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 countr ...

. Headquartered in the capital

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

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

History

The carrier 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 ( anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear.

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, and four C-46s, 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 coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...

and San Salvador. In early 1966, the carrier ordered a BAC One-Eleven 400. Pending delivery of this new aircraft, another BAC One-Eleven, leased from Aer Lingus, was deployed on the Managua– 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 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 Sr. ...

, 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 city, capital and primate city, largest city of Mexico, and the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North Amer ...

, 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 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 ...

—the major stockholders at the time— were seized by the Junta of National Reconstruction, 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 727-100s, three C-46s and one DC-6, and employed a 450-strong staff. LANICA was succeeded by Aeronica 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. Hi ...

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 ;Costa Rica * San José ;Honduras * San Pedro Sula ;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, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of the central coastal part of ...

;United States *

;Uruguay * Montevideo

Fleet

Over the years of its existence, LANICA operated the following aircraft types:LANICA at AeroTransport database
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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 old ...

, 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 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. ne ...

, newspaper= Boca Raton News, 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 d ...

, 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 broad ...