LAPSA (Lineas Aereas de Panama SA)

  1947 to 1948

  Panama

TYPE: Unknown

IATA/ICAO CODES: Nil

HEADQUARTERS: Panama City Tocumen International, Panama

FORMER NAME: Nil

SUBSEQUENT NAME: Nil

Because of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the United Nations imposed an arms embargo on Israel from 29 May 1948.

In order to circumvent that embargo, in late 1947, several American Jews headed by Al Schwimmer started a "paper airline" in Panama called LAPSA (Lineas Aereas de Panama SA) with Martin Belfond as CEO. The company's sole purpose was to cover up the acquisition of aircraft in the USA, that would later be ferried to Israel. The Israeli Air Force eventually received a total of 9 Commandos and 1 Constellation through LAPSA (1 other Commando crashed on the way to Panama and 2 Constellation were impounded by the FBI before leaving Burbank, CA to Panama).

December 1947* to August 1949*

A total of 10 Commandos were purchased by LAPSA, ferried to Panama and flown on to Israel. One crashed on the way to Israel. After crossing the Atlantic, several Commandos stopped on the way to Israel in Czechoslovakia to load a shipment of arms.

Great confusion exists as to which Panamanian registration was applied to which aircraft.

• Curtiss C-46A-15-CU Commando: RX-137
• Curtiss C-46A-35-CU Commando: RX-125 (TBC), RX-131, RX-133 (I)
• Curtiss C-46A-36-CU Commando: RX-134 (II)
• Curtiss C-46A-41-CU Commando: RX-132 (I) / RX-133 (II), RX-136 (I)
• Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando: RX-138 (II)
• Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando: RX-138 (I)
• Curtiss C-46A-55-CK Commando: RX-130
• Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando: RX-132 (II), RX-145
• Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando: RX-136 (II)
• Unknown airframes: RX-134 (I) (crashed Mexico City), RX-135

Note: RX-145 was never exported to Israel.