Intercontinental de Aviación S.A. (English; and ''Inter'' for short) was an

airline An airline is a company that provides civil aviation, air transport services for traveling passengers or freight (cargo). Airlines use aircraft to supply these services and may form partnerships or Airline alliance, alliances with other airlines ...

based in

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

. It operated domestic services and flights to neighboring countries. Its main hub was located at

El Dorado International Airport El Dorado International Airport is an international airport serving Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, and its surrounding areas. The airport is located mostly in the Fontibón district of Bogotá, although it partially extends into the Engat ...

in Bogotá, with a secondary hub at

Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport , formerly known as Palmaseca International Airport, is an international airport located between Palmira and Cali, the capital of Valle del Cauca Department, Colombia. It is Colombia's fourth-busies ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

. The airline closed operations in 2005.

History

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 one

Vickers Viscount The Vickers Viscount is a retired British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs. A design requirement from the Brabazon Committee, it entered service in 1953 and was the first turboprop-powered airliner. T ...

and the

Curtiss C-46 Commando The Curtiss C-46 Commando is a low-wing, twin-engine aircraft derived from the Curtiss CW-20 pressurized high-altitude airliner design. Early press reports used the name "Condor III" but the Commando name was in use by early 1942 in company p ...

left the company. A McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 and another Vickers Viscount were purchased, and on June 3, 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 Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...

and SAM. The airline began operating international flights in 1991, and in 1993 more DC-9-15 and De Havilland DHC-8 were acquired. The Executive Class and VIP lounges began to be offered in

Medellín Medellín ( ; or ), officially the Special District of Science, Technology and Innovation of Medellín (), is the List of cities in Colombia, second-largest city in Colombia after Bogotá, and the capital of the department of Antioquia Departme ...

and

Barranquilla Barranquilla () is the capital district of the Atlántico department in Colombia. It is located near the Caribbean Sea and is the largest city and third port in the Caribbean region of Colombia, Caribbean coast region; as of 2018, it had a popul ...

. In October 2000, four

Beechcraft 1900D The Beechcraft 1900 is a U.S made twin-engine turboprop regional airliner manufactured by Beechcraft. It is also used as a freight aircraft and corporate transport, and by several governmental and military organizations. With customers favoring ...

s were purchased, as well as two

Boeing 737-300 The Boeing 737 Classic is a series of narrow-body airliners produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, the second generation of the Boeing 737 series of aircraft. Development began in 1979 and the first variant, the 737-300, first flew in Febru ...

s, both types however were never operated. Following the crash of

West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 West Caribbean Airways Flight 708 was a charter flight that crashed in northwest Venezuela in the early hours of 16 August 2005, killing all 160 passengers and crew on board. The plane, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80, McDonnell Douglas MD-82, registra ...

in Venezuela, the Colombian Civil Aviation Authority required that all airlines undergo a special inspection of its maintenance facilities and aircraft. The airline was forced to cease operations in September 2005 as it did not pass these inspections.

Destinations

National

* Arauca (

Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport ( is an airport serving Arauca, the capital of the Arauca Department in Colombia. The runway is southeast of the city, and south of Colombia's border with Venezuela. Airlines and destinations See also *Trans ...

) *

(

Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport () is an international airport serving the area of Barranquilla, the capital city of the Atlántico department in Colombia. The airport is located in the suburban municipality of Soledad. It owes its ...

) *

(

) Hub *

Bucaramanga Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander Department, Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and is the ninth most populous city i ...

( Palonegro International Airport) *

(

) Hub * Cartagena (

Rafael Núñez International Airport Rafael Núñez International Airport is an international airport serving the Caribbean port city of Cartagena, Colombia. It is the largest airport in the country's northern Caribbean region in terms of passenger movement. It is located between t ...

) * Corozal ( Las Brujas Airport) *

Cúcuta Cúcuta (), officially San José de Cúcuta, is a Colombian municipality, capital of the department of Norte de Santander and nucleus of the Metropolitan Area of Cúcuta. The city is located in the homonymous valley, at the foot of the East ...

(

Camilo Daza International Airport Camilo Daza International Airport (, ) is an international airport located in Cúcuta, Colombia. It serves the Norte de Santander Department. The airport is from the center of Cúcuta. It has international facilities and is able to operate gen ...

) * Florencia ( Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport) *

Ipiales Ipiales is a city and Catholic bishopric in Nariño Department, southern Colombia, near the border with Ecuador. It is located at around , with an elevation of about 2950 m. Ipiales is located on the high plateau called "Tuquerres e Ipiales," the ...

( San Luis Airport) * Maicao ( Jorge Isaacs Airport) *

(

Olaya Herrera Airport Olaya Herrera Airport () 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. It was formerly known as ''Medel ...

