View source for AeroSur

{{Short description|Defunct Bolivian airline}}
{{Distinguish|Aerosul Linhas Aéreas}}
{{Infobox airline
| airline          = Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur S.A.
| image            = AeroSur logo updated.svg
| image_size       = 250
| IATA             = 5L
| ICAO             = RSU
| callsign         = AEROSUR
| founded          = {{start date and age|1992|04|}}
| commenced        = {{start date|1992|08|24}}
| ceased           = {{start date and age|2012|05|17}}
| aoc              =
| hubs             = [[Viru Viru International Airport|Santa Cruz de la Sierra]]
| secondary_hubs   = [[El Alto International Airport|La Paz-El Alto]]
| focus_cities     =
| frequent_flyer = Club AeroSur<ref>[http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=206&pla=1 Information about Club AeroSur at aerosur.com]{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224195824/http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=206&pla=1|date=December 24, 2011}}</ref>
| alliance         =
| subsidiaries     =
*AeroSur Cargo
*AeroSur Paraguay
| fleet_size       = 6
| destinations     = 16
| company_slogan   =
| parent           =
| headquarters     = {{nowrap|[[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]], [[Bolivia]]}}
| key_people       = Humberto Roca ([[CEO]])
| website          = [https://web.archive.org/web/19990117030408/http://www.aerosur.com/ aerosur.com]
}}
'''AeroSur''' (legally incorporated as ''Compañía Boliviana de Transporte Aéreo Privado Aerosur, [[S.A. (corporation)|S.A.]])<ref>"[http://procurement.pppl.gov/Forms/Travel_Forms/ApprovedAirlines.pdf DOE Accepted Carriers]." [[Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory]]. Retrieved on January 23, 2011.</ref>'' was the second largest privately owned [[airline]] in [[Bolivia]], headquartered in [[Santa Cruz, Bolivia|Santa Cruz de la Sierra]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Potenze |first=Pablo Luciano |date=2012-06-06 |title=Historias Bolivianas |url=https://www.gacetaeronautica.com/gaceta/wp-101/?p=3041 |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Gaceta Aeronáutica |language=es}}</ref> It operated a domestic and international flight network from its main [[airline hub|hub]] at [[Viru Viru International Airport]] to major cities in Bolivia and destinations in [[South America]], the United States and Spain.<ref name="FI">{{cite news |date=2007-04-03 |title=Directory: World Airlines |work=[[Flight International]] |page=50}}</ref><ref>"[http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=172&pla=1 Contact Information] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130075437/http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=172&pla=1|date=2010-01-30}}." AeroSur. Retrieved on February 27, 2010. "Central Office Santa Cruz de la Sierra Dirección: Av. Irala # 61"</ref> Founded in April 1992 to take advantage of the [[airline deregulation|deregulation]] of Bolivia's air transport, it started flying on 24 August that year between Santa Cruz and [[Potosí]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Endres |first=Günther G. |title=Airline Recognition Guide |last2=Edwards |first2=Graham |publisher=[[HarperCollins]] |year=2006 |isbn=9780007204427}}</ref>
For most of its operational history, AeroSur's main fleet was the [[Boeing 727|Boeing 727-200]]. The airline even operated the type for its services to [[Miami]], although the flight required a refueling stop due to the type's range. They were gradually replaced with more modern [[Boeing 737]] aircraft.<ref name="atdb">{{cite web |title=Information about AeroSur at the Aero Transport Data Bank |url=http://www.aerotransport.org/php/go.php?query=operator&qstring=AeroSur&where=99423&luck= |access-date=2018-01-29 |publisher=Aerotransport.org}}</ref> Additionally, the airline operated single [[Boeing 747]] and [[Boeing 767|767]] aircraft for its long-haul destinations to North America and Europe. Since 2008, AeroSur became Bolivia's [[flag carrier]] following the demise of the country's main airline, [[Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano]], which eventually ceased operations in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pérez |first=Ángel |date=2021-08-31 |title=Aerosur |url=https://kioscoinsular.com/aviacion-2/aerosur/ |access-date=2024-06-13 |website=Kiosco Insular |language=es}}</ref> In 2012, AeroSur declared bankruptcy and ceased operations shortly afterwards, the airline had 1,200 employees.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-22 |title=La boliviana Aerosur suspende operaciones indefinidamente |trans-title=Bolivian airline Aerosur suspends operations indefinitely |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSMAE84L0A4/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=Reuters |language=es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-05-14 |title=Bolivia’s main private airline AeroSur in doubt |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2012/05/14/bolivias-main-private-airline-aerosur-in-doubt/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=San Diego Union-Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref>
