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| Founded | 24 October 2007 | ||||||
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| Commenced operations | 30 March 2009 | ||||||
| AOC # | 119-01-005[1] | ||||||
| Hubs | Jorge Wilstermann International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | Elévate | ||||||
| Fleet size | 17 | ||||||
| Destinations | 19 | ||||||
| Parent company | Bolivian Government (100%) | ||||||
| Headquarters | Cochabamba, Bolivia | ||||||
| Key people | Mario Borda (CEO) | ||||||
| Revenue |  Bs. 102 million (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Net income |  Bs. 38.7 million (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Total assets | Bs. 629 million (2014)[2] | ||||||
| Employees | 2,345 (2015)[2] | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
Boliviana de Aviación (shortened in Spanish forEmpresa Pública Nacional Estratégica Boliviana de Aviación "Bolivian National Strategic Aviation Public Company") and stylized asBoA, is theflag carrier airline ofBolivia and is wholly owned by thecountry's government. Founded in October 2007 and headquartered inCochabamba, it operates most of its domestic network out of its primaryhub atJorge Wilstermann International Airport while its international services operate outViru Viru International Airport inSanta Cruz de la Sierra. It is the largest airline in Bolivia and sixth largest in South America, in terms of fleet size and passengers carried.[3]
Boliviana de Aviación operates a fleet consisting ofAirbus andBoeing aircraft and a regional fleet ofBombardier CRJ-200s. It currently flies to 21 destinations in 8 countries inthe Americas together with atransatlantic extension to Madrid in Spain.
The airline was established as astate-owned enterprise as the successor airline of former flag carrierLloyd Aéreo Boliviano, which ceased in 2007 after 85 years of operation.[4] Following the demise ofAeroSur, Bolivia's second largest airline, BoA became the country's sole main carrier in 2011. In November 2014, the airline became a full member of theInternational Air Transport Association.[5][6]
Boliviana de Aviación (BoA), was founded on 24 October 2007 by theBolivian government under presidentEvo Morales, who signed Supreme Decree 29318 into law, establishing the new airline as a strategicstate-owned enterprise with the purpose of sustaining the Bolivian air travel market, which had been left exposed during the downturn ofLloyd Aéreo Boliviano (LAB), the country's former flag carrier.[7][8]
Proposals from the Bolivian government to establish a new airline quickly became concrete in 2006 when LAB suspended much of its air routes due to financial difficulties and years of mismanagement. LAB had accumulated losses since 1995, at the time of its partial acquisition by Brazilian airlineVASP.[citation needed] Its debts approached $180 million and in 2012, it formally ceased operations after 87 years of service. At the time of its demise, Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano was the second oldest airline in South America afterAvianca.[citation needed]
On 29 March 2009, Boliviana de Aviación launched its first scheduled flight between the cities ofLa Paz,Cochabamba andSanta Cruz de la Sierra using one of the twoBoeing 737-300 it acquired that same year. In 2012, BoA became the main airline in the country after the bankruptcy ofAeroSur, Bolivia's second largest carrier.[citation needed]
Three years after it started operations, Boliviana de Aviación extended its domestic network by adding services to the cities ofSucre andTarija.[9] In 2012, following the demise Bolivia's second largest airline,AeroSur, the airline became the principal carrier in the country and consolidated its network of scheduled domestic services, reaching the country's main centers of population. In addition to its domestic network, the airline operates scheduled international services to the South American countries ofArgentina,Brazil,Paraguay,Peru andVenezuela. In May 2010, it inaugurated its first international flight fromCochabamba toBuenos Aires and in November 2010, it began services toSão Paulo, its second international destination.[10][11] The airline currently offers daily non-stop service to Buenos Aires and to São Paulo.[12]
The airline subsequently leased a singleAirbus A330 as its firstlong-haul aircraft to begin transatlantic services toMadrid inSpain. The first flight was made in November 2012 from Santa Cruz de la Sierra's Viru Viru International Airport toMadrid–Barajas Airport.[13] The airline later retired the Airbus A330 and in 2014, it leased a total of 4Boeing 767-300ERs to increase frequencies to its Madrid service and began daily non-stop flights toMiami in theUnited States that same year.[14] On February 8th, 2022, the airline began service toLima,Peru,[15] On October 26th 2023, the airline started scheduled services toHavana inCuba using aBoeing 737-800. However, the airline has suspended its services to Havana in July 2024, just 9 months since its inaugural flight, due to low demand and high operating costs.[16] On November 3rd 2023, it launched its new destination toCaracas,Venezuela and on January 18th 2024, it began service toAsunción inParaguay.[17]
