LASER Airlines (legally and officiallyLínea Aérea de Servicio Ejecutivo Regional, C.A.) is aregional airline based inCaracas,Venezuela.^[2] It operates scheduled and passenger charter services within Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America. Its main hub isSimón Bolívar International Airport.^[3]

LASER Airlines C.A.

IATA ICAO Call sign QL LER LASER
Founded	September 1993
Commenced operations	March 11, 1994
Hubs	Simón Bolívar International Airport
Secondary hubs	La Romana International Airport
Focus cities	Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	LASER Club[1]
Subsidiaries	RED Air
Fleet size	10
Destinations	12
Headquarters	Caracas,Venezuela
Key people	Orlan Viloria (President) René Cortés (VP)
Website	www.laserairlines.com

The airline was established in September 1993 and started operations on March 11, 1994.^[4] At the beginning, the company had oneDouglas DC-9-14, and only the following year purchased aBoeing 727-200. It began to expand domestic and international destinations, becoming one of Venezuela’s main airlines.

After the outbreak of the Venezuelan crisis in 2014, due to the embargo sanctions imposed by the United States, some of LASER’s international routes were changed to origin and end atLas Americas International Airport inDominican Republic to ensure that relevant routes continue to operate.

LASER began to fly toMiami in an alliance withWorld Atlantic Airlines, which has been a partner since November 2016, an alliance was established through which the Miami-Caracas flight was created daily. A second frequency was added to this frequency by partnering withSwift Air to offer greater comfort to passengers on both frequencies, it was possible to expand the baggage allowance and operate 2 classes. Both are operated with equipment ofBoeing 737s, thus dissolving the alliance with World Atlantic. Subsequently, due to the decision taken by theUnited States Government, on May 15, 2019, flights toVenezuela from theUnited States were suspended indefinitely.^[5] Due to this, LASER created a hub atLas Americas International Airport, adding frequency to this destination, leaving 2 daily frequencies and with the possibility of connecting to Miami, maintaining the alliance with Swift Air.

On December 1, 2019, LASER was forced to cancel its Caracas-Guayaquil route due to complex migratory demands by the Government ofEcuador for Venezuelans. Still, a few weeks later, it announced a new route to Caracas-Bogotá with a daily frequency that began operating on February 10, 2020.

In January 2020, LASER formed a subsidiarylow-cost airline namedRED Air, under a joint venture with a Dominican corporation, SERVAIR.^[6]

As of June 2024^[update], LASER operates services to the following domestic and international scheduled destinations:^[7]

• Plus Ultra Líneas Aéreas^[14]

As of June 2024^[update], LASER Airlines consists of the following aircraft:^[15]

LASER Airlines had in the past operated the following aircraft:^[15]

• On March 17, 2014, aMcDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registered YV2945) flying fromPorlamar toValencia with 96 people on board, burst both nose gear tires while landing atArturo Michelena International Airport and came to a stop on the runway with the tires and both nose wheels damaged, and was disabled. No injuries occurred.^[17]

• On May 25, 2021, aMcDonnell Douglas MD-83 (registered YV3465) made an emergency landing after a failure in the left engine, the crew reported that abird strike caused the failure. The aircraft landed back safely atSimón Bolívar International Airport and all 116 on board were uninjured.^[18]

• On April 28, 2024, aMcDonnell Douglas MD-83 operating flight 943 from Caracas to Santo Domingo reported smoke on board during take off. Emergency slides were deployed and all 91 people onboard evacuated, although some injuries were reported.^[19]

• List of airlines of Venezuela

  Media related toLASER Airlines at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website