Aerolineas Estelar
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| Founded | March 8, 2008 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 13 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela | ||||||
| Key people | Boris Serrano (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | flyestelar | ||||||
Aerolíneas Estelar (formerly Estelar Latinoamérica C.A.) is a Venezuelan airline headquartered in Caracas operating out of Simón Bolívar International Airport.
History[]
The airline was founded in March 8, 2008. Its first flights were to Porlamar and within months it commenced a route to and from Maracaibo.[2] It was a charter flight company, until it managed to consolidate itself over the years.
On November 6, 2017, the Chilean airline Latin American Wings terminated the contract with Estelar for non-payment, which caused passengers on the Santiago, Chile route to be stranded for three days at the airport.[3]
In December 2017, Estelar Latinoamerica announced its first intercontinental route from Caracas to Madrid, Spain. Therefore, it expanded its narrow-body fleet with an Airbus A340-300 on lease from Hi Fly Malta.[4] The route to Madrid was operated with three weekly frequencies, replacing the old route operated by the flag carrier, Conviasa. It also flew the A340 to Buenos Aires, with three frequencies a week.
Later, the airline leased an Airbus A380-800 from Hi Fly Malta because the A340 it was leasing needed repairs, making Estelar the first America's airline in history to operate the aircraft type.[5]
Destinations[]
As of February 2021, Estelar serves the following domestic and international scheduled destinations:[6]
| Country | City | Airport | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Buenos Aires | Ministro Pistarini International Airport | ||
| Chile | Santiago | Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport | ||
| Italy | Rome | Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport | Terminated | |
| Mexico | Cancún | Cancún International Airport | Charter | |
| Panama | Panama City | Tocumen International Airport | ||
| Peru | Lima | Jorge Chávez International Airport | ||
| Portugal | Lisbon | Lisbon Airport | Terminated | |
| Spain | Madrid | Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport | Terminated | |
| Venezuela | Barquisimeto | Jacinto Lara International Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Caracas | Simón Bolívar International Airport | Hub | |
| Venezuela | Cumana | Antonio José de Sucre Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Maracaibo | La Chinita International Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Maturín | Maturín Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Porlamar | Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Puerto Ordaz | Manuel Carlos Piar Guayana Airport | ||
| Venezuela | Santo Domingo | Mayor Buenaventura Vivas Airport |
Fleet[]
Current fleet[]
As of January 2021, the Estelar fleet consists of the following aircraft:[7]
| Aircraft | In service |
Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 118 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 4 | 148 | |
| Total | 5 |
Former fleet[]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 1 | 2017 | 2020 | Leased from Hi Fly Malta |
| Airbus A380-800 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 |
Accidents and incidents[]
- On March 19, 2018, a Boeing 737-300 (registered YV2918) bursts both tires on the right main gear after landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport.[8] No one on board was injured and the aircraft was later repaired.
- On March 18, 2020, a Boeing 737-300 (registered YV-642T) was flying from Buenos Aires to Caracas when it was diverted to Cacique Aramare Airport due to atmospheric pressure issues, according to airline.[9]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Aerolíneas Estelar information". ch-aviation.com. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "ESTELAR LATINOAMÉRICA – Air World Services EN". aws-aws.com (in Czech). Retrieved 2018-11-12.
- ^ "The drama of the travellers of LAW and Estelar". runrun.es (in Spanish). Retrieved November 29, 2017.
- ^ ch-aviation.com - Venezuela's Estelar launches first route to Europe 16 December 2017
- ^ "Estelar Airlines Leases Hi Fly's Airbus A380 For Caracas Service". Simpleflying.com. Joanna Baily. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
- ^ flyestelar.com - Destinos (Spanish) retrieved 10 June 2018
- ^ "Estelar Latinoamerica Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Incident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Incident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
External links[]
Media related to Estelar at Wikimedia Commons
- Airlines of Venezuela
- Airlines established in 2008
- Companies of Venezuela