Líneas Aéreas de Nicaragua, operating as LANICA, was an airline from

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

. Headquartered in the capital

Managua ) , settlement_type = Capital city , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Nicara ...

, it operated scheduled passenger flights within South and Central America, as well as to the United States.

History

The

carrier Carrier may refer to: Entertainment * ''Carrier'' (album), a 2013 album by The Dodos * ''Carrier'' (board game), a South Pacific World War II board game * ''Carrier'' (TV series), a ten-part documentary miniseries that aired on PBS in April 20 ...

was founded in as a subsidiary of

Pan American Airways Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and commonly known as Pan Am, was an American airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States ...

, with this airline initially holding 40% of the company. Domestic services began in 1946 with

Boeing 247 The Boeing Model 247 is an early United States airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal (Anodizing#Anodized aluminium, anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully Cantilever#Aircraft, cant ...

equipment. The company bought the assets of a local airline called Flota Aérea Nicaragüense (FANSA) in 1950, acquiring the control of the lucrative routes to the mining towns of Bonanza and Siuna in the north. By , the carrier's route network was long. At , the fleet comprised seven

DC-3 The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II. It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper version ...

s and one Navion that operated local routes; that year, the airline carried 21,852 passengers. LANICA's fleet in was composed of one DC-3, one

DC-4 The Douglas DC-4 is an American four-engined (piston), propeller-driven airliner developed by the Douglas Aircraft Company. Military versions of the plane, the C-54 and R5D, served during World War II, in the Berlin Airlift and into the 1960s ...

, one

DC-6 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 th ...

, and four

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

s, with the DC-6 flying 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 ...

and

San Salvador San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...

. In early 1966, the carrier ordered a

BAC One-Eleven 400 The BAC One-Eleven (or BAC-111/BAC 1-11) was an early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Originally conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-se ...

. Pending delivery of this new aircraft, another

BAC One-Eleven The BAC One-Eleven (or BAC-111/BAC 1-11) was an early jet airliner produced by the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC). Originally conceived by Hunting Aircraft as a 30-seat jet, before its merger into BAC in 1960, it was launched as an 80-se ...

, leased from

Aer Lingus Aer Lingus ( ; an anglicisation of the Irish , meaning "air fleet" compare Welsh 'llynges awyr') is the flag carrier of Ireland. Founded by the Irish Government, it was privatised between 2006 and 2015 and it is now a wholly owned subsidiary ...

, was deployed on the Managua–

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

–Miami sector in . Starting , LANICA's own BAC One-Eleven was operated on a joint-ownership basis with TAN Airlines. The last BAC 1-11 was disposed of in October 1972. Starting in May 1972, LANICA operated four examples of the larger four-engined

Convair 880 The Convair 880 is an American narrow-body jet airliner produced by the Convair division of General Dynamics. It was designed to compete with the Boeing 707 and Douglas DC-8 by being smaller but faster, a niche that failed to create demand. When ...

jet airliner on their scheduled passenger services to

. The last was disposed of in 1977. Pan Am's participation in the airline had decreased to 10% by 1975; private investors held 85% of the company until , when

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...

took control of 25% of it, through

Hughes Tool Company Hughes Tool Company was an American manufacturer of drill bits. Founded in 1908, it was merged into Baker Hughes Incorporated in 1987. History The company was established in December 1908 as Sharp-Hughes Tool Company when Howard R. Hughes S ...

, in exchange for the lease of two Convair 880s. By , LANICA's fleet consisted of two Convair 880s, three C-46s and four DC-6s that served a route network including domestic services, as well as international passenger and cargo services to

Mexico City Mexico City ( es, link=no, Ciudad de México, ; abbr.: CDMX; Nahuatl: ''Altepetl Mexico'') is the capital and largest city of Mexico, and the most populous city in North America. One of the world's alpha cities, it is located in the Valley o ...

