TAM (Transporte Aereo Militar)
Operator Identification
June 1945 to present
Bolivia
TYPE: Airline
IATA/ICAO CODES: 2E / TAM
HEADQUARTERS: La Paz, Bolivia
FORMER NAME: Nil
SUBSEQUENT NAME: Nil
Operator History
In the late war years, it was appearing to the Bolivian government that many isolated rural communities were not served by any air route, as they were too small for an airline to operate them profitably. To bring a solution to this problem, the Bolivian Air Force founded the ETA (Escuadron de Transporte Aereo), which started operating scheduled flights to the remote villages of Bolivia as a public service. Soon, the service became a key element for the development and integration of populations living in distant parts of the national territory.
The operation started with a small fleet of new C-47 Skytrains, later adding other types including Commandos. In 1953, the ETA was redesignated Grupo Aereo 71 (71st Air Group), and from 1955 it was decided to operate in like a regular airline, conducting commercial operations under the marketing name TAM (Transporte Aereo Militar).
Today TAM also operates in competition with commercial airlines on many of Bolivia's trunk domestic routes.
Commando Operations
Late 1964* to 1974*
TAM operated four Commandos. One was purchased from C-46 Parts Inc. and the other one from Austral. The last two are not identified.
Last edited: 15/01/2024