Editing Viasa (section)

==History==

===Early years===
[[File:Viasa DC-8-53 PH-DCH FRA 1965-8-2.png|thumb|A Netherlands-[[Aircraft registration|register]]ed Douglas DC-8-53 in VIASA [[Aircraft livery|livery]]. (1965)]]
[[File:Viasa DC-10-30 PH-DTH ZRH Jun 1978.png|thumb|A Netherlands-registered [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] at [[Zürich Airport]] in VIASA livery with additional [[KLM]] titles, in 1978. The aircraft was leased from KLM.]]
Viasa was envisioned by the [[government of Venezuela]] in 1959 to create a new company that could serve as the country's [[flag carrier]] and run without government [[Interventionism (politics)|intervention]]. It was set up in 1960 when the international routes operated by [[Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela|Línea Aeropostal Venezolana]] (LAV) and [[Avensa]] were merged and taken over by the newly created [[Air carrier|carrier]].<ref name="FI1961-419"/><ref name="Flight1960-933"/> The government contributed with 55% of the capital, while private investors – among which were LAV and Avensa, the latter owned by Grupo Boulton and [[Pan American World Airways]]—contributed with the remainder.<ref name="FI1961-419"/> The board of directors came entirely from the private sector.{{citation needed|date=January 2012}} The first president of the airline was Mr. R. van den Branden;<ref name="FI1961-419"/> the first [[chairman of the board]] was Mr. Oscar Augusto Machado Zuloaga, a very competent and well liked gentleman, who was instrumental in Viasa's commercial success and immediate acceptance by the market.

In early 1961, the airline signed an agreement with [[KLM]] to operate a [[Douglas DC-8]] on Viasa's behalf, aimed at starting operations to Europe in April that year;<ref name="FI1961-419"/><ref name="Flight1961-226"/> KLM maintained a nurturing relationship with Viasa for another 24 years. In the same year, Avensa transferred two [[Douglas DC-6B]]s to the company, as well as an order for a [[Convair 880|Convair 880-22M]].<ref name="Flight1961-483"/> Viasa boosted their Convair 880 order by purchasing another one. The airline flew the type mostly on routes to North America.<ref name="FI1963-134"/><ref name="Flight1961-512"/><ref name="Flight1961-385" /> Also in 1961, the airline joined the [[International Air Transport Association]], becoming its 89th member.<ref name="Flight1961-725" /> In 1963, Viasa started a commercial agreement with [[Iberia Airlines|Iberia]] and [[KLM]] for operations through the mid-[[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]].<ref name="FI1963-493" /> The same year, a third Convair 880 was ordered.<ref name="FI1963-134"/> Until the first [[DC-8#DC-8 Series 50|DC-8-50]] the company had ordered in early 1965 was delivered, long-haul services using the type were provided with [[wet-lease]]d aircraft from KLM.<ref name="FI1965-6" /> The type was also chartered from KLM for deployment on the [[Caribbean]] routes.<ref name="FI1963-938" /> By {{Start date|df=yes|1966|4}}, the first DC-8-50 was already forming part of the company's fleet along with the three Convair 880s, while an additional DC-8-50 was on order.<ref>{{cite journal|title= WORLD AIRLINE SURVEY... – Venezolana Internacional de Aviacion SA (VIASA)|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 14 April 1966|pages= 639|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1966/1966%20-%201096.html|access-date= 8 December 2011}}</ref> To complement these two DC-8-50s, the carrier ordered two [[Douglas DC-8-63]]s in early 1967.<ref>{{cite journal|title= DC-8-63s for VIASA|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 9 February 1967|pages= 193|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200199.html|access-date= 8 December 2011|quote= Two DC-8-63s, the capacity and range-stretched variant in the 60 series, have been ordered by VIASA, of Venezuela. Deliveries are scheduled for late 1968 and early 1969. VIASA already has two DC-8-50s in operation.}}</ref> Two Convair 880s were sold to [[Cathay Pacific]] in mid-1967.<ref>{{cite journal|title= MARKET MOVEMENTS|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 1 June 1967|pages= 885|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1967/1967%20-%200907.html|access-date= 8 December 2011|quote= Cathay Pacific has bought VIASA's two Convair 880s to bring its fleet of this type to six.}}</ref> Also in 1967, Viasa started up a [[Panama]]nian airline named ''Panameña Internacional de Aviación SA'' (PAISA), with KLM support; This company began operations on 3 May 1967 with two [[McDonnell Douglas DC-9#Series 10|DC-9-10]]s leased to VIASA from Avensa, which were in turn sub-leased to PAISA.<ref>{{cite journal|title= WORLD AIRLINE SURVEY... – Panameña de Aviación Internacional SA (PAISA)|date= 10 April 1969|journal= [[Flight International]]|pages= 586|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1969/1969%20-%200658.html|access-date= 8 December 2011}}</ref> In 1968, VIASA set up a wholly owned, non-IATA member, national cargo airline named ''Transportes Aereos de Carga SA'', more commonly known as ''Transcarga'', which in its beginnings served Caracas, Curaçao, Maracaibo, Miami and New York.<ref>{{cite journal|title= World Airlines – Transportes Aereos de Carga SA (Transcarga)|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 6 May 1971|pages= 649|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1971/1971%20-%200736.html|access-date= 4 January 2012}}</ref>

