National Airlines (Chile)
.jpg) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1992 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Commenced operations | December 27, 1992 | ||||||
Ceased operations | January 8, 1998 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Huerfanos 725, Piso 3, Santiago de Chile | ||||||
National Airlines was a Chilean airline based in Santiago, Chile which operated from 1992 to 1988.
History
National Airlines was founded by a group of investors led by Miguel Nasur. It began operations on December 27, 1992, acquiring Southwest Pacific, owned by Edmundo Ziede, a businessman from Antofagasta. Southwest Pacific offered flights from Santiago to Arica, Iquique, and Antofagasta. The founders' vision, which included acquiring two Boeing 737-200 aircraft from the British airline Britannia, allowed for a rapid expansion of operations to the cities of Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas. Its slogan was "National, shortening the distances." Its first international flight was held on September 9, 1995, with the route from Santiago to Mendoza.
In August of the following year, it began flights to the cities of Balmaceda and Calamay. That same year, it signed an agreement with the Argentine flag carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas who would handle the maintenance of its Boeing 737 fleet. On August 15, 1997, National Airlines began flights to Buenos Aires. In September, it inaugurated its routes to the United States, after the Chilean flag carrier had transferred some of its routes to it the previous year. In late 1997, the magazine companies Air International and Aircraft magazines reported that National Airlines was evaluating wide-body aircraft, with the Boeing 767 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10 being the leading options, for potential service to Europe. This however never materialized.[1] On January 8, 1998, another Chilean airline called Avant Airlines acquired 100% of National, with all of the airline's operations gradually passing into Avant Airlines, which operated up until 2001.[2]
Destinations
.png){kind=small}
Fleet
National Airlines operated the following aircraft throughout its existence
| Plane | Total | Introduced | Left fleet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727-200 | 2 | 1996 | 1998 |
| Boeing 737-200 | 6 | 1992 | 1998 |
Sources
- ↑ Air International Magazine~1997 Whole Year
- ↑ "A fines de año vuelve a volar National Airlines". Radio Cooperativa. 6 August 2001. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