==History==
=== Foundation and background ===
[[File:Boeing 727-23, AeroSur AN0192381.jpg|left|thumb|A [[Boeing 727-100]] from AeroSur featuring the airline's first livery]]AeroSur was established in April 1992, following the [[Airline deregulation|deregulation]] of the Bolivian airline market, which had been previously controlled by the then state-owned airline [[Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano]] (LAB), Bolivia's [[flag carrier]], which had been in service since 1925, making it South America's second oldest airline.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lloyd |first=Barry |title=Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (Airlines) |date=2024-01-01 |publisher=[[Key Publishing]] |isbn=9781802822410}}</ref>
On August 24 1992, AeroSur commenced its operations with an inaugural flight between [[Santa Cruz de la Sierra]] and [[Potosí]] using a [[Let L-410 Turbolet|Let L-410 Turbojet]] short-range aircraft.<ref name="atdb" /> During the first year of its operations, the airline had carried around 400,000 passengers.<ref name=":0" /> Regular revenue flights on regional routes soon followed as the airline then acquired several [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]] and [[British Aerospace 146]] aircraft. Over the following years, AeroSur acquired larger [[Boeing 727-200]] airliners, which allowed the airline to expand its network of operations by adding international flights and helped the airline increase the number of passengers transported.
=== Further expansion in the 21st century ===
[[File:CP-2603 LEMD 6-12-2011.jpg|thumb|An AeroSur's [[Boeing 747-400]] landing at [[Madrid–Barajas Airport|Madrid-Barajas Airport]]]]
During the 2000s AeroSur renewed and expanded its fleet, introducing larger aircraft of the types [[Boeing 747]] and [[Boeing 757]],<ref name="airfleets">{{cite web|url=http://www.airfleets.net/flottecie/Aerosur.htm|title=AeroSur fleet list at|publisher=Airfleets.net|access-date=2018-01-29}}</ref> which made the inauguration of long-haul flights possible. In 2002, President [[Hugo Banzer]] declared the airline the flag carrier of the Republic of Bolivia (''línea aérea bandera''), in that very year AeroSur became the first airline in Bolivia to offer [[Business class|business]] and [[First class (aviation)|first class]] flights. In 2004, AeroSur had started to operate nostalgic flights with a [[Douglas C-117]] to tourist destinations such as the [[Salar de Uyuni]] and [[Rurrenabaque]], both of which are internationally recognized.
When [[Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano]] went bankrupt in 2007, AeroSur became the largest airline of Bolivia and the only one with intercontinental flights (to Central and North America as well as to Europe). Since 2009, the domestic fleet of ageing Boeing 727s is replaced by more modern, though second-hand purchased [[Boeing 737 Classic]] airliners,<ref name="airfleets" /> and looked to start a Peruvian subsidiary, however that project was suspended indefinitely.
The subsidiary dubbed ''AeroSur Paraguay'' was planned to operate two [[Boeing 737-200]] aircraft of mainline AeroSur. The further development of the project was postponed in mid-2009 pending Paraguayan governmental approval, and later deferred indefinitely.<ref name="atdb"/> In 2010, AeroSur added five new aircraft to its fleet: three [[Boeing 737-300]]s, one [[Boeing 737-400]] and a [[Boeing 767-200ER]].
===Bankruptcy===
On March 31, 2012, the airline suspended operations because of unpaid taxes, but resumed all flights on  April 6, except for its Madrid route. AeroSur had used a 747 leased from [[Virgin Atlantic]] on that route but had returned it to the lessor. The airline planned to resume that route with an ex-[[Aerolíneas Argentinas]] 747-400.<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01>{{cite web|title=AeroSur|url=http://www.ch-aviation.ch/portal/airline.php?cha=5L|publisher=ch-aviation|access-date=7 April 2012}}</ref><ref name="finances">{{cite web|url=http://www.opinion.com.bo/opinion/articulos/2012/0402/noticias.php?id=50490|title=AeroSur says that its activities are normal but admits "difficulties" (in Spanish)|publisher=Opinion.com.bo |date= 2 April 2012|accessdate=2018-01-29}}</ref> Ultimately, AeroSur struggled to keep its operations running smoothly and returned its 767 aircraft to the lessor.<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01/>
On May 17, 2012 AeroSur suspended all its flights again, and other airlines such as state-owned [[Boliviana de Aviación]] have since begun to fill the void left by AeroSur. The airline was in talks with potential US investor William Petty who signed a memorandum of understanding to invest up to [[United States dollar|US$]]15 million in the Bolivian carrier. AeroSur's air operator's certificate was revoked on July 20, 2012. A group of former employees, as well as William Petty, planned to create a new airline called TU Aerolínea,<ref name=5L_CH-Aviation01/> but, as of 2018, nothing had happened as far as that venture.