, Miami and San Salvador. Two more Convair 880s were acquired in 1977. The government of

Somoza The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza D ...

was overthrown following the rise to power of the

Sandinistas The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto Cé ...

in 1979. The shares held by the

Somoza family The Somoza family ( es, Familia Somoza) is a former political family that ruled Nicaragua for forty-three years from 1936 to 1979. Their family dictatorship was founded by Anastasio Somoza García and was continued by his two sons Luis Somoza D ...

—the major stockholders at the time— were seized by the

Junta of National Reconstruction The Junta of National Reconstruction (''Junta de Gobierno de Reconstrucción Nacional'') was the provisional government of Nicaragua from the fall of the Somoza dictatorship in July 1979 until January 1985, with the election of Sandinista Nation ...

, but the airline's debts were not absorbed by the new government. LANICA was declared bankrupt by a Nicaraguan court in , ceasing all operations on 31 August 1981. At that year, the airline had a fleet of two

Boeing 727-100 The Boeing 727 is an American Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After the heavy Boeing 707, 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter f ...

s, three C-46s and one DC-6, and employed a 450-strong staff. LANICA was succeeded by

Aeronica Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A., operating as Aeronica, was an airline based in Nicaragua. Headquartered in the capital Managua, it operated scheduled passenger flights within Central America, as well as to Mexico City and the United States from ...

as Nicaragua's

flag carrier A flag carrier is a transport company, such as an airline or shipping company, that, being locally registered in a given sovereign state, enjoys preferential rights or privileges accorded by the government for international operations. Hist ...

Destinations

LANICA offered scheduled international passenger flights to the following destinations: ;Argentina *

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

;Chile *

Santiago de Chile Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile as well as one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is the center of Chile's most densely populated region, the Santiago Metropolitan Region, whose ...

;Costa Rica * San José ;Honduras *

San Pedro Sula San Pedro Sula () is the capital of Cortés Department, Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 671,460 ...

;Ecuador *

Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...

;Guatemala * Ciudad Guatemala ;México * Mexico D.F. ;Panamá *

Panama City Panama City ( es, Ciudad de Panamá, links=no; ), also known as Panama (or Panamá in Spanish), is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has an urban population of 880,691, with over 1.5 million in its metropolitan area. The city is locat ...

;Perú *

Lima Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...

;United States *

;Uruguay *

Montevideo Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Fleet

Over the years of its existence, LANICA operated the following aircraft types:LANICA at AeroTransport database
/ref>

Accidents and incidents

Bibliography

* Eastwood, Tony, and Roach, John. ''Jet Airliner Production List''. 2004. The Aviation Hobby Shop. ISBN none.

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite journal, title=Airlines of the World – Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA{{--LANICA , journal=

Flight Flight or flying is the process by which an object moves through a space without contacting any planetary surface, either within an atmosphere (i.e. air flight or aviation) or through the vacuum of outer space (i.e. spaceflight). This can be a ...

, date=8 April 1960 , volume=77 , number=2665 , page=503 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200503.html , archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6JIPXzMTe?url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1960/1960%20-%200503.html , archivedate= 1 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline surevy – Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA (Lanica) , journal=

Flight International ''Flight International'' 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", it is the world's oldes ...

, number=2927 , volume=87 , date=15 April 1965 , page=589 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965%20-%202157.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306090523/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1965/1965%20-%202157.html , archivedate=6 March 2016 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=Air transport... – One-Eleven for Nicaragua , journal=

, number=2979 , volume=89 , date=14 April 1966 , page=562 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%201005.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306222349/https://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%201005.html , archivedate=6 March 2016 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline survey – Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA (Lanica) , journal=

, number=3031 , volume=91 , date=13 April 1967 , page=577 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200591.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135142/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200591.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=Air transport , journal=

, volume=95 , number=3132 , date=20 March 1969 , page=431 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%201676.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135140/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%201676.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , quote=Taxying in at San Salvador's

