ACES (Spanishacronym:Aerolíneas Centrales de Colombia) was anairline with its headquarters in theTorre del Café inMedellín,Colombia^[2] and founded on August 30, 1971, by a group of 13 Colombian entrepreneurs, amongst them, most notably Orlando Botero Escobar and German Peñaloza Arias from Manizales and Luis H. Coulson, Jorge Coulson R., Alberto Jaramillo and Hernán Zuluaga from Medellín.

Mr. Botero and Mr. Peñaloza, who were considered pioneers in the early days of Colombian commercial aviation, had tried several times to establish a commuter service betweenManizales andBogotá. They managed to operate a small commuter airline by the name TARCA (acronym ofTaxi Aéreo de Caldas), which was forced to shut down due to financial difficulties. With the support and capital of the new partners from Medellín, they embarked on the successful enterprise that would be ACES. The airline began service on February 22, 1972, withSaunders ST-27 aircraft for the routes Medellín-Bogotá and Manizales-Bogotá, and soon became a major player in the Colombian market. By 1976, the airline had expanded its network to smaller regional destinations, for which it purchasedDHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft.

In 1981, ACES acquired its firstBoeing 727-100 jet. In 1986, an expansion began with the acquisition of more 727-100 and the arrival ofFairchild FH-227 aircraft built under license byFairchild in the United States and with slight modifications. The 727s had a capacity of 129 passengers and the Fairchilds of 44. At this time the first international charter flights also began toHavana,Varadero,Nassau,Freeport,Montego Bay,Puerto Plata,Punta Cana,St. Kitts,St. Maarten,Porlamar andCancun.

In 1991, ACES completely replaced itsFairchild F-27 fleet withATR 42 turbo-prop aircraft for its short-haul regional routes, and itsBoeing 727-100 with theBoeing 727-200 Advanced variant. In 1992, ACES expanded its service internationally, operating flights from Medellín and Bogotá toMiami. Soon after, Juan Emilio Posada was appointed CEO and would serve until the airline's demise in 2003. In late 1997, ACES modernized its fleet acquiring brand-newAirbus A320-200 aircraft that replaced its Boeing 727s. It expanded its routes toFort Lauderdale,Quito,Caracas,Cancún (served by charters),Santo Domingo,Punta Cana andSan Juan, Puerto Rico; as well as additional domestic flights withinColombia.

ACES created a corporate culture of service and punctuality that would earn it the recognition and loyalty of its customers, resulting in consistent increases in its market share and revenues in the domestic market, which was dominated for decades byAvianca. It was named the "Best airline in Colombia" by several industry and consumer publications.

On May 20, 2002, ACES merged with major competitorAvianca andSAM to form theAlianza Summa, a strategic alliance aimed at joining forces to counteract the adverse circumstances that faced the airline industry inColombia and the world after theSeptember 11 attacks. ACES' operations were halted on August 20, 2003, after the board decided to liquidate the airline.^[3] By November 2003, Alianza Summa was dissolved and Avianca took over ACES' routes.

ACES had in the past operated a variety of aircraft, including:^[4][5]

• On December 18, 1981, aDHC-6 Twin Otter (registered HK-2216) crashed in the municipality ofSan Antero, during the approach to theCoveñas Airport. In this incident 13 people perished, including the crew composed of Captain Guillermo Alberto García and co-pilot Andrés Rafael Londoño.
• On November 29, 1982, aDHC-6 Twin Otter (registered HK-2536) crashed in the foothills of the Eastern Cordillera against Cerro Pan de Azúcar in the township of San Juanito, Meta. The flight came on a regular flight fromSan José del Guaviare and was heading toBogotá under the command of Captain Marino Jiménez and co-pilot Edison Santacoloma, who along with 20 passengers lost their lives.^[6]
• On August 1, 1988, aDHC-6 Twin Otter (registered HK-2445) was hijacked and demanded the pilot to land at an abandonedairstrip in Colombia. The passengers were reportedly robbed and the hijackers escaped, which six of them were later captured.^[7]
• On November 30, 1996, aDHC-6 Twin Otter, operating flight 148, (registered HK-2602) crashed into Cerro El Barcino a few minutes after takeoff fromOlaya Herrera Airport. The flight was operating the route betweenMedellin,Bahía Solano andQuibdó. 14 people died in the impact and subsequent fire, including the crew commanded by Captain Juan Carlos Bermúdez López; one passenger survived with serious injuries.^[8][9]
• On October 11, 2000, anATR 42-500 (registered VP-BOF) and aBoeing 727-200 (registered HK-3998X) collided on theEl Dorado International Airportapron during the towing process. The ATR 42-500 was declared a total loss after the incident. There were no injuries or fatalities in this event.^[10]

• List of defunct airlines of Colombia

• "Aces". Archived fromthe original on September 25, 2002. RetrievedMay 13, 2008. (September 24–25, 2002)(in Spanish)
• Video Tribute
• Media related toACES Colombia at Wikimedia Commons

43°26′34″N6°04′09″W / 43.44278°N 6.06917°W /43.44278; -6.06917

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• Airlines established in 1971
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• Colombian companies established in 1971
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