Avianca - Aerovias Nacionales de Colombia
AVIANCA · S.A. · Active
Airline Identity
History
Avianca's origins trace to 5 December 1919, when SCADTA (Sociedad Colombo-Alemana de Transportes Aéreos) was founded in Barranquilla, Colombia, making it one of the oldest continuously operating airlines in the world; it merged with rival carrier SACO in 1940 to form Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia (Avianca). The airline merged with Central American carrier TACA in 2010 to form AviancaTaca Holding (later Avianca Holdings) and joined Star Alliance in June 2012. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection twice — first in 2003-2004 and again in May 2020 amid the COVID-19 downturn — emerging from the second restructuring in December 2021 under a new corporate structure.
Current Operations
Avianca now operates under Abra Group, a holding company formed in 2022 that also has ties to Brazil's GOL Linhas Aéreas; a planned three-way tie-up involving GOL and Viva Air was blocked by Colombian regulators in November 2022, and Avianca subsequently withdrew from the Viva Air acquisition in 2023. As of 2026 Avianca is the largest airline in Colombia and one of the largest in South America, flying a fleet built around Airbus A320-family jets and Boeing 787 Dreamliners from its main hub at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport, and it adopted a rebranded lowercase "avianca" identity and adjusted low-cost model in October 2023. It remains a member of Star Alliance.
Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.
Country of Registration
Country data not available.