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| Founded | June 15, 1933 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | June 27, 1933 | ||||||
| Ceased operations | June 14, 1940 (merged withSCADTA to formAvianca) | ||||||
| Alliance | Pan Am | ||||||
| Headquarters | Bogotá,Colombia | ||||||
TheColombian Air Service (Spanish:Servicio Aéreo Colombiano,SACO), was an earlyColombianairline. Founded in 1933, in 1940 SACO merged with the Colombo-German Air Transport Company (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos, orSCADTA); the new company was namedAvianca (Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia).[1] Avianca still operates to this day, and claims SCADTA's history as its own, thus making it the one of theoldest airlines in the world.
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During theHoover Administration, American governors feared that European-owned airlines were violating theMonroe Doctrine (especially SCADTA), so in order to replace SCADTA, they hired Ernesto Samper to create a new airline. On 23 June 1934, Samper arrived in Bogotá with threeCurtiss Kingbirds and four American aviators hired to operate them. With these aircraft, the SACO expanded its operations to other cities—Bucaramanga,Cartago,Montería, andCartagena.
On June 24, 1935, aFord Trimotor of SACO collided during take off with another Ford Trimotor of SCADTA atMedellín, Colombia. 15 people were killed, including the world-famous tango singerCarlos Gardel.[2] After the accident, the SACO airline stopped operating for some time, while it was reorganized and new aircraft were acquired.
 Airlines ofColombia | |
|---|---|
| Scheduled | |
| Low cost | |
| Charter | |
| Cargo | |
| Helicopter | |
| Defunct | |
