Avensa

Avensa was created on May 13, 1943, as a cargo airline by the Venezuelan businessman, Andres Boulton Pietri, and Pan American World Airways (Pan Am). Its first flights occurred in December 1943, flying cargo to Venezuela's oil-rich Carteru region with Ford Trimotors and Stinson Reliants. By 1944, Avensa had started passenger flights with Lockheed 10A twins.

After World War II, DC-3 Dakotas were added to the fleet. These were the backbone of the fleet until 1955 when Convair 340 twins were introduced for a new service to Miami. Avensa had set up an extensive domestic route network by the beginning of the 1960s. The airline also flew internationally to Miami, Aruba, Jamaica and New Orleans.

Avensa merged its international routes with the international routes of LAV (Aeropostal) and the resulting network was the basis for a new international Venezuelan airline called Viasa, in which Avensa had a 45% holding. Avensa purchased jet equipment in the form of a single Sud Caravelle jet in 1964. Turboprop aircraft were introduced in 1966 when the airline purchased Convair 580s. McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jets were then introduced to give the airline a more competitive edge. Pan Am sold its 30% holding of Avensa to the Venezuelan government in 1976, making it completely state-owned.

Later, Avensa introduced Boeing 727-100 and 727-200 jets. Two Boeing 737-200s were later introduced. A fleet renewal program was set in motion at the end of the 1980s and new Boeing 737-300s were added. Boeing 757-200s were also introduced as part of the renewal program. These new aircraft were returned during the 1990s when Avensa fell into financial difficulties and had to make cut backs. This left the fleet with eleven aging Boeing 727s, five Douglas DC9s and two Boeing 737-200s at the end of the 1990s.

Avensa took over many of the international routes formerly flown by Viasa after that airline collapsed in 1997. During the late 1990s, Avensa was operating wide body McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 flights to Europe including service to Lisbon, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome and Tenerife.[3] Avensa also controlled a smaller low-cost airline called Servivensa, which primarily operated Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jet aircraft. Avensa later served only a domestic network of three cities as it attempted to reestablish services during a time of continuing financial difficulties.

At one time it had its headquarters in the now Caracas City Government's owned Torre El Chorro in Caracas, and in the Torre Humboldt complex in East Caracas.[4]

In 2012, the late former president Hugo Chávez is the one who finishes honoring the debt of the unemployed Avensa workers and cancels part of the social benefits that their former owners did not pay.

Avensa Boeing 727-100

Avensa Boeing 737-200

This is the list of places to which Avensa flew:

Avensa Boeing 757-200

Avensa Convair CV-580

Avensa Sud Aviation Caravelle

Avensa had operated the following aircraft since it commenced operations:[5]

• Boeing 727-100
• Boeing 727-200
• Boeing 737-200
• Boeing 737-300
• Boeing 757-200
• Convair CV-340
• Convair CV-440
• Convair CV-540
• Convair CV-580
• Curtiss C-46 Commando
• Douglas C-47 Skytrain
• Douglas C-54 Skymaster
• Douglas DC-2
• Douglas DC-3
• Douglas DC-4
• Douglas DC-6B
• Embraer EMB 120
• Fairchild F-27
• Ford Trimotor
• Lockheed Model 10 Electra
• Lockheed Model 12 Electra Junior
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
• Stinson Detroiter
• Sud Aviation Caravelle

• On August 20, 1948, A Douglas DC-3 disappeared off the coast of Las Piedras, Falcón State. All 3 crew members died.

• On February 25, 1962, a Fairchild F-27 crashed into a mountain on departure from Margarita Island, with 23 on board killed.[6]

• On March 21, 1968, an Avensa Convair CV-440 was hijacked to Cuba by three passengers.[7]

• On December 22, 1974, Avensa Flight 358 Douglas DC-9-14 crashed in Maturín, Venezuela, shortly after take off due to a double engine failure. 77 passengers and crew were killed.[8]

• On March 11, 1983 a Douglas DC-9 crashed at Barquisimeto Airport. 22 passengers and one crew were killed.[9]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avensa.

• Avensa (in Spanish)
• Avensa (Archive)
• Avensa in airliners.net