As part of its fleet modernization program, the airline started to gradually replace its fleet ofBoeing 737-300 for modernBoeing 737 Next Generation aircraft. In April 2023, Boliviana de Aviación took delivery of its firstAirbus A330-200 for itslong-haul services from Santa Cruz de la Sierra, to Miami and Madrid.[18] The airline currently has three aircraft of the type in its fleet, replacing the agingBoeing 767-300ER.[19] The newer aircraft feature lie-flat seats inbusiness class and improved services in economy class featuringIn-flight entertainment screens in every seat. The airline is also currently modernizing the interior seats of its Boeing 737 aircraft by installing newer Mirus Hawk seats.[20]
On 29 March 2009, Boliviana of Aviación (BoA) made its inaugural flight. To almost a year of the fact, the participation of the state company in the regular aeronautical market came to a close of 50% and utilities[clarification needed] to someUS$2.2 million.[21] Some domestic networks have been dominated by the services of BoA. Most of the airline's financial success is due to the 10% reduction of all its fares in domestic flights compared with AeroSur.[22]
Since 2010, the airline began taking leadership in some domestic routes, in decline of the private flag carrier AeroSur.According to theAuthority of Inspection and Social control of Transport and Telecommunications (ATT), Boliviana de Aviación achieved the passengers' biggest quantity in three routes:[23]
Boliviana de Aviación's main hub is inCochabamba atJorge Wilstermann International Airport, located in the center of the country. As such, most of the domestic network is operated out of Cochabamba. The airline also maintains twofocus cities inLa Paz andSanta Cruz de la Sierra. All international flights within South America as well as long-haul services toMadrid andMiami operate out ofViru Viru International Airport in Santa Cruz de la Sierra due to the airport's low altitude compared to La Paz'sEl Alto International Airport.[citation needed]
Boliviana de Aviación hascodeshare andInterline agreements with the following airlines:
As of January 2026[update], Boliviana de Aviación operates the following aircraft:[32]
| Aircraft | In fleet | Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A330-200[18] | 3 | — | 20 | 255 | 275 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 2 | — | — | 136 | 136 | |
| Boeing 737-700 | 3 | — | – | 138 | 138 | |
| Boeing 737-800 | 7 | — | – | 168 | 168 | |
| Bombardier CRJ200 | 2 | — | – | 50 | 50 | Returned to service in 2024.[33] |
| Total | 17 | — | ||||
Since its inception, Boliviana de Aviación has operated the following aircraft:[34]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-500 | 1 | 2013 | 2015 | |
| Boeing 767-200ER | 1 | 2013 | 2014 | Leased fromOmni Air International |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 4 | 2014 | 2024 | Replaced byAirbus A330-200 |
Boliviana de Aviación started operations with twoBoeing 737-300s. On 29 September 2009, BoA announced the arrival of its 3rd Boeing 737. On 14 April 2010, BoA received its 4th Boeing 737. In April 2011, BoA received its 5th Boeing 737. President Evo Morales celebrated the new acquisition and emphasized the positive results in the coverage of the internal market.[35] On 14 September 2014, BoA announced the arrival of its firstBoeing 767-300ER. On May 4 2023, BoA acquired its first twoAirbus A330-200s as part of the airline's long-haul fleet modernization program. The Airbus A330 aircraft replaced the older Boeing 767-300ERs.[18]
In 2013, theBolivian Government and the Russian ambassador were negotiating the acquisition of theAntonov An-148 for official and civil uses.[36] Bolivia was interested in acquiring eight planes, one as the presidential carrier and seven to the state-owned airlines which are Boliviana de Aviación andTransporte Aéreo Militar. According to the negotiation, BoA would have received four planes and TAM three planes of this type.[37]However, the negotiation depended on the cooperative advances between the Bolivian and Russian governments as regards a credit forUS$250 million. Such plan has been postponed/canceled due to economic and technical unviability. In 2018, theFederal Service for Supervision of Transport grounded all Antonov An-148 aircraft citing safety concerns.[38][39]
Media related toBoliviana de Aviación at Wikimedia Commons
