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Founded | September 16, 1956 | ||||||
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Commenced operations | September 17, 1957 | ||||||
Ceased operations | May 2, 1971 | ||||||
Hubs | Jorge Chávez International Airport | ||||||
Headquarters | Lima, Peru | ||||||
Key people | C. W. Shelton (Founder) | ||||||
Employees | 1,000 (1967) [3] |
Aerolíneas Peruanas S.A. (also known as APSA or the English translation Peruvian Airlines) [4] was an airline from Peru, serving as flag carrier of the country from 1956 to 1971. [1] Headquartered in Lima, it operated a network of scheduled passenger flights to major places in Latin America, as well as the United States, out of its hub at Jorge Chávez International Airport. [5]
APSA was founded by C. W. Shelton on September 16, 1956, [6] with 77 percent of the company's shares spread amongst private Peruvian investors. [3] Flight operations were launched on September 17, 1957, on the Lima to Santiago and Miami routes. [3] Originally not a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA was only joined in 1966), APSA could significantly undercut the usual airline fares for flights between South America and the USA. [7] To strengthen its market position, APSA went into a partnership with Transportes Aéreos Nacionales and Compañía Ecuatoriana de Aviación. [7] [2]
The Douglas DC-6 being the aircraft most commonly used with the airline in the early 1960s, [7] [8] Aerolíneas Peruanas joined the jet age on December 1, 1963 with the introduction of the Convair 990 Coronado. [9] During those years, the network was greatly expanded, [5] which culminated in the launch of transatlantic flights using the Douglas DC-8 by the end of the decade. [10] [6]
In the early 1970s, APSA found itself in a worsening financial situation. Plans for a take-over by the Peruvian government and Spanish national airline Iberia failed, so the company was forced to cease all flight operations on May 2, 1971. [11]
APSA offered scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations: [2] [8] [12] [4] [5]
Over the years, APSA operated the following aircraft types: [1]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Convair 990 Coronado | 4 | 1963 [9] | 1971 | |
Curtiss C-46 Commando | 2 | 1957 [14] | 1970 [15] | |
Douglas DC-6 | 6 | 1960 [16] | 1966 | |
Douglas DC-7 | 1 | 1967 [3] | 1970 [15] | |
Douglas DC-8-52 | 2 | 1969 [10] | 1971 | Leased from Iberia |