Venezolana

Venezolana S.A. is a Venezuelan charter airline headquartered in Maracaibo operating out of La Chinita International Airport and Simón Bolívar International Airport.

Venezolana
IATA ICAO Callsign
VN VNE VENEZOLANA
Founded2001 (as RAVSA)
HubsLa Chinita International Airport
Focus citiesSimón Bolívar International Airport
Fleet size4
Destinations7
Parent companyRutas Aéreas de Venezuela S.A.
HeadquartersMaracaibo, Venezuela
Key peopleErwin Genie (President)
Websitevenezolana.aero

History

The airline was founded by Venezuelan investors in 2001 as RAVSA (Rutas Aéreas de Venezuela S.A.), but it was not until 2007 that the airline started up operations under its brand name Venezolana.[1] When operations started, Venezolana began to acquire through the years a mixed fleet of used Boeing 737-200 and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 and Bae Jetstream in order to start more scheduled services to other destinations inside and outside of Venezuela. During the 2000s, the airline experienced a rapid expansion around the international and domestic market, especially with the regional route between the cities of Maracaibo and Caracas, which is one of the most popular routes in Venezuela.

However, Venezolana had a turmoil with its reputation in the international market between 2009 and 2011, because of delays and cancellations due to mechanical problems, mismanagement in its operation procedures, and ransacking of passengers' baggage. This eventually brought criticism from passengers and as a response, the airline began re-organization procedures which eventually decreased the passenger complaints rate. On February 27, 2012, the Venezuelan Ministry of Transportation indefinitely suspended Venezolana's air operator certificate due to unpaid insurance premiums for the fleet, causing disruptions of the airline's domestic and international operations. However, it was reported that the airline paid the premiums and resumed operations the same day.

In January 2014, due to the Venezuelan government's CADIVI currency-exchange administration making delayed payments to domestic and international airlines, Venezolana had problems with its flights due to lack of available aircraft, since all but one of its aircraft were unairworthy due to inability to buy replacement parts. As a consequence, the National Institute of Civil Aviation decided to again ground the airline, causing disruptions on domestic and international operations indefinitely. On March 26, 2014, the airline was bought by a group of private investors and resumed operations.

Destinations
Venezolana Boeing 737-200
Venezolana McDonnell Douglas MD-83

Venezolana flies to the following cities (as of October 2020):

Country City Airport Notes Ref
ArubaOranjestadQueen Beatrix International AirportTerminated
ColombiaCartagenaRafael Núñez International AirportTerminated
ColombiaMedellinJosé María Córdova International AirportPlanned soon
Dominican RepublicSanto DomingoLas Américas International Airport
PanamaPanama CityTocumen International Airport
Trinidad & TobagoPort of SpainPiarco International AirportTerminated
VenezuelaBarquisimetoJacinto Lara International Airport
VenezuelaCaracasSimón Bolívar International AirportFocus City
VenezuelaMaracaiboLa Chinita International AirportHub
VenezuelaMaturínJosé Tadeo Monagas International Airport
VenezuelaPorlamarSantiago Mariño Caribbean International Airport
VenezuelaPuerto OrdazManuel Carlos Piar International AirportTerminated
VenezuelaSan AntonioJuan Vicente Gómez International AirportTerminated

Fleet

Current fleet

As of January 2021, the Venezolana fleet consists of the following aircraft:[2]

Venezolana fleet
Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Boeing 737-200 3 — — 136 136
McDonnell Douglas MD-83 1 — — 172 172
Total 4 —

Former fleet

Venezolana had in the past operated the following aircraft

Venezolana former fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
British Aerospace Jetstream 31 1 2007 2010
British Aerospace Jetstream 41 4 2007 2011
McDonnell Douglas MD-82 1 2011 2017

Accidents and incidents
  • On May 30, 2019, a Boeing 737-200 (registered YV502T) from Port of Spain to Caracas suffered an engine failure and a subsequent uncontained engine fire. There were no reports of injuries to any of the 80 passengers onboard the plane.[3]

References
  1. "RAVSA history from Americas, Venezuela". Airlinehistory.com.uk. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  2. "Venezolana Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  3. "Venezolana Boeing 737 Suffers Engine Fire". Simpleflying.com. Chris Loh. Retrieved June 1, 2019.

Media related to Venezolana at Wikimedia Commons

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