| Airline: | Aserca Airlines C.A |
| Iata: | R7 |
| Icao: | OCA |
| Callsign: | ASERCA |
| Frequent Flyer: | Privilege |
| Alliance: | SBA Airlines |
| Fleet Size: | 5 |
| Destinations: | 12 |
| Parent: | Grupo Cóndor C.A.[1] |
| Headquarters: | Arturo Michelena International Airport, Valencia, Venezuela |
Aserca Airlines C.A. (legally Aero Servicios Carabobo C.A.) was an airline based in Valencia, Venezuela. It operated domestic and regional scheduled services to destinations in the Caribbean and Central America. Its main hub was at Arturo Michelena International Airport.[2]
The airline was established on March 6, 1968, as a private air transport company. Subsequently, on July 27, 1990, the Valencian businessman Simeón García, acquired all the shares and decided to direct it to passenger air transport. The airline started operations on September 4, 1992, with small aircraft for private transport. In 1992 it entered the domestic scheduled market with a leased Douglas DC-9-30. Aserca's operations were centered on Valencia, but it managed to develop Caracas as a hub after 1994 which, combined with the demise of flag carrier Viasa in January 1997, made Aserca experience significant growth in its market share, expanding its network to Bogotá, Lima and Miami, via Aruba. Between 1998 and 2000 Aserca had a controlling interest in Air Aruba, forming an alliance between both airlines.
In September 2008, the airline created a commercial alliance with SBA Airlines,[3] also from Venezuela with whom it undertook international expansion through, unifying the corporate image of both airlines and coordinating their respective itineraries to improve their connection times between the flights of both airlines, to facilitate connections between the national destinations of Aserca with international destinations of SBA. The alliance, named Grupo Cóndor C.A., also collaborated with the Dominican airline PAWA Dominicana.
In June 2013, Venezuela's National Institute of Civil Aviation (INAC) announced that it would prohibit operations of classic aircraft types like the Douglas DC-9, Boeing 727, and Boeing 737-200 in Venezuela from November 1, 2013. Aserca Airlines could obtain a special dispensation from INAC allowing the airline to operate its remaining two DC-9s until July 1, 2014, when it chose to replace them with the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.
On February 21, 2018, it was announced that INAC had withdrawn the airline's operating license until further notice. The country's newspapers blame the lack of proof of insurance for the aircraft in the fleet. Aserca Airlines planned to restart operations. But on May 22, 2018, Aserca announced it had ceased all operations due to financial bankruptcy after returning its air operator's certificate.[4] [5] [6]
Aserca Airlines served the following destination at the time of its demise:[7]
Aserca Airlines additionally had codeshare agreements with:
The Aserca Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft (as of February 2018):[9]
| Aircraft | In service | Passengers | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-82 | 3 | 153 | ||
| McDonnell Douglas MD-83 | 2 | 165 | Leased to SBA Airlines | |
| Total | 5 | |||
Over the years, Aserca Airlines has operated the following aircraft types:[9]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-200 | 5 | 2001 | 2004 | Leased from TACA Airlines |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 | 1 | 2002 | 2003 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 | 30 | 1992 | 2014 | |
| McDonnell Douglas MD-90-30 | 1 | 1998 | 2000 | Leased from Air Aruba |