Aerolineas Abaroa

  20 June 1960 to 1972

  Bolivia

TYPE: Airline

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: La Paz, Bolivia

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Compania Boliviana de Aviacion (taken over)

This airline was founded on 20 June 1960 by two general retired from the Bolivian Air Force, Walter Arze Rojas and Armando Cortez Villanueva. The former was a veteran of the Chaco War (1932-1935) and the first commander of Bolivian military air transport (1954-1955). The latter was the second commander of military air transport, also a Chaco War veteran, and a prominent pilot.

Aerolineas Abaroa's business model was based on three activities: the carriage of supplies to the mines of the Northern La Paz Department, the carriage of foodstuff from Beni to La Paz, and some passenger charters. It started serving destinations in northeast Bolivia, establishing scheduled routes to Tipuani, Teoponte, Mapiri, Rurrenabaque, San Borja, Reyes, Santa Rosa and San Ignacio de Moxos with a fleet of three Douglas DC-3s. In addition, a Cessna 185 was purchased for air taxi.

In 1962, General Arze Rojas died in the accident of one of the DC-3s, along with his copilot and two passengers. In December 1964, the explosion of a bomb in another Abaroa DC-3 took the life of General Cortez Villanueva. With the death of its two founders, the company started to decline.

Aerolineas Abaroa ended up being taken over by Compania Boliviana de Aviacion in 1972.

September 1966 to unknown date (prior to 1968)

Aerolineas Abaroa operated a single Commando, for less than 2 years, and then leased it to Compania Boliviana de Aviacion who crashed it.

Curtiss C-46A-15-CU Commando: CP-791