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Austral Líneas Aéreas

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Cielos del Sur S.A.
Company typePrivate (formerly), Government-owned (later)
IndustryAirline
PredecessorCompañía Austral de Transportes Aéreos SACI (CATASACI), Aerotransportes Litoral Argentino (ALA)
Founded1957
Defunct30 November 2020
FateMerged into Aerolíneas Argentinas
Headquarters
Buenos Aires
,
Argentina
Area served
Argentina (domestic)
ProductsPassenger air transport
OwnerArgentine government (majority stake from 2008)
ParentAerolíneas Argentinas (fully integrated before merger)

Cielos del Sur S.A., known commercially as Austral Líneas Aéreas, functioned as a domestic airline in Argentina and operated as a sister company to Aerolíneas Argentinas. It ranked as the nation's second-largest domestic airline, trailing only Aerolíneas Argentinas. Both carriers shared their headquarters at Buenos Aires' Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, which also served as Austral's principal hub.

Despite being fully integrated within Aerolíneas Argentinas, persistent disputes arose between their employees, largely due to differences in union representation. In May 2020, plans were announced to merge Austral with Aerolíneas Argentinas, a move projected to generate savings of around US$100 million and phase out the Austral brand. The airline officially discontinued operations on 30 November 2020.

By the year 2013, Austral's fleet consisted exclusively of Embraer 190 aircraft.

History

The airline traces its roots back to 1957 with the establishment of Compañía Austral de Transportes Aéreos SACI (CATASACI), which commenced scheduled flights in 1958. CATASACI primarily served southwestern Argentina and operated international routes to Montevideo, Puerto Montt, and Punta Arenas. Meanwhile, Aerotransportes Litoral Argentino (ALA), founded the same year and based in Rosario, focused on northern Argentina and operated flights between Rosario and Buenos Aires utilizing Aero Commander planes. In 1965, Pan Am acquired a 22% stake in ALA and supplied DC-3 aircraft. By 1966, CATASACI had secured a 30% share in ALA, leading to the integration of their operations.

As of May 1971, ALA's fleet included two C-46s, five DC-3s, two DC-6Bs, and five NAMC YS-11A-300 turboprops servicing domestic routes as well as regional flights to Antofagasta and Asunción. CATASACI operated seven BAC One-Elevens (comprising four Series 400s and three Series 500s), alongside one C-46, one DC-6, and three YS-11 aircraft. In June 1971, these two companies merged to form Austral Líneas Aéreas S.A., inheriting the NAMC YS-11 turboprops and BAC One-Eleven jets.

Austral transitioned to government ownership in 1980. Attempts at privatization in 1981 and again in 1983 were unsuccessful due to financial difficulties. During this era, Austral competed domestically with Aerolíneas Argentinas. Notably, a pilots’ strike at Aerolíneas Argentinas in 1986 halted its flights temporarily, enabling Austral to increase its share of the domestic market.

In late 1987, Austral was privatized when acquired by the holding company Cielos del Sur S.A., despite controversy surrounding the limited aviation experience of the new owners. The airline joined IATA in April 1988 but faced tragedy that June when an MD-81 crash occurred; this incident also highlighted concerns about low passenger loads on certain routes.

In 1990, Cielos del Sur partnered with Iberia to form a consortium that purchased an 85% stake in Aerolíneas Argentinas during its privatization process; shortly afterward, Cielos del Sur sold Austral to Iberia. By July 1998, Aerolíneas Argentinas held a 10% ownership interest in Austral.

On 21 July 2008, the Argentine government reacquired a majority stake—99.4%—in Austral’s shares; employees retained the remaining 0.6%. Later that year, the Senate approved the nationalization of both Aerolíneas Argentinas and Austral.

In June 2010, Aerolíneas Argentinas unveiled a refreshed corporate identity inspired by Argentina’s national colors; Austral adopted a similar livery differentiated by a red cheatline. Around the same time, Austral announced plans to acquire twenty Embraer 190 jets, receiving its first two aircraft in September 2010.

Destinations

The Federal Corridor () is a bidirectional route linking Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Iguazú, Mendoza, and Salta. While the service is commercially managed by Aerolíneas Argentinas, the aircraft utilized belong to Austral.

Fleet

Beginning in 2009, Austral Líneas Aéreas initiated a significant modernization of its fleet through a $600 million agreement to acquire 20 Embraer 190 jets, with 85% of the financing provided by the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES). In April 2013, the airline placed an order for two more E-190s, with the first delivered in September of that year.

By August 2019, Austral’s entire fleet comprised 26 Embraer 190 aircraft, each outfitted with seating for 8 passengers in business class and 88 in economy, allowing for a total capacity of 96 seats per plane.

Austral Líneas Aéreas Fleet
Aircraft In Fleet Orders Passenger Configuration Remarks
C Y Total
Embraer 190 26 0 8 88 96
Total 26 0

Retired

In the past, Austral operated the following types of aircraft:

Accidents and incidents

According to records from Aviation Safety Network as of 2011, Austral Líneas Aéreas has experienced 11 hull-loss accidents or incidents resulting in a total of 224 fatalities. Among these significant events are:

Date Location Aircraft Tail number Damage Fatalities Summary
1959-01-16 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallMar del Plata C-46 Commando LV-GED W/O 51/52 Flight 205 crashed into the sea following a missed landing approach.
1969-12-17 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallBuenos Aires C-46 Commando LV-GEB W/O 0/2 Engine fuel starvation caused by incorrect fuel pump selection; emergency touchdown on a sports field.
1973-12-04 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallBahía Blanca BAC One-Eleven 500 LV-JNR W/O 0/74 Loss of engine power shortly after takeoff led to forced landing; fuel tanks damaged but no casualties.
1977-11-21 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallBariloche BAC One-Eleven 400 LV-JGY W/O 46/79 Flight 9 encountered pressurization failure and crashed during approach.
1981-05-07 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallBuenos Aires BAC One-Eleven 500 LV-LOX W/O 31/31* Flight 901 crashed amid adverse weather conditions while approaching Aeroparque Jorge Newbery.
1988-06-12 Template:Country data ARGTemplate:Namespace detect showallPosadas McDonnell Douglas MD-81 N1003G W/O 22/22 Flight 046 crashed on final approach due to poor visibility.
1997-10-10 Template:Country data URUTemplate:Namespace detect showallNuevo Berlín Douglas DC-9-32 LV-WEG W/O 74/74 Flight 2553 went down after encountering a storm; pitot tube icing was likely a factor; this remains Austral's deadliest accident.
  • Note: There are discrepancies regarding the fatality count for the accident in 1981.

See also

Notes


External links

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