==Subsidiaries==
[[File:AeroSur Paraguay Boeing 737-200 Volpati.jpg|thumb|AeroSur Paraguay's [[Boeing 737-200]] in 2010]]
===AeroSur Paraguay===
AeroSur Paraguay was a brand of its parent company which was trying to become a future airline based at the [[Silvio Pettirossi International Airport]], in [[Asunción, Paraguay]] and to be a subsidiary of the Bolivian airline.<ref>http://www.ultimahora.com/home/index.php?p=nota&idNota=39239 {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref> Unfortunately, the brand could never be consolidated as one legitimate and legally operational airline, it only became the name for one of the Bolivian airline's aircraft that has already been withdrawn from its fleet due to the financial problems that afflict one of the most important private airlines in [[Bolivia]] in recent years.
===AeroSur Cargo===
AeroSur had freight transport service nationwide and international with direct shipments. AeroSur did not operate any dedicated cargo aircraft, but used the cargo holds of its passenger aircraft for network-wide freight transport.
==Destinations==
AeroSur's destination network was organized around [[Viru Viru International Airport]] from where it offered services to various cities in South America, as well as direct flights to [[Miami]] and [[Madrid]].{{citation needed|date=July 2023}}
==Fleet==
===Last fleet===
[[File:AeroSur Boeing 747-400 Heisterkamp.jpg|thumb|An AeroSur [[Boeing 747-400]] leased from [[Virgin Atlantic]] at [[Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport]] in 2011]]
[[File:CP-2659 B767 Aerosur (5596102584) (2).jpg|thumb|An AeroSur [[Boeing 767-200ER]] at [[Miami International Airport]] in 2011]]
[[File:CP-2462 Boeing 727 AeroSur (7375659990).jpg|thumb|An AeroSur [[Boeing 727-200]] taxiing at [[São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport]] in 2012]]
As of November 2011, the AeroSur fleet consisted of the following aircraft:<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=5L&al_op=1 |title=CH-Aviation - Airline News, Fleet Lists & More|access-date=2008-09-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090223061839/http://www.ch-aviation.ch/aircraft.php?search=set&airline=5L&al_op=1 |archive-date=2009-02-23|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.planespotters.net/airline/Aerosur|title=Planespotters.net airline page|access-date=2012-07-25|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120614101159/http://www.planespotters.net/Airline/Aerosur|archive-date=2012-06-14|url-status=live}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ AeroSur fleet
|-
!rowspan=2|Aircraft
!rowspan=2|In<br />service
!colspan=4|Passengers
!rowspan=2|Routes
!rowspan=2|Notes
|-
!<abbr title=First>F</abbr>
!<abbr title=Business>B</abbr>
!<abbr title=Economy>E</abbr>
!Total
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|1
|0
|12
|138
|150
|Domestic
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-300]]
|4
|0
|12
|114
|126
|Domestic, American
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-400]]
|1
|14
|58
|379
|451
|Madrid
|leased from [[Virgin Atlantic]]
|-
!Total
!6
!colspan=6|
|}
===Fleet development===
Over the years, AeroSur operated the following aircraft types:<ref name="atdb"/><ref name="airfleets"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://aerobernie.bplaced.net/Aerosur.html|title=Aerosur fleet|website=aerobernie.bplaced.net|access-date=February 20, 2021}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
!Aircraft
!Total
!Introduced
!Retired
!Notes
|-
|[[Aero Commander 500]]
|1
|{{unknown}}
|1998
|
|-
|[[Airbus A330-200]]
|1
|2006
|2008
|Operated by [[Air Comet]]
|-
|[[British Aerospace 146|British Aerospace 146-100]]
|2
|1992
|1996
|
|-
|[[British Aerospace 146|British Aerospace 146-200]]
|2
|1993
|1995
|
|-
|[[Beechcraft Baron]]
|1
|1992
|1993
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727-100]]
|7
|1995
|2005
|
|-
|[[Boeing 727-200]]
|13
|2001
|2012
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-200]]
