Jump to content

Aviaco

From Alfawiki
Aviación y Comercio, S.A. (Aviaco)
Company typePrivate (later majority state-owned)
IndustryAirline
Founded1948
FounderEntrepreneurs from Bilbao
Defunct1999
FateMerged into Iberia
Headquarters
Madrid
,
Spain
Area served
Spain, North Africa, Europe
ProductsPassenger and cargo air transport services
OwnerInstituto Nacional de Industria (majority owner from 1955), Iberia (majority owner from 1959, full control by 1998)
Number of employees
1,696 (1994)
ParentIberia (from 1998)

'Aviación y Comercio, S.A., known commercially as Aviaco, was a Spanish airline based in the Edificio Minister building in Madrid.

History

Established by entrepreneurs from Bilbao on as a cargo carrier, Aviaco initially purchased six Bristol 170 aircraft financed by regional bankers. Due to Iberia's market dominance, Aviaco was confined to secondary routes, operating scheduled passenger flights between Bilbao, Barcelona, and Madrid. Its early international service included the route Algiers–Palma de Mallorca–Marseille, followed by connections to the Canary Islands. In 1954, the airline won a contract to provide airmail service linking Madrid and Barcelona. The company relocated its headquarters to Madrid in 1955, coinciding with the Instituto Nacional de Industria (INI) acquiring a controlling interest.

In 1959, Iberia injected ESP 100 million into Aviaco, acquiring a two-thirds share after Aviaco’s capital was reduced to ESP 50 million. This investment facilitated the purchase of three pre-owned Convair 440 aircraft from Sabena, marking Aviaco’s first use of pressurized planes. By April 1960, its fleet comprised Bristol 170s, Convair 440s, Heron IIs, and Languedocs operating routes within Spain and North Africa. The airline further expanded its fleet with Convair 240s in 1962 and converted DC-4 Carvairs in 1964.

A joint management board with Iberia was formed in 1965 to coordinate route planning and prevent competition. In 1973, Aviaco placed an order for six McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 jets, subsequently adding more DC-9s during the mid-1970s alongside Caravelle 10Rs, DC-8-50s, and Fokker F27 aircraft. By 1975, the company employed 764 personnel and served multiple domestic and regional destinations. Despite financial setbacks of ESP 453 million losses in 1978 and £3 million in 1979, Aviaco continued acquiring DC-9s into the late 1970s and returned to profitability with a £5.5 million gain in 1980.

By March 1980, Aviaco’s workforce had grown to over 1,200 employees, with INI holding a 90% ownership stake. The airline integrated five DC-8-63 jets phased out from Iberia’s fleet renewal program. Early in the 1980s, it placed orders for up to 22 CN-235 aircraft. As of March 1985, its fleet consisted of DC-8 freighters, various DC-9 models, Fokker F27s, and CN-235s on order while employing 1,751 staff.

During this decade, Iberia progressively acquired most of Aviaco’s shares, positioning Aviaco as the operator of secondary domestic routes while Iberia concentrated on international and major national services such as the Madrid-Barcelona shuttle. All technical operations, marketing efforts, and financial management were consolidated under Iberia’s control. Throughout this period, Aviaco operated a fleet of blue-and-white Douglas DC-9 jets.

In the 1990s, Aviaco expanded its route network from Madrid to include destinations such as Asturias–London Stansted, Valladolid–Paris, Zaragoza–London Stansted, and Zaragoza–Paris. The network also encompassed numerous Spanish mainland cities and islands. By March 1994, Aviaco had a staff of 1,696 and operated eight Fokker F27s, twenty McDonnell Douglas DC-9s, and thirteen MD-88 aircraft. Iberia increased its ownership from an initial 33% to full control by purchasing shares from SEPI in 1998. The integration of Aviaco into Iberia was finalized on .

At its height, Aviaco ("AO") was recognized for charter operations primarily originating from Palma, Tenerife, and Girona to various European regional airports for major tour operators like Thomson and ILG. Although it was known for operating older DC-9 aircraft and experiencing service delays, it developed a loyal following among travelers who considered flying with Aviaco an integral part of their vacation experience.

During the mid-to-late 1980s, Aviaco supplemented its DC-9 fleet by sub-chartering aircraft from Iberia—including Boeing 727s, A300s, and even Boeing 747-200s—on a seasonal basis across Europe. This introduced larger aircraft types at airports that had previously accommodated only smaller planes.

Accidents and incidents

Date Location Aircraft Tail number Aircraft damage Fatalities Description
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallMenorca Bristol 170 EC-ADK W/O Template:Number table sorting During landing at Mahón Airport, the aircraft overshot the runway.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallGuadarrama Bristol 170 EC-AEG W/O Template:Number table sorting/33 The plane crashed in Guadarrama while operating a domestic flight from Bilbao to Madrid.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallTenerife SNCASE Languedoc EC-AKV W/O Template:Number table sorting On approach to Los Rodeos Airport for the Málaga–Tenerife North route, the aircraft crashed; one fatality occurred on the ground.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallMadrid Bristol 170 EC-ADI W/O Template:Number table sorting/37 'Flight 111' entered a spin and caught fire while approaching Madrid-Barajas Airport from Santiago de Compostela, resulting in total loss.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallBarcelona required de Havilland Heron EC-ANJ W/O Template:Number table sorting/16 The 'Heron' stalled and crashed into the sea near Barcelona after executing a sudden maneuver to avoid another aircraft.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallGuadarrama SNCASE Languedoc EC-ANR W/O Template:Number table sorting/21 Crashed in Sierra de Guadarrama during a Vigo–Madrid flight; icing was suspected as a contributing factor.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallA Coruña Airport Sud Aviation Caravelle EC-BIC W/O Template:Number table sorting 'Flight 118' impacted terrain on approach to A Coruña due to pilot error, resulting in 85 fatalities onboard plus one on the ground.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallMadrid Douglas DC-9-32 EC-CGS W/O Template:Number table sorting The Madrid runway disaster occurred when an Aviaco DC-9 collided with an Iberia Boeing 727 during takeoff amid dense fog at Barajas Airport, causing 93 deaths in total.
  1. REDIRECT Template:Date table sorting
 Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showallGranada DC-9-32 EC-BYH W/O Completed Madrid–Granada flight 'Flight 231' with a hard landing at Granada Airport.
align=center = Template:Dts format=dmy 1994 3 21 Template:Flagicon ESPVigo DC-9-32 EC-CLE W/O Template:Number table sorting 0 During landing at Vigo Airport on Madrid–Vigo 'Flight 260', the wing contacted approach lights, causing the aircraft to slide off the runway and ignite.


See also


External links

Retrieved from "https://www.alfawiki.org/index.php?title=Aviaco&oldid=88566"