Intercontinental de Aviación

An Aeropesca Colombia Curtiss C-46 Commando in 1979

The airline was founded and started operations on October 16, 1960 as Aeropesca Colombia.

The company had several accidents, and was sold to a group of shareholders who changed their name and image to Intercontinental de Aviacion in 1982. Only the Vickers Viscount and Curtiss C-46 left the company. A Douglas DC-9-15 and another Vickers Viscount were purchased, and in June 1983, it began operating from Bogotá to the west.

In 1986 it changed shareholders, consolidated itself as a developing company and became a competition for Avianca and SAM. The airline begins operating international flights in 1991, and in 1993 more DC-9-15 and DeHavilland DHC-8 were acquired. The Executive Class and VIP lounges began to be offered in Bogotá, Cali, Medellin and Barranquilla. In 2000, Beechcraft 1900D aircraft were purchased, which, as well as two Boeing 737-300s, which were never operated.

The airline was forced to cease operations in September 2005 following the crash of West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 in Venezuela. After the crash, the Colombian Civil Aviation authority required that all airlines undergo a special inspection of its maintenance facilities and aircraft.

Intercontinental de Aviación was one of three airlines forced to cease operating due to a failure of these inspections (along with AeroTACA and West Caribbean itself).

An Intercontinental de Aviacion McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10 in 1993

Aeropesca Colombia and Intercontinental de Aviación consisted of the following fleet:

• Beechcraft 1900D (not operated)
• Boeing 727-100
• Boeing 737-300 (not operated)
• Bombardier Dash 8 Q300
• Consolidated PBY Catalina
• Curtiss C-46 Commando
• de Havilland DHC-6 Twin Otter (not operated)
• Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon
• Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10
• McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30
• Vickers Viscount

• On 21 January 1974, a Vickers Viscount of Aeropesca Colombia was hijacked and diverted to Cali.[1]

• On 14 August 1978, an Aeropesca Colombia Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando (registration HK-1350) flying in worsening weather conditions drifted off course during a flight from Bogotá to Tame and crashed into Mount Paramo de Laura near Tota, Colombia, killing all 18 people in board. Certified to carry only six passengers, it had 15 passengers on board at the time of the crash.[2]

• On 26 August 1981, Vickers Viscount HK-1320 of Aeropesca Colombia flew into Mount Santa Elena killing all 50 people on board.[3]

• On 26 March 1982, Vickers Viscount HK-2382 of Aeropesca Colombia flew into a mountain near Queate while on a flight from La Vanguardia Airport to El Dorado International Airport, killing all 21 people on board.[4]

• On 31 March 1991, Vickers Viscount HK-1708 of Intercontinental de Aviación was damaged beyond economic repair while on a flight from El Dorado International Airport to Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport. Both artificial horizons failed in turbulence at 16,000 feet (4,900 m). Control of the aircraft was regained at 4,000 feet (1,200 m) and a successful emergency landing was made at Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellin. The lower main spar was found to have cracked. The aircraft had previously suffered a gear collapse on 14 February 1988.[5]

• On 11 January 1995, Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9 HK-3839X crashed on approach near Maria La Baja. The accident killed 52 passengers and crew; one person survived the crash.

• Airline Codes website
• Intercontinental de Aviación in Aviacol.net
• Flight International, 5–11 April 2005
• Media related to Intercontinental de Aviación at Wikimedia Commons