Aerolíneas Argentinas 85198 224931290 2008-07-11T01:41:55Z 200.36.121.196 {{Infobox_Airline | airline=Aerolíneas Argentinas| logo= Aerolineas Argentinas logo.svg| logo_size=250| fleet_size=42| destinations=56| IATA=AR| ICAO=ARG| callsign=ARGENTINA| founded=1950| headquarters=[[Buenos Aires]], [[Argentina]]| key_people=[[Enrique Meliá Soriano]] ([[CEO]])| hubs=[[Ministro Pistarini International Airport|Ministro Pistarini Int'l Airport]]<br>[[Aeroparque Jorge Newbery|Jorge Newbery Domestic Airport]]| frequent_flyer=Aerolíneas Plus| lounge=VIP Lounge| alliance=| website=http://www.aerolineas.com/| }} '''Aerolíneas Argentinas''' is [[Argentina]]'s largest domestic and international [[airline]]. It is the national airline and carries around 83% of Argentina's domestic traffic and 52% of international flights from [[Ministro Pistarini International Airport]], which is located in [[Ezeiza]], [[Buenos Aires]]. Aerolíneas Argentinas and [[LAN Airlines]] are the only [[Latin America]]n airlines that fly to [[Oceania]]. ==History== {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}} The airline's history can be traced back to the year 1929, when carrier [[Aeroposta]] started operations. The Argentine government, recognizing Argentina's vast geographic size and the need for fast transportation links between the countryside and the larger cities, established an airline company to carry passengers and mail. The first two destinations served were [[Mendoza, Argentina|Mendoza]] and [[Posadas, Misiones|Posadas]]. [[France|Frenchmen]] [[Jean Mermoz]] and [[Antoine de Saint-Exupéry]] were among the company's first pilots. By 1930, two more airlines, [[LASO]] and [[LANE]], began flights and the number of cities served by air routes in Argentina tripled. In 1945, these two airlines merged, becoming [[LADE]] (Líneas Aéreas del Estado, ''i.e.'' State Airlines). This was a well-timed move, as [[World War II]] was entering its final stages and commercial aviation was set to start a stage of explosive growth. In 1946 the first [[Douglas DC-3]]s arrived in Argentina, and Argentina's first intercontinental airline, [[FAMA]], was created. In May 1949, all these carriers merged under the name Aerolíneas Argentinas. Operations started on [[7 December]] [[1950]]. At this time Argentina did not have suitable airport facilities, so the government of [[Juan Perón]] built Ministro Pistarini airport; General [[Juan Pistarini]], after whom the facilities are named, designed and directed its construction. Key to the airline's growth were [[Alfonso Aliaga García]], and [[Dirk Wessel Van Layden]], who had been a pilot with [[France|French]] carrier [[Aéropostale (aviation)|Aéropostale]] (not to be confused with Aeroposta) and was influential in raising flying standards. [[Image:French Aerolineas Argentinas timetable 1977.JPG|350px|left|thumb|1977 international routes timetable in French, featuring a picture of a Boeing 747 on its cover.<ref>Image used with permission and by courtesy of [http://www.timetableimages.com/index.htm Bjorn Larsson and David Zekria].''</small></ref>]] The [[Douglas DC-3|DC-3]] proved to be an invaluable asset for Aerolíneas Argentinas, as for many other airlines worldwide. It enabled them to fly to domestic destinations that had, until then, been unreachable &ndash; and to keep flying FAMA's international routes. Soon afterwards, [[Douglas DC-4]]s joined the fleet and services were inaugurated to [[Santiago de Chile]], [[Lima, Peru|Lima]], [[Santa Cruz, Bolivia|Santa Cruz]], and [[São Paulo (city)|São Paulo]]. The 1950s saw the arrival of the [[Douglas DC-6|DC-6]], allowing Aerolíneas Argentinas to fly at night for the first time. Thanks to this plane, the name of Aerolíneas Argentinas was seen at terminals in [[New York]]'s [[JFK International Airport|Idlewild airport]], as well as [[Havana]], [[Lisbon]], [[London Heathrow]], [[Dakar]], and [[Rio de Janeiro]]. By the end of that decade, the [[De Havilland Comet|Comet IV]] jet had begun commercial jet services worldwide, and Aerolíneas once again wanted to set the pace among South America's air