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LACSA (Lineas Aereas Costarricenses SA)

Operator Identification

  October 1945 to May 2013

  Costa Rica

TYPE: Airline

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: San Jose, Costa Rica

OTHER NAMES: TACA/LACSA

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Avianca Costa Rica (taken over)

Lacsa

Operator History

LACSA was founded on 17 October 1945 as a joint venture between Pan American World Airways (40%), the Costa Rican government (20%) and Costa Rican private interests (40%). It started domestic operations on 1 June 1946 using DC3s. The first international service was to Managua, Nicaragua in a pool with LANICA from 1947. During the 1948 civil war, all three DC3s were captured and flown to Nicaragua. LACSA was compensated and purchased four Commandos to replace them. The new government also designated LACSA as Costa Rica's national carrier in 1949. From the following year, the airline started serving Mexico City and Miami, FL with CAB's permission. The domestic network expanded in 1952 when LACSA purchased TACA with its four DC3s and 20 destinations. In 1954, the CAB granted Grand Cayman as an intermediate stop to Miami, FL, and in 1956 it gave permission for a San Jose to San Juan, PR route via Panama City and Curacao which eventually proved uneconomic.

LACSA's domestic network was transferred to its wholly owned subsidiary Sansa in September 1959. LACSA operated the Douglas DC6B from 1960 until 1976 on their regular passenger, and eventually freight, scheduled flights to Miami, FL. The airline introduced the first of their BAC One-Eleven jets onto their Caribbean passenger route network in April 1967. The airline also operated a subsidiary in the Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac Airways (CBA), of which it sold a 51% controlling interest in the late 1960's to the Cayman Islands government which in turn used the air carrier to form Cayman Airways. LACSA served Grand Cayman for many years as an intermediate stop on its services between San Jose and Miami.

Beginning 1998, TACA/LACSA was one of the member airlines comprising the TACA Airlines alliance along with Aviateca of Guatemala, Nica of Nicaragua, Islena of Honduras, and five other regional airlines. In 2009, Avianca and TACA announced a merger plan, to be completed in 2010. By 2013, the airlines began operating as a single commercial brand using the Avianca name.

Commando Operations

1949* to September 1979*

LACSA started operating operating four Commandos after the 1948 loss of its DC3 fleet. They remained in service even after the 1954 introduction of the Convair 340 and the 1960 entry into service of the Douglas DC6B. There were three Commandos left by 1970 and two between 1973 and 1978.

Commandos Operated

Last edited: 05/11/2021