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History

Líneas Aéreas Privadas Argentinas (LAPA) was founded in 1977 in Buenos Aires and initially operated small regional services, becoming South America's first Saab 340 operator in 1987. Argentina's 1994 air-market deregulation triggered rapid growth, and by the mid-1990s LAPA had captured a significant share of the domestic market with routes to destinations such as Córdoba, Bariloche, Iguazú, and Mar del Plata, flying a mixed fleet that at various points included Boeing 737s, 757s, and a 767-300ER. The airline is most remembered for LAPA Flight 3142, a Boeing 737-200 that crashed on takeoff from Aeroparque Jorge Newbery on 31 August 1999, killing 63 of 103 occupants plus two people on the ground, one of the deadliest aviation accidents in Argentine history.

Current Operations

LAPA no longer exists as an operating airline. Weighed down by rising leasing costs and the fallout from the 1999 crash, it filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2001, went through an ownership change (briefly renamed and later reacquired by Argentine investors), and ceased operations entirely in April 2003 after most of its remaining aircraft were repossessed by lessors. Its routes were absorbed into Argentina's broader domestic market, which came to be dominated by Aerolíneas Argentinas and, later, other domestic entrants.

Last verified 2026-09-02· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.

Serves These Profiled Airports18

Sample Routes2