companies. Airline President [[Juan José Güiraldes]] persuaded Argentina's President [[Arturo Frondizi]] to buy six of the new planes, on the understanding that Aerolíneas would pay for the planes later. And so, on [[March 2]], [[1959]], 'Tres Marías', which became the first jet airplane flown by Aerolíneas, landed at Ministro Pistarini International Airport. With these jets, Aerolíneas Argentinas kept a steady growth during the 1960s, opening routes to [[London]], [[Paris]], [[Rome]], and [[Madrid]]. The 1970s saw the arrival of the [[Boeing 747]]s, [[Boeing 737|737]]s and [[Boeing 727|727]]s, and a stronger marketing strategy. Aerolíneas Argentinas was featured on many [[Jorge Porcel]] movies at that time, and the began licensing toy companies to produce models of their aircraft, a practice it maintains today. [[Image:Boeing Aerolíneas Argentinas.jpg|thumb|right|250px|An Aerolíneas' Boeing 737-200 in the 1990s]] ==Privatization and near-collapse== On [[27 December]] [[1989]] the government authorized the privatization of the airline and on [[21 November]] [[1990]] [[Iberia Airlines|Iberia]] acquired a 30% stake, subsequently increasing it to 83.5%. Continuing poor financial performance led Iberia to reduce its stake to 20%, which was transferred to a Spanish state holding company, [[SEPI]], and the company was reorganized as a subsidiary of Interinvest. In July 1998, [[American Airlines]] acquired a 10% stake in Interinvest, giving it an 8.5% stake in Aerolíneas Argentinas. American has since disposed of the holding and Iberia then reduced its stake in Interinvest to 10%. Plans for employees to take an 85% share in 2000 never came to actualization.<ref name="FI">{{cite news | title= Directory: World Airlines | work= [[Flight International]] | page= 48 | date= 2007-03-27}}</ref> Both the price paid by Iberia and the Spanish firm's ulterior conduct (including some convoluted lease-back operations) were widely considered to be due to [[corporate corruption|corruption]], with the airline paying the price for its own purchase with its assets. Subsequent management by American Airlines and Spanish state owned conglomerate SEPI drove Aerolíneas Argentinas into an almost terminal crisis in 2001. The planes and most real estate (both global headquarters and offices in Paris, New York, Los Angeles, Rome and Frankfurt) were sold; some assets were leased back. The firm incurred massive debt, and operating profits were not realized. Iberia bought from Aerolíneas Argentinas two 10-year old Boeing 707 aircraft for the price of US$1.57 million each. Aerolíneas Argentinas when Iberia acquired it, and when it sold it. {|class="wikitable" |- align=left !width=60%|Item !width=20%|1991 !width=20%|2001 |- |Assets (without routes, MM US$)||650||? |- |Annual Balance (MM US$)||18||-390 |- |Debt (MM US$)||0||cc. 1000 |- |Planes (owned/leased)||28/1||1/43 |- |Flight simulators||3||0 |- |Number of employees||11500||6500 |} Even though [[Austral Líneas Aereas|Austral]] formed part of a consortium along with [[IBERIA]] to buy Aerolíneas Argentinas, [[Austral Líneas Aereas|Austral]]'s owner sold Cielos del Sur S.A. to [[IBERIA]]. The two airlines remained separate and never merged. By the late 1990s the airline was near bankruptcy; losses in 1999 where around 240 million US dollars. The Spanish government tried to sell its controlling share to [[American Airlines]] but the offer was declined.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} In 2001 the airline filed for protection from creditors and parts of the business were sold off. Grupo Marsans acquired 92% in 2001 and committed to inject $50m capital with the intention of resuming long-haul services. This was realized on [[6 November]] [[2001]] with a transatlantic service to Madrid.<ref name="FI"/> In June 2001 flights to seven international destinations were suspended and the airline went into administration. In October 2001, control of both Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral was handed to Air Comet, a consortium of the Spanish private carriers [[Spanair]], [[Air Plus Comet]] and travel operator Viajes Marsans, who acquired 92.1% of the shares.