Avior Airlines
IATA ICAO Callsign
9V ROI AVIOR
FoundedSeptember 3, 1994
Commenced operationsJune 30, 1995
HubsGeneral José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport
Secondary hubsSimón Bolívar International Airport
Frequent-flyer programAviorPlus
Subsidiaries
  • Avior Airlines Perú[1]
  • Pariana de Aviación
Fleet size9
Destinations11
HeadquartersBarcelona, Venezuela
Key people
  • Jorge Añez Dager (CEO)
  • Jose Sulbaran (President)
Founders
  • Luis Añez Dager
  • Rafael Ciarcia Walo
Employees+1,800 (2020)
Websitewww.aviorair.com

Avior Airlines C.A. (legally Aviones de Oriente C.A.) is an airline based in Barcelona, Venezuela. It operates scheduled and charter services within Venezuela and the southern Caribbean out of its main hub at Generál José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport.[2] It is currently the largest private capital airline in Venezuela in terms of fleet, destinations and its more than 1,800 employees nationally and internationally.

History

A former Avior Cessna 208 Caravan parked at Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport in 2001

Founded by Jorge Luis Añez Dager and Rafael Ciarcia Walo,[3] the airline was established as Avior Express, and started operations on June 30, 1995, initially using a single five-seat Cessna Skymaster for charter flights to Margarita Island and Canaima. It is fully owned by Jorge Añez Dager.[2]

In 2009, Avior Airlines entered a temporary bankruptcy crisis, leading to the suspension of most of its routes as well as the sale of all of their 12 Beechcraft 1900D.

For 2012, Avior Airlines announced the creation of a new subsidiary, Avior Regional, that would cover the old routes suspended in 2009, as well as the purchase of 4 Boeing 737-400s for international flights. In 2013, the first of them arrived, as did the first Fokker 50 intended for Avior Regional. Due to delays in the process of getting the new airline certified by the National Institute of Civil Aviation, the Fokker 50 were employed by the parent company until mid-2015, when they were transferred to Avior Regional's fleet.

In 2015, Avior started an ambitious process of expanding its fleet and destinations, intending to encourage Venezuelan air connectivity, as a result of the reduction of flights from foreign airlines to the country, it is currently the Venezuelan airline with a greater number of destinations outside of Venezuelan territory.

On December 3, 2017, Avior was added to the list of airlines banned in the European Union, due to failing to meet the EU's safety requirements.[4][5]

In December 2018, the company received the IOSA certification, which recognizes airlines' operational processes and control systems in terms of their safety.

Destinations

A former Avior Beechcraft 1900D parked at Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport in 2001

As of November 2023, Avior Airlines flies to the following destinations:[6][7]

Country City Airport Notes Refs
 ArubaOranjestadQueen Beatrix International AirportTerminated
 BrazilManausEduardo Gomes International AirportSuspended
 ColombiaBogotáEl Dorado International AirportResumes March 5, 2024[8]
CaliAlfonso Bonilla Aragón International AirportSuspended
MedellínJosé María Córdova International AirportSuspended
 CuraçaoWillemstadCuraçao International Airport[9]
 Dominican RepublicPunta CanaPunta Cana International AirportSuspended
Santo DomingoLas Américas International Airport
 EcuadorGuayaquilJosé Joaquín de Olmedo International AirportTerminated[10]
MantaEloy Alfaro International AirportTerminated
 MexicoCancúnCancún International AirportSuspended[11]
 PanamaPanama CityTocumen International AirportSuspended[12]
 PeruLimaJorge Chávez International AirportSuspended
 Trinidad and TobagoPort of SpainPiarco International AirportTerminated
 United StatesMiamiMiami International AirportTerminated[13]
 VenezuelaBarcelonaGeneral José Antonio Anzoátegui International AirportHub
BarquisimetoJacinto Lara International Airport
BarinasBarinas AirportTerminated
CaracasSimón Bolívar International AirportHub
El VigiaJuan Pablo Pérez Alfonzo Airport
Las PiedrasJosefa Camejo International Airport[14]
MaracaiboLa Chinita International Airport
MéridaAlberto Carnevalli AirportTerminated
MaturínJosé Tadeo Monagas International AirportTerminated
PorlamarSantiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport[15]
Puerto AyacuchoCacique Aramare AirportResumes January 19, 2024
Puerto OrdazManuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport[16]
San ToméSan Tomé AirportTerminated
Santa Barbara del ZuliaMiguel Urdaneta Fernández Airport
ValenciaArturo Michelena International AirportSuspended
ValeraDr. Antonio Nicolás Briceño AirportTerminated

Fleet

Current fleet

An Avior Boeing 737-400 landing at Miami International Airport in 2014

As of January 2024, the Avior Airlines fleet includes the following aircraft:[17][18]

Avior Airlines fleet
Aircraft In
service		 Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 737-400 7 1 12 132 144
12 138 150
Fokker 50 2 — – 50 50 Stored
Total 9 1

Former fleet

Avior Airlines formerly operated the following aircraft:

Avior Airlines former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Aero Commander 500 1 1994 Un­known
Airbus A340-300 1 2016 2019 Transferred to Conviasa
Beechcraft 1900C 2 1997 1999
Beechcraft 1900D 12 1997 2010
Boeing 737-200 11 2005 2023
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 6 1998 2006
Cessna Skymaster 1 1994 Un­known
Dornier Do 28 3 1995 1999
Embraer EMB 120ER Brasilia 3 2001 2007 One leased from Avensa

Accidents and incidents

  • On July 15, 1998, a Beechcraft 1900D was hijacked by four armed masked hijackers during a domestic flight. The hijackers were among 22 people on board the aircraft, which was flying from Caracas to Barinas. The hijackers forced the plane to divert to a remote airstrip at a cattle ranch. The hijackers released the passengers and crew and took the plane to Colombia, where it was later recovered.[19]
  • On July 30, 1999, another Beechcraft 1900D (registered YV-466C) was hijacked, this time by three men and two women. The aircraft was flying from Caracas to Guasdualito, via Barinas. Coordinates were given to the flight crew and landed the plane in Arauca, Colombia.[20]
  • On January 7, 2009, a Boeing 737-200 (registered YV1360), flying from Oranjestad to Valencia, made an emergency landing after an engine fire was reported. The aircraft diverted to Simón Bolívar International Airport where the aircraft landed safely.[21] All 81 occupants on board were uninjured.
  • On October 31, 2014, a Boeing 737-400 (registered YV2946) suffered a tire burst during takeoff at General José Antonio Anzoátegui International Airport.[22] The flight crew aborted the takeoff and the aircraft stopped with a burst and deflated tire on the left-hand main landing gear. None of the 144 occupants on board were injured.
  • On March 3, 2018, a Boeing 737-400 flying from Barcelona to Guayaquil ran off the runway during landing at José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport. No injuries were reported and the aircraft suffered no structural damage. The causes of this inconvenience were mainly due to the wet track and the heavy rain that fell in the city.
  • On November 22, 2019, a Boeing 737-400 (registered YV3012) was servicing a flight between Valencia and Bogotá. Upon landing at El Dorado International Airport, its right main landing gear suffered a serious malfunction causing it to collapse, which led to an evacuation once the aircraft came to a halt.[23][24]
  • On December 6, 2019, a Boeing 737-400 (registered YV3011) took off at 8AM flying from Lima to Caracas when it suffered a depressurization 45 minutes after takeoff.[25] There were 133 passengers and 8 crew members on board. Some passengers suffered a lack of oxygen, including a six-month-old child. The aircraft had to make a sharp descent landing emergency in the city of Tarapoto, Peru. The airline enabled an aircraft to comply with the scheduled itinerary.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Avior Airlines Peru". ch-aviation.com.
  2. 1 2 "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-03-27. pp. 82–83.
  3. ↑ "Vuelos y opiniones sobre Avior Airlines". Europe Low Cost. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  4. ↑ "Avior Airlines added to European black list - ASN News". 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 2 June 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Venezuelan Airline Barred from European Union Skies". Woanews.com. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  6. ↑ "National Destinations".
  7. ↑ "'International Destinations".
  8. ↑ "Avior Airlines reanudará sus vuelos entre Caracas y Bogotá en Marzo". Aviacionaldia.com (in Spanish). December 26, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Avior Airlines conectará a Venezuela con Curazao a partir del #4Oct: conozca el itinerario". Finanzasdigital.com (in Spanish). Retrieved September 13, 2023.
  10. ↑ Nicolás Larenas (March 8, 2019). "Avior Airlines suspende la ruta Caracas - Guayaquil" (in Spanish). Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  11. ↑ Aviacion Al Dia. "Avior Airlines informed suspension flights between Caracas and Cancun". Aviacionaldia.com. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  12. ↑ "Avior Airlines suspende sus vuelos entre Caracas y Panamá". Aviacionline.com (in Spanish). Retrieved April 27, 2022.
  13. ↑ "U.S. orders suspension of flights to and from Venezuela". Vanguardngr.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Avior Airlines realizó su vuelo inaugural Maiquetía-Las Piedras". Descifrado.com (in Spanish). Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  15. ↑ Jan Del Castillo. "Avior Airlines Reactivates Flights to Porlamar". Torreeldorado.co (in Spanish). Retrieved May 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Avior Airlines resumes flights to Puerto Ordaz". Aviacionline.com. Retrieved March 21, 2022.
  17. ↑ C.A., Avior Airlines. "Avior Airlines, C.A. - La Empresa". www.aviorair.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-19. Retrieved 2018-05-27.
  18. ↑ "Avior Airlines Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Hijacking Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 14 February 2011.
  20. ↑ "Hijacking Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 4 March 2010.
  21. ↑ "Incident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved August 16, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Incident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved March 3, 2015.
  23. ↑ Kraft, Melanie (2019-11-26). "INCIDENT Right main landing gear of Venezuelan Avior Airlines Boeing 737-400 collapsed during landing (video)". Aviation news and store. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  24. ↑ JanDelCastillo (2019-11-23). "Emergencia de Avior Airlines en Bogotá". TORRE EL DORADO (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-06-02. Retrieved 2019-11-28.
  25. ↑ "Depressurization over the Andes - Avior Airlines Incident". Simpfly.aero. Retrieved June 3, 2021.

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