) *

(

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 List of the busiest airports in Colombia, second largest airport in Colombia after El Dorado Internatio ...

) *

Neiva Neiva () is the capital and most populated city of the Department of Huila, south central Colombia. It is located in the valley of the Magdalena River with a municipal population of 388,299. It is one of the most important cities in southern Co ...

(

Benito Salas Airport Benito Salas Airport (, ) is an airport that serves the city of Neiva, the capital of the Huila Department in Colombia. It was named after Benito Salas Vargas, a military and social leader during Colombia's (then known as New Granada) independ ...

) *

Pasto Pasto, officially San Juan de Pasto (; "Saint John of Pasto"), is the capital of the department of Nariño, in southern Colombia. Pasto was founded in 1537 and named after indigenous people of the area. In the 2018 census, the municipality ...

(

Antonio Nariño Airport Antonio Nariño Airport (, ) is an airport located in the town of Chachagüí and which serves the city of Pasto in the Nariño Department of Colombia. The airport is north of Pasto. It handles only domestic flights in addition to military operat ...

) * Pereira (

Matecaña International Airport Matecaña International Airport (, ) is an international airport serving the city of Pereira, Colombia. It also serves as an alternate airport for the cities of Armenia, Cartago, Manizales, Medellín, Cali, and Bogotá. The airport lies along ...

) *

Popayán Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian department of Cauca. It is located in the Pubenza Valley in southwestern Colombia between the Western Mountain Range and Central Mountain Range. The municipality has a population of 318,059, an a ...

( Guillermo León Valencia Airport) *

Riohacha Riohacha (; Wayuu: ) is a city in the Riohacha Municipality in the northern Caribbean Region of Colombia by the mouth of the Ranchería River and the Caribbean Sea. It is the capital city of the La Guajira Department. It has a sandy beach wa ...

(

Almirante Padilla Airport Almirante Padilla Airport () is an airport serving the Caribbean coastal city of Riohacha in the Guajira Department of Colombia. It is served by Avianca, and formerly by Tiara Air and Viva Air Colombia. The airport is on the southwestern edge ...

) * San Andrés (

Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport (IATA: ADZ, ICAO: SKSP) (formerly Sesquicentenario Airport) is the main airport in the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, one of the departments of Colombia. It is able to rece ...

) *

Tumaco Tumaco is a port city and municipality in the Nariño Department, Colombia, by the Pacific Ocean. It is located on the southwestern corner of Colombia, near the border with Ecuador, and experiences a hot tropical climate. Tumaco is inhabited main ...

( La Florida Airport) *

Valledupar Valledupar () is a city and municipality in northeastern Colombia. It is the capital of Cesar Department. Its name, ''Valle de Upar'' (Valley of Upar), was established in honor of the Amerindian cacique who ruled the valley; ''Cacique Upar''. The ...

( Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport)

International

Habana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.José Martí International Airport José Martí International Airport , sometimes known by its former name Rancho Boyeros Airport (''Aeropuerto de Rancho Boyeros''), (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí'') is an international airport located in the ...

) * Esmeraldas ( Colonel Carlos Concha Torres Airport) *

Tulcán :''"Tulcan" is also an alternative spelling of tulchan'' Tulcán () is the capital of the province of Carchi Province, Carchi in Ecuador and the seat of Tulcán Canton. The population of the city of Tulcán was 56,719 in the 2022 census. Tulcán ...

( Teniente Coronel Luis A. Mantilla International Airport) *

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

(

Tocumen International Airport Tocumen International Airport () is the primary international airport serving Panama City, the capital of Panama. The airport serves as the homebase for Copa Airlines and is a regional hub to and from the Caribbean, South, North and Central Ame ...

) *

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

(

La Chinita International Airport La Chinita International Airport is an international airport serving Maracaibo, the capital of Zulia State, Venezuela. It is located southwest of Maracaibo proper in the municipality of San Francisco Municipality, Zulia, San Francisco. La Chini ...

) *

San Antonio del Táchira San Antonio del Táchira is a city in the Venezuelan Andean state of Táchira. The busy highway across the Simón Bolívar International Bridge linking the cities of Cúcuta, Colombia, and San Cristóbal, Venezuela, passes through San Antonio ...

(

Juan Vicente Gómez International Airport Juan Vicente Gómez International Airport , is an airport serving San Antonio del Táchira, in the Táchira state of Venezuela. In June 1993, it was renamed in honor of the early Venezuelan President Juan Vicente Gómez, who was from Táchira, in ...

) *

Valencia Valencia ( , ), formally València (), is the capital of the Province of Valencia, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, the same name in Spain. It is located on the banks of the Turia (r ...

