Aviation History
Uruguayan civil aviation was long defined by PLUNA (Primeras Líneas Uruguayas de Navegación Aérea), founded in 1936 and operated through cycles of nationalization and privatization until its collapse in 2012, after which Uruguay went without a flag carrier for over a decade. Carrasco International Airport, opened in 1947 and rebuilt with a landmark Rafael Viñoly-designed terminal in 2009, remains the country's principal gateway. A new flag-carrier project, Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (SUA), was announced in early 2025 with plans to begin flights later that year, though its launch and operational status should be treated as still developing rather than confirmed.
Brothers Jorge and Alberto Márquez Vaesa founded PLUNA in September 1936; commercial operations began in November that year with small de Havilland Dragonfly aircraft linking Montevideo, Salto and Paysandú.
Montevideo's Carrasco International Airport opened its original passenger terminal, later becoming Uruguay's main international gateway.
After a partial government stake taken in 1944, PLUNA became a wholly state-owned enterprise in November 1951.
The government transformed PLUNA into a public-private partnership, selling a majority stake to an Argentine-led consortium as part of a broader privatization era.
A new Rafael Viñoly-designed passenger terminal at Carrasco International Airport was inaugurated, expanding capacity toward 3-6 million passengers annually.
Facing mounting losses and strikes, the Uruguayan government suspended and liquidated PLUNA in July 2012, ending Uruguay's flag carrier after 76 years.
Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (SUA) was announced as a prospective new Uruguayan flag carrier, planning to wet-lease Airbus A220 aircraft; as of this writing its launch and long-term viability remain unconfirmed and subject to change.
PLUNA (defunct, 1936-2012) · Alas Uruguay · BQB Líneas Aéreas · Sociedad Uruguaya de Aviación (SUA, planned/emerging)
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