Austro Aéreo S.A. was an Ecuadorian airline that operated scheduled passenger services throughout Ecuador.[2]
| |||||||
| Founded | November 11, 1996 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | December 31, 2003 | ||||||
| Hubs | Mariscal Lamar International Airport[1] | ||||||
| Fleet size | 2 | ||||||
| Destinations | 4 | ||||||
| Key people | Alfredo Vega (Manager) | ||||||
| Employees | 107 (2003) | ||||||
History edit
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The company was inaugurated on November 11, 1996. The airline offered regular flights between the cities of Cuenca. Macas, Quito and Guayaquil.[3] Austro Aereo had a limited number of planes and had many problems with them. Its only aircraft, a Fairchild FH-227, was grounded because it failed a "major inspection". The repair costs would have been very high, so Austro Aéreo opted not to repair it and instead acquired two new Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias.[4]
The company got into financial difficulties in 2002 and stopped flying to Guayaquil in December of that year. Three million dollars were owed to the sellers of the aircraft, the suppliers of the Pratt & Whitney engines, the Ecuadorian Institute of Social Security and the tax authorities. 107 employees lost their jobs and the company was put into liquidation on December 31, 2003.[5]
Destinations edit
Fleet edit
Austro Aéreo operated the following aircraft:[6]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | 2 | 2000 | 2003 | Leased from Boeing Capital |
| Fairchild FH-227 | 1 | 1996 | 2000 |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Austro Aereo". chi-aviation.com.
- ^ "Austro Aereo". airlinehistory.co.uk.
- ^ Harry Adès (2003). The Rough Guide to Ecuador. Rough Guides. ISBN 9781843531098.
- ^ Florencia Astudillo. "IESS rematará nave embargada el 2003". eltiempo.com.ec.
- ^ Ruth Orden. "Austro Aéreo entró en liquidación el 31 de diciembre". www.eluniverso.com (in Spanish).
- ^ "Austro Aéreo Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved April 17, 2023.