Aviation History
Costa Rican civil aviation was built around LACSA (Líneas Aéreas Costarricenses), founded in 1945 with Pan American World Airways assistance and nationalized in 1958, which long served as the country's flag carrier. LACSA joined the Central American TACA Group alliance in the late 1990s and was rebranded Avianca Costa Rica after the 2013 Avianca-TACA merger. Domestic carriers such as Sansa, founded in 1978 as a LACSA subsidiary, have connected San José's Juan Santamaría International Airport to the country's many small regional and beach airstrips.
Líneas Aéreas Costarricenses (LACSA) was established on 17 October 1945 with assistance from Pan American World Airways, beginning domestic services with Douglas DC-3s in 1946.
LACSA formally gained recognition as Costa Rica's national flag carrier.
The Costa Rican government nationalized LACSA, bringing the flag carrier under state ownership.
Servicios Aéreos Nacionales (Sansa) was established as a domestic subsidiary of LACSA, expanding regional connectivity within Costa Rica.
LACSA began operating within the multinational TACA Airlines alliance alongside other Central American carriers.
Following the Avianca-TACA merger process, LACSA began operating under the unified Avianca brand as Avianca Costa Rica.
Avianca Holdings, parent of Avianca Costa Rica, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic's severe impact on air travel.
Avianca Costa Rica (formerly LACSA) · Sansa · Nature Air (defunct)
Wikipedia, airline corporate history, Tico Times/Q Costa Rica aviation reporting