Puertorriqueña de Aviación
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Airline |
| Predecessor | Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico (ANPRI) |
| Founded | 1936 |
| Founder | Horacio Basso, Narciso Basso |
| Defunct | 1941 |
| Fate | Ceased operations |
| Headquarters | San Juan , Puerto Rico |
Area served | Caribbean region (Puerto Rico and United States Virgin Islands) |
Key people | Horacio Basso, Narciso Basso |
| Products | Air mail and passenger services |
Puertorriqueña de Aviación, originally known as Aerovías Nacionales de Puerto Rico (ANPRI), represented the earliest recorded effort by Puerto Rico to establish a national airline during the 1930s.
History
In 1936, the Basso brothers, Horacio and Narciso, initiated commercial air service within the Caribbean region utilizing a seaplane called "Kofresi." Their flight network connected San Juan with Vieques, St. Thomas, St. Croix, and Culebra. These flights reportedly operated from Residencial Las Casas, which at the time functioned as a military installation and held historical importance in Puerto Rican aviation.
By 1937, ANPRI aimed to obtain contracts for air mail delivery but initially encountered difficulties in receiving approval to levy postage fees. On April 27 of that year, the airline was authorized to impose stamp charges on shipments—3 cents for flights between islands and 10 cents for routes extending to other Caribbean destinations. The following year, in 1938, ANPRI introduced its own logo-bearing stamps as payment for taxes, which increased shipping rates to 8 cents for inter-island mail and 15 cents for other locations.
At this point, ANPRI had an authorized capital of US$120,000 (equivalent to roughly in current value) and served routes including San Juan to Ponce, Guánica, Guayama, Aguadilla, Mayagüez, Fajardo, and St. Thomas; as well as Fajardo to Vieques and St. Thomas to St. Croix. The company also planned to acquire a Beechcraft aircraft capable of carrying up to 600 pounds per trip.
Competition grew with Dennis Powelson’s Powelson Airlines (later Caribair), culminating in a United States Postal Service-organized air mail competition in May 1938. Powelson Airlines secured the contract after ANPRI’s aircraft failed to meet performance expectations.
On March 22, 1941, ANPRI released a second series of eight air mail stamps used specifically for parcel shipments. These stamps have become scarce collectibles that highlight the airline’s historical role.
Fleet
- One seaplane
Destinations
- Culebra, Puerto Rico
- St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands
- St. Thomas, USVI
- Vieques, Puerto Rico
- Aguadilla
- Fajardo
- Guanica
- Guayama
- Mayaguez
- Ponce
See also
External links
- yunque.net (Spanish)