LASER Airlines
 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Founded | 1993 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commenced operations | March 11, 1994 | ||||||
| Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | Santiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | LASER Viajero Frecuente | ||||||
| Fleet size | 10 | ||||||
| Destinations | 15 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
LASER Airlines (legally and officially Línea Aérea de Servicio Ejecutivo Regional, C.A.) is an airline based in Caracas, Venezuela.[1] It operates scheduled and passenger charter services within Venezuela, the Caribbean, and South America. Its main base is Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas.[2]
History[]
The airline was established in 1993 and started operations in 1994.[3] At the beginning, the company had only one Douglas DC-9-14 passenger plane, and only the following year purchased a Boeing 727-200, and began to expand domestic and international destinations, becoming one of Venezuela’s main airlines .
After the outbreak of the Venezuelan crisis in 2014, due to the embargo sanctions imposed by the United States, some of LASER’s international routes were changed to origin and end at the American International Airport in Dominican Republic to ensure that relevant routes continue to operate.
LASER Airlines began to fly to Miami in alliance with World Atlantic Airlines, which has been a partner since November 2016, an alliance was established through which the Miami-Caracas flight was created on a daily basis. A second frequency was added to this frequency by partnering with Swift Air to offer greater comfort to passengers on both frequencies, it was possible to expand the baggage allowance and operate 2 classes. Both are operated with equipment of Boeing 737s, thus dissolving the alliance with World Atlantic Airlines.
Subsequently, due to the decision taken by the United States Government, on May 15, 2019, commercial and cargo flights to Venezuela from the United States were suspended indefinitely. Due to this, LASER Airlines creates a connection center at the Las Americas International Airport in the Dominican Republic, adding an additional frequency to this destination, leaving 2 daily frequencies and with the possibility of connecting to Miami, maintaining the alliance with Swift Air.
On December 1, 2019, LASER was forced to cancel its Caracas-Guayaquil route due to complex migratory demands by the Government of Ecuador for Venezuelans; But a few weeks later, it announced a new route to Caracas-Bogotá with a daily frequency that began operating on February 10, 2020.
Lately, the company have been in talks with the authorities of Peru, Chile, and Argentina to open a route to these South American nations.
Destinations[]
As of March 2021, LASER operates services to the following domestic and international scheduled destinations:[4]
[]
Fleet[]
Current fleet[]
As of July 2021, the LASER Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft:[6]
| Aircraft | Total | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-81 | 4 | 163 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 4 | 165 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2 | 172 | |
| Total | 11 |
Former fleet[]
LASER Airlines had in the past operated the following aircraft:
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 727-200 | 3 | 1995 | 2000 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-14 | 1 | 1994 | 2007 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | 2 | 2008 | 2016 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | 6 | 1999 | 2014 |
Accidents and incidents[]
- On March 17, 2014, a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 (registered YV2945) flying from Porlamar to Valencia with 96 people on board, burst both nose gear tires while landing at Arturo Michelena International Airport and came to a stop on the runway with the tires and both nose wheels damaged, and was disabled. No injuries occurred.[7]
- On May 25, 2021, a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 (registered YV3465) made an emergency landing after a failure in the left engine, the crew reported that a bird strike caused the failure. The aircraft landed back safely at Simón Bolívar International Airport and all 116 onboard were uninjured.[8][9]
See also[]
References[]
- ^ "Ubicanos - Laser Airlines". Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. 2007-04-03. p. 105.
- ^ "Empresa - Laser Airlines".
- ^ laserairlines.com - Find flight retrieved September 16, 2020
- ^ "Laser Airlines connects Bogota with Caracas". anna.aero. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "LASER Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
- ^ "Laser McDonnell Douglas MD-82 at Valencia on Mar 17th 2014, both nose tyres blown on landing". aeroinside.com. Retrieved March 18, 2014.
- ^ Andrew Curran. "Laser Airlines MD83 Suffers Engine Failure On Landing". Simpleflying.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
- ^ "Accident description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
External links[]
Media related to LASER Airlines at Wikimedia Commons
- Airlines of Venezuela
- Airlines established in 1993
- Companies of Venezuela
- Venezuelan brands
- Venezuelan companies established in 1993