Aviation History
Colombia holds a unique place in aviation history: SCADTA, founded in Barranquilla in December 1919, is widely recognized as the oldest airline in the Americas still operating today (as Avianca) and the second-oldest continuously operating airline in the world after KLM. Early service exploited the Magdalena River corridor to link coastal ports with inland cities in a country with famously difficult overland terrain. SCADTA merged with rival carrier SACO in 1940 to form Avianca, which entered the jet age with the Boeing 707 around 1960 and grew into Colombia's dominant international carrier. In 2010, Avianca merged with El Salvador's TACA to form what became Avianca Holdings, later joining the Star Alliance. Like many airlines worldwide, Avianca filed for bankruptcy protection during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, emerging restructured in 2021, and Colombia's aviation market today includes Avianca alongside newer low-cost entrants.
The Colombian-German Air Transport Society (SCADTA) was founded in Barranquilla, becoming the oldest airline in the Americas still operating today.
SCADTA launched regular seaplane service along the Magdalena River, among the earliest sustained scheduled airline operations in the world.
A merger with rival carrier SACO created Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia (Avianca), consolidating Colombian commercial aviation.
Avianca introduced Boeing 707 jetliners, modernizing its international long-haul network.
Avianca consolidated its hub at Bogotá's El Dorado International Airport, becoming Colombia's dominant international gateway carrier.
Avianca merged with Central American carrier TACA to form Avianca Holdings, later joining the Star Alliance in 2012.
The COVID-19 pandemic's travel collapse led Avianca Holdings to file for U.S. Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, restructuring and emerging in December 2021.
Avianca · Viva Air (defunct 2023) · LATAM Colombia · EasyFly
Compiled from general public/encyclopedic aviation history sources; Avianca's post-2021 corporate structure and Colombia's low-cost carrier landscape (e.g., Viva Air's 2023 shutdown) have changed recently and should be verified for current status.