[[File:VIASA Boeing 747-200 Groves.jpg|thumb|left|VIASA leased this Boeing 747-200B from KLM in 1972. The aircraft wore a mixed [[livery]] during the lease agreement, with the port side in KLM colours and its starboard with a VIASA decor.<ref name="FI1972-284"/><ref name="Viasa's wide bodies"/>]]
In March 1970, the Government of Venezuela had a majority stake (55%) in the carrier, while the balance was held by private investors.<ref name="FI1970" />{{Rp|508}} Viasa's fleet strength at this time was eight: two DC-8-63s, two DC-8-50s, a DC-8-50F, a Convair 880, and two DC-9-10s.<ref name="FI1970" />{{rp|509}} In {{Start date|df=yes|1971|11}} Viasa renewed the pool agreement with KLM and Iberia on their Caribbean–Europe services;<ref>{{cite journal|title= World Airline Survey – VIASA (Venezolana Internacional de Aviacion SA)|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 22 March 1973|pages= 477–478|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1973/1973%20-%200791.html|access-date= 5 January 2012}}</ref> to this purpose the company signed another agreement with the Dutch company in 1972, this time for the lease of a [[Boeing 747-200B]] that was put on service on a weekly round-trip Caracas–[[Madrid]]–Paris flight in {{Start date|df=yes|1972|4}}.<ref name="Viasa's wide bodies" /> This event was a milestone for Viasa, as it became the first South American carrier to operate wide-body aircraft across the Atlantic.<ref name="Viasa's wide bodies"/> Through KLM, the company also placed an order for two [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]]s the same year, and bought two [[Douglas DC-8#Series 30|Douglas DC-8-33]]s from the Dutch carrier as well.<ref name="Viasa's wide bodies"/><ref>{{cite journal|title= Viasa Buys DC-10s|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 20 April 1972|pages= 516|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1972/1972%20-%200864.html|access-date= 4 January 2012|quote= The Venezuelan national carrier Viasa is to buy two McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30s, previously taken on option by KLM.}}</ref> Also in 1972, the route network saw the incorporation of [[Washington, D.C.|Washington]] and [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada.<ref name="Viasa's wide bodies"/>

