.png) | |||||||
_-_La_Aurora_International_Airport%2c_Guatemala_City.jpg) Avianca Guatemala (Aviateca) AirbusA320-214 (N538AV) taxiing atLa Aurora International Airport | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1929 (asAerovías de Guatemala) March 14, 1945 (asAviateca) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | La Aurora International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Mundo Maya International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | LifeMiles | ||||||
| Alliance | Star Alliance (affiliate) | ||||||
| Fleet size | 1 | ||||||
| Destinations | 9 | ||||||
| Parent company | Avianca Group | ||||||
| Headquarters | Guatemala City,Guatemala | ||||||
| Key people | Frederico Pedreira (CEO) | ||||||
| Founder | Alfredo Denby Chattfield | ||||||
| Employees | 82[1] | ||||||
| Website | avianca | ||||||
Aviateca S.A. brandedAvianca Guatemala is aregional airline headquartered inGuatemala City that serves as theflag carrier ofGuatemala.[2] Aviateca was under government ownership and remained so until 1989 when it joined theGrupo TACA alliance of Central America and was privatized. It was fully integrated into TACA, operating under theTACA Regional banner, which later merged with Avianca.
The airline was established in 1929 asAerovías de Guatemala and was founded by Alfredo Denby Chattfield. In March 14, 1945, the airline was nationalized during the government of Juan José Arevalo and established asEmpresa Guatemalteca de Aviación S.A. which was shortened toAviateca. One of the original founders was Alfredo Castaneda Duarte who also served as a pilot. Aviateca started operations in March 1946 and early aircraft operated by the carrier including theDouglas DC-3.
In 1961, service toMiami was originated with four-enginedDouglas DC-6 airliners. The airline later operated theDouglas DC-6B version as well.Convair CV-240 family airliners were also acquired to replace some of the DC-3s on short-haul routes inLatin America.
Aviateca introduced jet service as a customer for theBAC One-Eleven medium twin jet in 1970. In 1974, the airline was operating the stretched BAC One-Eleven series 500 version of the British-manufactured jet on international flights to Miami, New Orleans, Mexico City, Mérida and San Jose, Costa Rica.[3] The airline's fleet was referred to by locals as "Las Papayas Voladoras" (The Flying Papayas) due to the paint scheme used during the 1970s, in which the underbelly was painted a reddish orange. It also temporarily leased aFokker F28 Fellowship, someBoeing 720s and aDouglas DC-8-61. Aviateca later acquired twoBoeing 727-100s, which operated for the airline in the 1980s. From 1989 on, Aviateca's fleet consisted of severalBoeing 737-200 andBoeing 737-300 jetliners, including a full cargo 737-300 that operated for a few months.
Between 2006 and 2007, Aviateca operated a fewAirbus A319s with the TACA-style Aviateca logo on the engines. Five of TACA'sATR 42-300s were registered for Aviateca in Guatemala. Due to reorganization measures atAvianca Holdings, Aviateca was renamedAvianca Guatemala in 2013.
In March 2021, the airline terminated all destinations and transferred its operations toAvianca. However, in October 2022, Avianca Group announced that it would reactivate Avianca Guatemala's operations by December 2022.[4][5]
.jpg)
.jpg)
This is a list of destinations of served by both Aviateca and Avianca Guatemala throughout their existence.[6]
_ATR_72-600_at_Toncont%25C3%25ADn_International_Airport.jpg)
As of August 2025[update], Avianca Guatemala operates the following aircraft:[9]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | Y+ | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 12 | 60 | 108 | 180 | |
| Total | 1 | — | |||||
Throughout its operations, the airline operated these aircraft:[10][11][12]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A319-100 | 2 | 2006 | 2007 | Operated byTACA Airlines |
| ATR 42-300QC | 3 | 2006 | 2017 | |
| ATR 72-600 | 4 | 2014 | 2021 | |
| BAC One-Eleven Series 500 | 4 | 1970 | 1980 | |
| Boeing 720 | 3 | 1977 | 1979 | |
| Boeing 727-100C | 4 | 1979 | 1989 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 12 | 1990 | 2004 | One written off asFlight 901 |
| Boeing 737-300 | 9 | 1989 | 1996 | |
| Convair CV-440 | 4 | 1954 | 1979 | |
| Curtiss C-46 Commando | 6 | 1949 | 1975 | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 11 | 1945 | 1981 | |
| Douglas C-54 Skymaster | 2 | 1954 | 1970 | |
| Douglas DC-2 | 2 | 1945 | 1952 | |
| Douglas DC-6 | 10 | 1965 | 1984 | |
| Douglas DC-8-61 | 1 | 1988 | 1989 | Leased fromTrans International Airlines |
| Fairchild C-82 Packet | 5 | 1957 | 1961 | |
| Fokker F-27 Friendship | 3 | 1978 | 1987 | |
| Fokker F-28 Fellowship | 1 | 1974 | 1976 | Leased fromFokker |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 1 | 1975 | 1975 | Leased fromMidwest Aviation |
| Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation | 1 | 1972 | 1972 |
Media related toAvianca Guatemala at Wikimedia Commons
