Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos
| Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos | |
|---|---|
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| IATA code : | 2L |
| ICAO code : | BOL |
| Call sign : | Bol |
| Founding: | 1977 |
| Seat: |
La Paz , Bolivia
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| Turnstile : |
Viru Viru Airport (international) |
| Fleet size: | 1 |
| Aims: | Santa Cruz , Cochabamba , El Alto , Miami , Caracas , Lima |
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos (TAB for short) is a state-owned Bolivian cargo airline under the supervision of the Ministry of Defense, with headquarters in La Paz and an international base at Viru Viru Airport .
history
TAB was launched on November 7, 1977 as a public company under autonomous management after a Lockheed C-130 ( Hercules ) aircraft was purchased in July 1977 . It started operating in 1978, initially limited to national destinations. Later international destinations in Panama and the USA were also served .
At the beginning of 1980 a Lockheed L-100-30 Hercules machine was purchased, with which a transatlantic flight from Miami to Cyprus was carried out for the first time in 1984 . In the 1990s, the volume of transport between Bolivia and the USA rose sharply. In 1988 a Lockheed AC-130A converted for civil use was purchased.
In the following years the business threatened to collapse, but was revived when the government of Evo Morales came to power in 2006. In 2007, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10 was purchased for the first time, and in 2009 another machine (DC-10-30F) was added. In the same year, TAB was elevated to the rank of a strategic public company of the Bolivian state by ordinance. It was decided to create six pilot positions. In 2013 a more modern MD-10-30F, which had been retired by Federal Express , was added, as of September 2018 the TAB's only active aircraft.
Services
TAB mainly serves the Bolivian main axis between Santa Cruz, La Paz / El Alto and Cochabamba. Almost all types of goods are transported, including valuables, dangerous goods and live animals. In the event of disasters such as floods in the lowlands or earthquakes in Peru, aid flights are also provided. International flights are carried out depending on requirements and the order situation. It goes more regularly to the USA, Venezuela and Peru . For example, in September 2018 TAB was commissioned to transport 20 tons of tungsten to Miami . Charter flights are also offered.