Avensa was created on 13 May 1943, as a
cargo airline by the Venezuelan businessman, Andres Boulton Pietri (1909-1994), and
Pan American World Airways. Its first flight occurred in December 1943, flying cargo to Venezuela's oil-rich Carteru region with
Ford Trimotors and
Stinson Reliants. By 1944, Avensa had started passenger flights with Lockheed 10A twins. After
World War II,
DC-3 Dakotas were added to the fleet. These were the backbone of the fleet until 1955 when
Convair 340 twins were introduced for a new service to
Miami. Avensa had set up an extensive domestic route network by the beginning of the 1960s. The airline also flew internationally to Miami,
Aruba,
Jamaica and
New Orleans. landing at
Simón Bolívar International Airport in 1972 Avensa merged its international routes with the international routes of
Línea Aeropostal Venezolana and the resulting network was the basis for a new international Venezuelan airline called
Viasa, in which Avensa had a 45% holding. Avensa purchased jet equipment in the form of a single
Sud Caravelle jet in 1964. Turboprop aircraft were introduced in 1966 when the airline purchased
Convair 580s.
McDonnell Douglas DC-9 jets were introduced to give the airline a competitive edge. Pan Am sold its 30% holding of Avensa to the Venezuelan government in 1976, making it completely
state-owned. Later, Avensa introduced the
Boeing 727-100 with two
Boeing 737-200s being later introduced. A fleet renewal program was set in motion at the end of the 1980s and new
Boeing 737-200s were added. Two
Boeing 757-200s were also introduced in the renewal program. These new aircraft were returned during the 1990s when Avensa fell into financial difficulties and had to make cutbacks. This left the fleet with eleven aging Boeing 727s, five DC-9s, and two 737-200s at the end of the 1990s. Avensa took over many of the international routes formerly flown by
Viasa after that airline collapsed in 1997. During the late 1990s, Avensa operated wide body
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 flights to Europe including service to
Lisbon,
London,
Madrid,
Paris,
Rome and
Tenerife. Avensa also controlled a smaller
low-cost airline called
Servivensa, which primarily operated the Boeing 727 and DC-9 jets. Avensa later served only a domestic network of three cities as it attempted to reestablish services during a time of continuing financial difficulties. The airline went into bankruptcy due to poor management in 2002, with
Santa Barbara Airlines taking over its routes, although a single
Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia continued to carry the Avensa name in service until it was grounded for good in 2004. Even though the airline ceased operations more than a decade ago, around Venezuela's airports, Avensa relics can be seen everywhere: old check-in signs, rusted luggage carts, derelict airplane stairways, the name still visible through cracked blue paint around Venezuela's airports. ==Destinations==