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} After teetering on the brink of closure during most of 2001, combined with the adverse effects of the [[September 11, 2001 attacks]] on the industry and [[Argentine economic crisis (1999-2002)|Argentina's financial meltdown]] of December 2001, Aerolíneas was forced to close down international services for a few days during early 2002. However, fresh capital was provided ($50 million from the Marsans Group) and the airline resumed services almost immediately. In 2002 the airline came out of administration after a Buenos Aires judge accepted its debt restructuring agreement with creditors.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} The airline endured a pilot's strike during November 2005. After nine days of negotiations, the airline and its pilots struck a deal. The figures have changed, Grupo Marsans has decided to stay with only 35% of the company: [http://www.lanacion.com.ar/edicionimpresa/economia/nota.asp?nota_id=1010049] * Private companies (35%). * Grupo Marsans (35%). * Argentine government (20%). * Employees (5%). * Provinces (5%). <!--Rumours suggest that [[Air France]] after desist from its purchase of Alitalia, are planning the purchase of [[Aerolíneas Argentinas]]. Other rumors suggest that the new candidate for the purchase of Aerolíneas Argentinas will be [[British Airways]]. Everything will be revealed in recent months. Although Air France intends to have 70% of Aerolíneas Argentinas, leaving aside the Group Marsans.--> ==Destinations== {{main|Aerolíneas Argentinas destinations}} ==Fleet== Aerolíneas Argentinas has a fleet with an average age of 19.1 years old (as of April 2008)<ref>[http://www.airfleets.net/ageflotte/Aerolineas%20Argentinas.htm Fleet age Aerolíneas Argentinas - Airfleets<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>. The Aerolíneas Argentinas/Austral active fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of February 2008): {| class="toccolours sortable" border="1" cellpadding="3" style="border-collapse:collapse" |+ '''Aerolíneas Argentinas Fleet<ref>www.aerolineas.com</ref>'''{{Fact|date=April 2007}} |- bgcolor=lightblue !Aircraft !Total !Passengers <br> (Club Condor/Economy) !Routes !Notes |- |[[Airbus A310-300]] |2 |193 (18 / 175) |Colombia, United States, Mexico, Venezuela |Scheduled for replacement by A330 |- |- |[[Airbus A340-200]] |4 |249 (32/217) |Europe, Oceania, North America | |- |[[Airbus A340-300]] |2<br> |280 (32/248) |Europe, Oceania, North America | |- |[[Airbus A320-200]] |2 |164 (8/156) |South America |- |[[Boeing 737-200]] |12<br> |108 (8/100) |Domestic, South America |Exit from Service: 2008-2009 |- |[[Boeing 737-500]] |17 |108 (8/100) |Domestic, South America |- |[[Boeing 747-400]] |3 |421 (42/379) |Madrid | |} The list only considers operative aircraft. Parent company Marsans ordered, in 2007, the following aircraft: 4 A380, 10 A350, 5 A330 (adding to the previous order for 12 aircraft), 12 A319, 25 A320 and 5 A321. It is still undisclosed how many of each type will join the Aerolíneas fleet. [[Image:Aarg742-txl.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Boeing 747-200 LV-MLR leaves Berlin TXL after a state visit in 2005]] On [[12 October]] [[2007]], Grupo Marsans who controls Aerolíneas Argentinas, made a preliminary order for 73 various Airbus aircraft including the [[A350]] and [[A380]].<ref>"[http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/10/12/218385/grupo-marsans-orders-61-airbus-aircraft-including-a350s-a380s.html Grupo Marsans orders 61 Airbus aircraft, including A350s, A380s]" Flight Global, 12/10/07</ref> '''Aircraft Tails''': * 2 [[Airbus A310|Airbus A310-300]] LV-AIV, LV-AZL * 2 [[Airbus A320|Airbus A320-200]] LV-BNZ, LV-BOJ * 4 [[Airbus A340-200]] LV-ZPJ, LV-ZPO, LV-ZPX, LV-ZRA * 2 [[Airbus A340-300]] LV-BIT, LV-BMT * 17 [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-200]] LV-ZEC, LV-ZTE, LV-ZTT, LV-ZTX, LV-ZTY, LV-ZXB, LV-ZXC, LV-ZXH, LV-ZXP, LV-ZXU, LV-ZXV, LV-ZYG, LV-ZYI, LV-ZYN, LV-ZYY, LV-ZZD, LV-ZZI * 17 [[Boeing 737|Boeing 737-500]] LV-AYE, LV-AYI, LV-AZU, LV-BAR, LV-BAT, LV-BAX, LV-BBN, LV-BBW, LV-BDD, LV-BDV, LV-BEO, LV-BIH, LV-BIM, LV-BIX, LV-BNM, LV-BNS, LV-BOT * 1 [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-200]] LV-OPA ( back-up) * 3 [[Boeing 747|Boeing 747-400]] LV-BBU, LV-ALJ, LV-AXF Plus the fleet of '''[[Austral Líneas Aéreas]]''': *8 [[McDonnell Douglas]] MD-88: LV-VBX, LV-VBZ, LV-VCB, LV-VGB, LV-VGC, LV-BOA, LV-BOH, LV-BOR *13 [[McDonnell Douglas]] MD-83: LV-ARF, LV-AYD, LV-BAY, LV-BDE, LV-BDO, LV-BEG, LV-BGV, LV-BGZ, LV-BHH, LV-BHN, LV-VAG, LV-WGM, LV-WGN *1 [[McDonnell Douglas]] MD-81: LV-WFN ==Accidents and incidents== On [[February 20]], [[1992]], [[shrimp]] contaminated with [[cholera]] was distributed on an [[Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386]], a flight using a [[Boeing 747]] bound for Los Angeles from Buenos Aires, with a stop in [[Lima]], [[Peru]]. The contaminated shrimp entered the aircraft in Lima. 76 passengers became ill after landing in Los Angeles. One of the ill passengers, a 70-year old man named Anibal Cufre <ref name="NYTimesCholera">"[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE3D9133BF932A15751C0A964958260&n=Top/News/Health/Diseases,%20Conditions,%20and%20Health%20Topics/Cholera Cholera Kills One and Fells Many on Flight]," ''[[The New York Times]]''</ref>, died of the illness <ref>"[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1370/is_n6_v26/ai_12487853/pg_3 Contaminated Food Causes Flight Fatality]," ''FDA Consumer''</ref><ref>"[http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/boeing.htm Fatal Boeing 747 Events]," ''Airsafe''</ref>. Of the 336 passengers on the Lima to Los Angeles leg, the United States was the final destination for 297 of them. Two passengers selected Canada as their final destination, while 37 selected Japan as their final destination. The cholera on the contaminated food did not spread to other areas. <ref name="NYTimesCholera"/> According to the [[Aviation Safety Network]] database, the last accident with one of the company's aircraft with fatalities was in 1970. Aviation Safety Network reports 42 accidents or incidents for Aerolíneas Argentinas since 1950.<ref>[http://aviation-safety.net/database/operator/airline.php?var=6813]Aviation Safety Network report for Aerolíneas Argentinas accidents or incidents</ref> ==Other facts== {{Unreferencedsection|date=April 2008}} *Aerolíneas Argentinas is the longest serving operator of the [[Boeing 737#737-200|Boeing 737-200]]. *In 2007 (first 747 entered service on [[January 6]], [[1977]]) Aerolíneas Argentinas celebrated 30 years of uninterrupted Boeing 747 operations. Of the few Latin American carriers to operate that aircraft, none operated as many as the Argentine flag carrier, or for so long. While older -200 models are being progressively phased-out, the acquisition of used -400s in 2004/5 gave the type a lease of life with the airline. *Aerolíneas Argentinas along with [[Surinam Airways]] are the only current operators of the Boeing 747 in [[Latin America]]. ==Catering== * [[Gate Gourmet]] == References == {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{Commons|Aerolíneas Argentinas}} *[http://www.aerolineas.com.ar Aerolíneas Argentinas] *[http://www.salvemosaerolineas.com.ar Aerolíneas Argentinas workers' Union Site] {{IATA members|latinam}} [[Category:Airlines of Argentina]] [[Category:Airlines established in 1949]] [[Category:IATA members]] [[Category:Latin American Air Transport Association]] [[da:Aerolineas Argentinas]] [[de:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[es:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[fr:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[id:Aerolineas Argentinas]] [[it:Aerolineas Argentinas]] [[he:אארולינאס ארגנטינס]] [[lt:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[nl:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[ja:アルゼンチン航空]] [[pl:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[pt:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[fi:Aerolíneas Argentinas]] [[sv:Aerolineas Argentinas]]