La Costeña (airline) explained
Airline: | La Costeña |
Iata: | LC |
Icao: | NIS |
Callsign: | LACOSTENA |
Founded: | 1991 |
Fleet Size: | 5 |
Destinations: | 4 |
Parent: | Regional Airlines Holding LLC |
Headquarters: | Managua, Nicaragua |
Key People: | Julio Caballero (Director) |
Num Employees: | 140 (2011) |
Aerotaxis La Costeña S.A. is a regional airline based in Managua, Nicaragua. It operates passenger services from Managua and Bluefields to 3 domestic destinations. Its main hubs are at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport and Bluefields Airport.[1]
History
The airline began operations in November 1991. It became part of the Grupo TACA in 1999 as a feeder carrier. By September 2011, it had 140 employees.
On May 31, 2019, Avianca Holdings sold its 62% participation in La Costeña to Regional Airlines Holding LLC, from Delaware, United States.[2] [3]
Destinations
As of April 2024, La Costeña operates limited services to domestic destinations, such as:[4]
Fleet
Current fleet
La Costeña fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of June 2023):[5]
!Aircraft!In
service!Orders!Passengers!NotesATR 42-320 | 1 | - | 46 | |
Cessna 208 Caravan | 4 | - | 14 | |
Total | 5 | - | | |
---|
Former fleet
Accidents and incidents
- On July 30, 1995, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (YN-CED) was hijacked by suspected drug traffickers while en route from Managua to Bluefields. On August 1, the body of the pilot was discovered in Zipaquirá, Colombia. He had reportedly been shot twice in the head and once in the back. Nicaraguan authorities suspect that the hijacked aircraft was destined for drug trafficking operations. In August, the plane was found by Colombian police in a hangar at Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport.
- On July 20, 1999, the same aircraft (YN-CED) was flying from Managua to Bluefields, but crashed in Cerro Silva, killing both crew members and all 14 passengers. A GPS device had been removed for use in another aircraft before the flight.[6]
See also
Notes and References
- News: Directory: World Airlines. Flight International. 103. 2007-04-03.
- Web site: Avianca vende las aerolíneas Sansa y La Costeña de Centroamérica. Reportur.com. es. June 5, 2019.
- Web site: Avianca venderá 62% de La Costeña. Elnuevodiario.com.ni. Amalia Barrios. es. November 28, 2018.
- Web site: Destinations - La Costeña. Lacostena.com.ni.
- Web site: La Costeña - Pilot Career Centre. Pilotcareercentre.com. January 8, 2021.
- http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19990720-0 Aviation Safety Network