa Barbara Airlines is an airline based in Caracas, Venezuela. ...

The current Venezuelan government of Hugo Chávez has started a new revival for Viasa under the name of Conviasa, with routes limited to a small selection of national and international destinations in neighboring countries. Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (IPA: ) (born July 28, 1954) is the 53rd[1] and current President of Venezuela. ... Conviasa (Consorcio Venezolano de Industrias Aeronáuticas y Servicios Aéreos) is a Venezuelan state-owned airline based in Porlamar on Venezuelas Margarita Island. ...

Timetable image note

The image of the Viasa timetable is used with permission and as courtesy of Bjorn Larsson and David Zekria, and are part of their personal collections.

External links

• Photos of Viasa's aircraft
• Commercial of Viasa from 1987