5U LDE Destinations 30 Founded 1940 Fleet size 4 | LDE LADE Website www.lade.com.ar Headquarters Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
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Hubs Aeroparque Jorge Newbery | ||
Lade f 28 1000 c flight from buenos aires aeroparque aep to mar del plata mdq argentina
LADE - Líneas Aéreas del Estado (English: State Air Lines) is an airline based in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. It is a state owned airline operated by the Argentine Air Force and providing domestic scheduled services mainly in Patagonia.
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Lade dhc 6 200 flight from puerto madryn el tehuelche pmy to comodoro rivadavia crd argentina
History
The airline was established as an arm of the Argentine Air Force in September 1940 (1940-09) to undertake non-profitable routes to remote areas. It was initially known as Líneas Aéreas Suroeste and consolidated under the present title in 1945 with another air force branch, Líneas Aéreas Noreste. By April 1960 (1960-04), DC-3s, DC-4s and Vikings made up LADE's fleet.
The carrier started regular flights between Comodoro Rivadavia and the Falkland Islands in 1972. The Comodoro Rivadavia–Port Stanley run was initially operated with F.27 equipment. The limited length of the runway at Port Stanley Airport resulted in weight regulations to the aircraft operating the route, which limited the number of passengers carried to a maximum of 22, along with a reduced volume of mail and freight. The service was discontinued in 1982, following the Falklands War.
At July 1980 (1980-07), the airline had a fleet of 11 F.27s —five -600s and six -400Ms—, five Fokker F.28-1000Cs and seven Twin Otters. Ten years later, at March 1990 (1990-03), the fleet had grown to include five Fokker F.28-1000Cs, 13 F.27s —six -400Ms, two -500s and five -600s—, one Lockheed L-100-30 and seven Twin Otters.
The acquisition of four Saab 340s for replacement of four Fokker F27s was announced in November 2007 (2007-11) in a deal worth US$34 million. The first of these aircraft entered the fleet in December 2008 (2008-12); the other three were incorporated in August 2009 (2009-08).
Destinations
Its main base is General Enrique Mosconi International Airport, Comodoro Rivadavia with hubs in Aeroparque Jorge Newbery, Buenos Aires, with a hub at Comandante Armando Tola International Airport, El Calafate.
LADE - Líneas Aéreas del Estado operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at June 2008)
Terminated destinations: Miramar, Neuquén, San Martín de los Andes, Santa Rosa, Zapala, Cutral Co, Lago Argentino, General Roca, Port Stanley.
Fleet
The LADE - Líneas Aéreas del Estado fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of August 2016):
Those aircraft are for regular flights.
The air force cargo fleet is leased by LADE, consisting on:
The two surviving Lockheed Martin C-130B Hercules were retired by the air force in September and December 2011 respectively, while the sole Lockheed Martin L-100-30 Hercules has been inoperative since early-2010.
There is a Presidential Fleet which is normally not assigned to LADE:
The rest of the fleet is inoperative:
As of June 2012, the LADE schedules show that nearly all flights are operated by Saab 340 aircraft, with the Fokker F28 fleet flying exclusively for the air force. Fokker F27s were withdrawn from the LADE schedules in April 2009, although have since been known to sporadically operate LADE flights now and again.