Avianca Cargo (formerly ''Tampa Cargo - Transportes Aereos Mercantiles PanAmericanos S.A.'') is a
cargo airline
Cargo airlines (or air freight carriers, and derivatives of these names) are airlines mainly dedicated to the transport of cargo by air. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.
In 2018, airline cargo traf ...
based at
José María Córdova International Airport
José María Córdova International Airport is an international airport located in the city of Rionegro, south-east of Medellín, and is the second largest airport in Colombia after El Dorado International Airport of Bogotá in terms of infra ...
in
Medellín
Medellín ( or ), officially the Municipality of Medellín ( es, Municipio de Medellín), is the second-largest city in Colombia, after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia. It is located in the Aburrá Valley, a central re ...
, Colombia. It is an all-cargo airline transporting flowers from Latin America to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, as well as general cargo throughout the Americas.
History
![Douglas DC-6A HK-1776 Tampa Col MIA 04](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Douglas_DC-6A_HK-1776_Tampa_Col_MIA_04.10.75_edited-2.jpg)
The airline was established in March 11, 1973 by Luís H. Coulson along with Captain Juan Fernando Mesa, Captain Orlando Botero Escobar and Captain Anibal Obando Echeverri. It commenced operations with a
Douglas DC-6A
The Douglas DC-6 is a piston-powered airliner and cargo aircraft built by the Douglas Aircraft Company from 1946 to 1958. Originally intended as a military transport near the end of World War II, it was reworked after the war to compete with ...
, which formed part of the initial fleet that was acquired. These were retired in the early 1980s.
After overcoming several crises due to drug trafficking problems in one of its aircraft, in 1988, Tampa Cargo decided to renew its fleet by bringing
Douglas DC-8
The Douglas DC-8 (sometimes McDonnell Douglas DC-8) is a long-range narrow-body airliner built by the American Douglas Aircraft Company.
After losing the May 1954 US Air Force tanker competition to the Boeing KC-135, Douglas announced in Ju ...
s with the most modern technology of its time, including GPS positioning systems and CFM engines.
Martinair
Martinair (legally ''Martinair Holland N.V.'') is a Dutch cargo airline headquartered and based at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and a subsidiary of Air France–KLM. The airline was founded in 1958 by Martin Schröder. Since 2011, Martinair has op ...
signed an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Tampa Cargo in 1996, which was later increased to 58% in 2003.
On July 26, 2003, the company inaugurated its Maintenance Hangar in Rionegro-Antioquia and the new route to
Perú
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...
was placed in operation that same year. In September 2004 Tampa Cargo started its fleet renovation by incorporating the
Boeing 767-200ER
The Boeing 767 is an American wide-body aircraft developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
The aircraft was launched as the 7X7 program on July 14, 1978, the prototype first flew on September 26, 1981, and it was certified on ...
.
Avianca
Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias del Continente Americano S.A.'', "Airways of the American Continent") is a Colombian airline. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it was initially registered under ...
acquired a 100% stake in Tampa Cargo in July 2008.
On February 1, 2010, Tampa Cargo was advised that after concluding the regulatory approval and the approval of competences required to concrete the union announced in October 2009,
Synergy Group, the owner of Avianca, and Kingsland Holding Limited, the owner of Grupo TACA, signed the Agreement through which the closing that started up the strategic union of their businesses was made official, and that the name of the strategic union was
AviancaTaca Holding. Then, the holding created the Cargo Vice-Presidency to which Tampa Cargo and its cargo aircraft fleet belong, naming Tampa Cargo the administrator of the Avianca and Taca commercial aircraft capacity.
On September 27, 2011, Avianca ordered four
Airbus A330-200Fs to replace the existing Tampa Cargo fleet, with deliveries to commence in December 2012. This made Tampa Cargo the first A330F operator in Latin America.
The airline was re-branded as Avianca Cargo in May 28, 2013.
Destinations
![Boeing 707-324C, Tampa Colombia AN0195823](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/Boeing_707-324C%2C_Tampa_Colombia_AN0195823.jpg)
Avianca Cargo operates to the following destinations:
Fleet
Current fleet
The Avianca Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft as of May 2022.
Former fleet
The airline previously operated the following aircraft:
Accidents and incidents
![McDonnell Douglas DC-8-63(F), Tampa Colombia AN0203157](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/McDonnell_Douglas_DC-8-63%28F%29%2C_Tampa_Colombia_AN0203157.jpg)
*On December 14, 1983, a
Boeing 707-320C
The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
(registered HK-2401X)
crashed into a factory after taking off from Medellín's
Olaya Herrera Airport
Olaya Herrera Airport ( es, Aeropuerto Olaya Herrera) is an airport located in Medellín, Colombia, that serves regional and domestic flights. Additionally, the airport is used by general aviation and features several hangars for charters.
To ...
. The cause of the accident was a failure on engines 3 and 4 by foreign objects during the initial ascent. All 3 crew members on board died, plus 22 on the ground.
*On July 14, 1989, a
Douglas DC-8-63F (registered HK-3490X) took off from
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most co ...
, when the main cargo door opened shortly after. The aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely.
*On October 9, 1994, a
Boeing 707-320C
The Boeing 707 is an American, long-range, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype first flown in 1954, the initial first flew on December 20, ...
(registered HK-3355X) was flying from
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
to
Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department.
Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...
. When climbing, the second hydraulic pump light of the engine 3 illuminated. The leak couldn't be stopped and the aircraft returned to São Paulo. The nosegear didn't extend and the main gear didn't lock down and the aircraft slid during the emergency landing. None of the 5 occupants on board were killed.
*On February 4, 2007, a
Douglas DC-8-71F (registered HK-4277), operating a cargo flight to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, veered to the right during landing approach. The pilot said that it may have been due to a crosswind. The aircraft's landing gear collapsed when touchdown the runway. None of the 3 occupants on board were killed, while the aircraft was damaged beyond repairs.
See also
*
List of airlines of Colombia
This is a list of airlines which have an air operator's certificate issued by the Civil Aviation Authority of Colombia.
See also
*List of defunct airlines of Colombia
*List of airlines
References
{{Americas topic, List of airlines of
...
References
External links
Official website
{{Airlines of Colombia
Avianca
Airlines of Colombia
Airlines established in 1973
Cargo airlines
Colombian companies established in 1973