(

Arturo Michelena International Airport Arturo Michelena International Airport is an airport serving the city of Valencia in Venezuela. The airport was named after artist Arturo Michelena, who was born in Valencia. It is a hub for Turpial Airlines and was once a secondary hub for A ...

)

Fleet

Aeropesca and Inter consisted of the following fleet: *4

(not operated) *1

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airp ...

(not operated) *2 Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 *1

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated Model 28, more commonly known as the PBY Catalina (U.S. Navy designation), is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft designed by Consolidated Aircraft in the 1930s and 1940s. In U.S. Army service, it was designated as the OA- ...

de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...

(not operated) *3 Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon *1

Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar The Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar is an American passenger transport aircraft of the World War II era, developed as part of the Model 10 Electra family, specifically from the Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra. Design and development Sales of the 1 ...

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 The McDonnell Douglas DC-9 is an American five-abreast, single-aisle aircraft designed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. It was initially produced as the Douglas DC-9 prior to August 1967, after which point the company had merged with McDonnell Ai ...

*12 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 *1 McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 (Impounded) *3

Accidents and incidents

*On November 4, 1965, a

(registered HK-811) went missing during a domestic flight. Four of the six occupants on board were discovered 9 days later near the Peruvian border. *On July 11, 1966, a

(registration HK-527) went missing over mountainous terrain during a flight from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

. The aircraft was carrying eight bulls for an exhibition in Buenos Aires. All 8 occupant on board were killed. *On January 5, 1974, a

(registered HK-1146) had a landing gear failure during takeoff at

. The aircraft returned to the airport and tried to land, however the brakes were ineffective, causing it overshoot the runway and coming to rest in a drainage ditch. All 5 occupants on board survived. *On January 21, 1974, a

was hijacked and diverted to

. *On August 14, 1978, a

(registration HK-1350) flying in worsening weather conditions drifted off course during a flight from Bogotá to

Tame Tame may refer to: *Taming, the act of training wild animals * River Tame, Greater Manchester *River Tame, West Midlands and the Tame Valley * Tame, Arauca, a Colombian town and municipality * "Tame" (song), a song by the Pixies from their 1989 a ...

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. *On August 26, 1981, Aeropesca Colombia Flight 221, a

(registered HK-1320), flew into Mount Santa Elena killing all 50 people on board. *On March 26, 1982, a

(registered HK-2382) flew into a mountain near Queate while on a flight from

La Vanguardia Airport La Vanguardia Airport is an airport serving the city of Villavicencio in the Meta Department of Colombia. It serves regular passenger, charter and cargo airlines as well as private sectors. The airport is just north of the city. Airlines and d ...

, killing all 21 people on board. *On March 31, 1991, a

(registered HK-1708) was damaged beyond economic repair while on a flight from

. Both artificial horizons failed in turbulence at . Control of the aircraft was regained at . and a successful emergency landing was made at

. The lower main spar was found to have cracked. The aircraft had previously suffered a gear collapse on February 14, 1988. *On January 11, 1995,

Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256 Intercontinental de Aviación Flight 256 (RS256/ICT256) was a scheduled flight from El Dorado International Airport, Bogotá, on a service to Rafael Núñez International Airport, Cartagena, and San Andrés. On 11 January 1995, the McDonnell Dou ...

, a

(registered HK-3839X), crashed on approach near

María La Baja María La Baja is a town and municipality located in the Bolívar Department, northern Colombia. History María La Baja was founded by Alonso de Heredia (brother of Pedro de Heredia) on December 8, 1535. Geography and climate The municipality of ...

. The accident killed 52 passengers and crew; one person survived the crash. *On September 14, 1997, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q300 (registered HK-4062X) was on a flight from San Andrés to Pereira, via

. As the aircraft landed at

, the nose and left main undercarriage, followed by the right main undercarriage, collapsed. All 39 passengers and 5 crew members survived. The aircraft was damaged beyond repairs and was written off; however, it was preserved at Bojacá on a private farmland for ground equipment. *On June 14, 2002, a DC-9-14 (registered HK-3859X) overshot the runway on landing at

. All 65 passengers and 6 crew members survived, while the aircraft was written off.

References

External links

Airline Codes website

*

Flight International ''Flight International'', formerly ''Flight'', is a monthly magazine focused on aerospace. Published in the United Kingdom and founded in 1909 as "A Journal devoted to the Interests, Practice, and Progress of Aerial Locomotion and Transport", i ...

, 5–11 April 2005 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Intercontinental de Aviacion Defunct airlines of Colombia Airlines established in 1960 Airlines disestablished in 2005 Defunct companies of Colombia 2005 disestablishments in Colombia