Air Panama Internacional
| Air Panama Internacional | |
|---|---|
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| IATA code : | OP |
| ICAO code : | API |
| Call sign : | ARPA |
| Founding: | 1967 |
| Operation stopped: | 1990 |
| Seat: |
Panama City , Panama
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| Home airport : | Tocumen airport |
| Fleet size: | 2 |
| Aims: | Central America, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, USA |
| Air Panama Internacional ceased operations in 1990. The information in italics refer to the last status before the end of operation. | |
Air Panama Internacional , or Air Panama for short , was a state-owned airline of Panama that ceased operations in 1990. The company was based at Tocumen Airport near Panama City .
history
Air Panama Internacional was founded in 1967 with the support of the Spanish airline Iberia . The start of flight operations took place in August 1967 with a Douglas DC-9-15 leased from the manufacturer . The route network starting from Panama City initially included Mexico City , Miami , Bogotá , Caracas , Lima and Guayaquil . In November 1972, a Boeing 727-100 acquired by Japan Air Lines replaced the Douglas DC-9. After taking over two more Boeing 727-100s, Guatemala City was added to the flight plan as a new destination in 1973. In the early 1980s, a modernization of the aged fleet was planned. The German charter airline Jetair showed interest in buying the three Boeing 727-100s, but only accepted one machine in May 1984.
The company's financial situation made it impossible to acquire brand new aircraft. The purchase of a used McDonnell Douglas DC-10 from the stocks of the US American Northwest Airlines could not be financed in 1985 either. Instead, the company rented planes from other airlines as a wet lease , especially for the route to Miami . Increasing economic problems led to the cessation of flight operations on December 2, 1990. Copa Airlines took over the route rights .
On July 11, 1991, the dormant company Air Panama Internacional was renamed Panama Air International . The company planned to resume flight operations in summer 1992 with a leased Boeing 757 , but could not do so.
Further use of the name
The regional airline Turismo Aero (formerly Parsa SA ) has been operating under the name Air Panama since the beginning of 2006 . The airline operates an intra-Spanish route network and maintains an international scheduled connection to San José (Costa Rica) . The business charter company Panama Aircraft does not belong to Air Panama , but is a subsidiary of the British holding company Global Aviation Syndicate Ltd. (GAS) based in London, in which Globalstar Investors Panama has a stake.