EP PRU Ceased operations 1971 Headquarters Lima | Commenced operations 1957 Hubs Lima Airport Founded 1956 | |
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Hub Jorge Chávez International Airport | ||
Aérolíneas Peruanas S.A. (also known by the abbreviation APSA or the English translation Peruvian Airlines) was an airline from Peru, serving as flag carrier of the country from 1956 to 1971. Headquartered in Lima, it operated a network of scheduled passenger flights to major places in Latin America, as well as the United States, out of its hub at Lima Airport. In 1967, APSA had around 1,000 employees.
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History
Aérolíneas Peruanas was founded by C. W. Shelton in September 1956, with 77 percent of the company's shares spread amongst private Peruvian investors. Flight operations were launched in mid-1957, on the Lima to Santiago and Miami routes. Originally not a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA was only joined in 1966), APSA could significantly undercut the usual airline fares for flights between South America and the USA. To strengthen its market position, APSA went into a partnership with Transportes Aéreos Nacionales (TAN, from Honduras) and Compañía Ecuatoriana de Aviación (CEA, from Ecuador).
The Douglas DC-6 being the aircraft most commonly used with the airline in the early 1960s, Aérolíneas Peruanas joined the jet age on 1 December 1963 with the introduction of the Convair 990 Coronado. During that years, the network had been greatly expanded, which culminated in the launch of transatlantic flights using the Douglas DC-8 by the end of the decade.
In the early 1970s, Aérolíneas Peruanas found itself in a worsening financial situation. Plans for a take-over by the Peruvian government and Spanish national airline Iberia failed, so that the company was forced to cease all flight operations on 2 May 1971.
Route network
APSA offered scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:
Fleet
Over the years, APSA operated the following aircraft types:
Incidents
On 11 January 1969, an Aérolíneas Peruanas Convair 990 Coronado was hijacked en route a flight from Panama City to Miami and forced to divert to Cuba. At that time, such United States-Cuba hijackings had become common occurrences.