|5
|2003
|2012
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-300]]
|5
|2009
|2012
|
|-
|[[Boeing 737-400]]
|1
|2010
|2012
|
|-
|[[Boeing 747-100SR]]
|1
|2006
|2007
|Leased from [[Logistic Air]]
|-
|[[Boeing 747-300]]
|1
|2008
|2010
|Leased from [[Air Atlanta Icelandic]]
|-
|[[Boeing 747-400]]
|1
|2009
|2012
|Leased from [[Virgin Atlantic]]
|-
|[[Boeing 757-200]]
|4
|2006
|2010
|Leased from [[Ryan International Airlines]]
|-
|[[Boeing 767-200ER]]
|2
|2008
|2012
|
|-
|[[Dornier 228]]
|1
|2003
|2004
|Leased from [[Aerocon]]
|-
|[[Douglas C-117]]
|1
|2004
|2008
|Leased from [[List of airlines of Bolivia|Líneas Aéreas Canedo]]
|-
|[[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]]
|9
|1992
|1998
|
|-
|[[Let L-410]]
|4
|1992
|1997
|
|-
|[[Piper PA-31 Navajo]]
|1
|1993
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Piper PA-34 Seneca]]
|1
|1993
|{{unknown}}
|
|-
|[[Yakovlev Yak-40]]
|3
|1995
|2003
|
|}
==Accidents and incidents==
*On 31 December 1997, an AeroSur [[Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner]] (registered CP-2321) was substantially damaged when it veered off the runway at [[Teniente Jorge Henrich Arauz Airport]]. The two pilots had lost control of the aircraft during take-off run. There were no notable injuries amongst the 18 passengers on board.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19971231-0|title=1997 incident at the Aviation Safety Network|publisher=Aviation-safety.net|date=1997-12-31|access-date=2018-01-29}}</ref>
==Awards and recognitions==
*2008: Named ''Most Powerful Brand'' among Bolivian airlines by [[PricewaterhouseCoopers]].<ref name="history">[http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=193&pla=1 History of AeroSur at aerosur.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005181052/http://www.aerosur.com/en/index.php?cat=193&pla=1|date=October 5, 2011}}</ref>
*2009: Awarded one [[Bizz Awards|Bizz Award]] as ''Inspiring Company''.<ref>{{cite web|author=Hosteltur|url=http://www.hosteltur.com/61876_aerosur-recibe-premio-the-bizz-awards-2009-como-empresa-inspiradora.html|title=News item about AeroSur receiving a Bizz Award, at hosteltur.com (in Spanish)|publisher=Hosteltur.com|date=2009-07-17|accessdate=2018-01-29}}</ref>
==Contributions==
[[File:Restos de Aviones de AeroSur.jpg|thumb|The remaining AeroSur planes today]]
AeroSur also greatly supported the sport, especially football, where it created the [[Copa Aerosur]] and la Copa AeroSur del Sur and in mid 2009, the AeroSur Futsal Cup was organized for the first time, where CRE and AeroSur from Bolivia, [[Club Atlético River Plate|River Plate]] of Argentina and [[Club Presidente Hayes|President Hayes]] of Paraguay, in which the host team AeroSur won.
A preserved [[Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation]] nicknamed ''[[Avion Pirata]]'' was painted with the AeroSur livery, although it never entered in service with the airline.
Many street signs amongst others in [[Cochabamba]], such as the signs for C. Mexico street, were financed by AeroSur and to this day still bear the Airline's name.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-08-01 |title=Plantean cambiar el sentido de la México y otras tres vías del centro |url=https://www.lostiempos.com/actualidad/cochabamba/20220801/plantean-cambiar-sentido-mexico-otras-tres-vias-del-centro}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Aerosur}}
* {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20091024021112/http://www.aerosur.com:80/en/}}
{{Airlines of Bolivia}}
{{Portal bar|Bolivia|Companies|Aviation}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aerosur (Bolivia)}}
[[Category:Defunct airlines of Bolivia]]
[[Category:Airlines established in 1992]]
[[Category:Airlines disestablished in 2012]]
[[Category:Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association]]
[[Category:2012 disestablishments in Bolivia]]
[[Category:Bolivian companies established in 1992]]
[[Category:Defunct companies of Bolivia]]