Ilopango Airport Ilopango International Airport is an airport located on the eastern part of the city of San Salvador, El Salvador, once serving the city as its international airport until it was replaced by the larger and more modern El Salvador International A ...

is the BAC One-Eleven 400 which was originally bought by Lanica of Nicaragua and which now operates services with TAN Airlines of Honduras on a joint-ownership basis. , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline survey – Lanica (Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA) , journal=

, number=3135 , volume=95 , date=10 April 1969 , page=578 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%201831.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135138/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%201831.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline survey – Lanica (Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA) , journal=

, date=20 March 1975 , volume=108 , number=3445 , page=492 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200556.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927171035/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200556.html , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World news – Public-transport accidents , journal=

, date=6 March 1976 , volume=111 , number=3553 , page=516 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%200356.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927170839/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%200356.html , quote=A Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua Curtiss CW-20,AN-AOC, was damaged on landing at Managua on February 25 when the starboard undercarriage collapsed. The aircraft was badly damaged but there were no passenger injures. , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=Airliner market , journal=

, date=16 April 1977 , volume=109 , number=3495 , page=516 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%201089.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927170733/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%201089.html , quote=Lanica of Nicaragua has acquired two more Convair CV-880s. , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline directory – Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua SA (Lanica) , journal=

, date=16 May 1981 , volume=119 , number=3758 , page=1446 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%201444.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003050202/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%201444.html , archivedate=3 October 2013 , issn=0015-3710 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=Air transport , journal=

, date=12 December 1981 , volume=120 , number=3788 , page=1738 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%203858.html , archivedate=3 October 2013 , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003050420/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1981/1981%20-%203858.html , issn=0015-3710 , quote=Aeronica is the new Nicaraguan state carrier, having been formed when Lanica was declared bankrupt. , url-status=dead {{cite news, title= Flights to Nicaragua resumes as Lanica starts 'from zero', first= Arthur, last= Golden, newspaper=

The Miami News ''The Miami News'' was an evening newspaper in Miami, Florida. It was the media market competitor to the morning edition of the ''Miami Herald'' for most of the 20th century. The paper started publishing in May 1896 as a weekly called ''The Miami ...

, date= 1 November 1979, url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=ktYzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dOsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=935,143108&dq=la+nica&hl=en {{cite journal, title=The World's airlines – La Nica (Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua, S.A.) , journal=

, volume=LXIII , number=2302 , date=6 March 1953 , page=312 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200314.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135135/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1953/1953%20-%200314.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline directory – La Nica (Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua, S.A.) , journal=

, volume=67 , number=2407 , date=11 March 1955 , page=306 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%200306.html , archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927135133/http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1955/1955%20-%200306.html , archivedate=27 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite journal, title=World airline directory – Lineas Aereas de Nicaragua, S.A.{{--LANICA , journal=

, volume=69 , number=2465 , date=20 April 1956 , page=473 , url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200473.html , archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6JsfNvCCX?url=http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1956/1956%20-%200473.html , archivedate=24 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite news, title= Lanica Airlines files bankruptcy, agency=

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, newspaper=

Boca Raton News The ''Boca Raton News'', owned by the South Florida Media Company, was the local community newspaper of Boca Raton, Florida. The paper began publication December 2, 1955, with a startup circulation of 1200, published by Robert and Lora Britt, and ...

, date= 19 April 1981, url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kwJVAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HJQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3839,3790614&dq=la+nica&hl=en {{cite news, title=Nicaraguan Airline Fails , url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/18/business/nicaraguan-airline-fails.html?pagewanted=print , newspaper=

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, date=18 March 1981 , archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130928213828/http://www.nytimes.com/1981/03/18/business/nicaraguan-airline-fails.html?pagewanted=print , archivedate=28 September 2013 , url-status=dead {{cite news, title=Sandinistas remember their revolt , url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3907209.stm , newspaper=

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...