With the lease of a Douglas DC-8-50 from KLM in 1974, and the sale of two aircraft of the same type to [[Aeroperú]] the same year,<ref>{{cite journal|title= World airlines update – Aeroperú|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 17 October 1974|pages= 512|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1974/1974%20-%201652.html|access-date= 5 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title= World airlines update – Viasa|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 17 October 1974|pages= 516|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1974/1974%20-%201656.html|access-date= 5 January 2012}}</ref> by {{Start date|df=yes|1975|3}} the Viasa's fleet consisted of two DC-8-63s, one DC-8-50, two DC-8-30s, and one DC-10-30, while another DC-10-30 was yet to be delivered.<ref>{{cite journal|title= World airline directory – Viasa-Venezuelan International Airways|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 20 March 1975|pages= 509–510|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%200572.html|access-date= 5 January 2012}}</ref>{{rp|510}} At a cost of {{US$|30000000|1976|link=yes}}, another DC-10-30 was ordered in 1976, followed by an order for three more of these aircraft in {{Start date|df=yes|1977|7}}.<ref>{{cite journal|title= Airliner market|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 30 July 1977|pages= 310|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1977/1977%20-%202317.html|access-date= 6 January 2012|quote= Venezuelan flag carrier Viasa is doubling its McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 fleet with an order for three of the type.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title= Airliner market|journal= [[Flight International]]|date= 5 June 1976|pages= 1481|url= http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%200943.html|access-date= 6 January 2012|quote= Viasa of Venezuela has ordered a third McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 for delivery next April. Cost is $30 million.}}</ref>

In 1983, Viasa took delivery of two [[McDonnell Douglas MD-80|McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Super 80]]s.<ref name="FI1983-170"/> The early 1980s marked an overturn in the carrier's finances, as both the [[1980s oil glut|worldwide collapse of oil prices in the decade]] and the subsequent [[Venezuelan bolívar|devaluation of the bolivar since 1983]]{{#tag:ref|The Venezuelan bolívar (VEB) devaluated from VEB4½ to VEB32 a dollar in five years.<ref name="NickBrough" />{{rp|23}}|group="nb"}} affected the airline, which suffered a 41% drop in year-on-year traffic in 1983 and had accumulated a debt of [[Venezuelan bolívar|VEB]]210&nbsp;million in 1984, a year in which the carrier had a negative net value.<ref name="NickBrough"/>{{rp|22}} That year, the crisis forced the company's work force to be cut by 30%, the fleet to be reduced (partly because of noise restrictions within the United States), and some Caribbean destinations to be dropped.<ref name="NickBrough"/><ref name="FI1984-1382"/> Likewise, competition increased on some routes, most notably Miami and New York, where Viasa was the erstwhile sole operator or it had a single competitor at most.<ref name="NickBrough"/> Nevertheless, Viasa made an operating profit of VEB125&nbsp;million (US$4&nbsp;million) and a net profit of VEB97&nbsp;million in 1986.<ref name="NickBrough" />{{rp|22}} In early 1988, the fleet consisted of only five DC-10s, and two [[Airbus A300]]s acquired from [[Lufthansa]] through a leasing agreement, that were deployed mostly on domestic and regional routes.<ref name="NickBrough"/> A Caracas–[[Havana]] service was launched in 1989, along with a stopover in [[São Paulo]] on the Caracas–[[Rio de Janeiro]] route. In March 1990, Viasa's fleet consisted of two [[Airbus A300B4]]s, one [[DC-8-61HF]], and five [[DC-10-30]]s, and was wholly owned by the Venezuelan government. At this time, it served a network radiating from [[Barcelona, Venezuela|Barcelona]], Caracas, [[Maracaibo]] and [[Porlamar]] to [[Amsterdam]], [[Aruba]], [[Bogotá]], [[Buenos Aires]], [[Curaçao]], [[Frankfurt]], [[Houston]], [[Lima]], [[Lisbon]], [[London]], [[Madrid]], [[Miami]], [[Milan]], [[New York City|New York]], [[Porto]], [[Paris]], [[Quito]], [[Rio de Janeiro]], [[Rome]], [[Santiago]], [[Santiago de Compostela]], [[Santo Domingo]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]] and [[Zurich]]. [[Toronto]] and [[Vancouver]] were served on a seasonal basis.<ref name="FI1990-137" />

<!-- In 1980 Viasa partly leased 747 freighters from Seaboard World, based in JFK, to operate freight flights from Miami and New York to Caracas. Later, a 747 freighter was dry leased from World Airways, based in Oakland California.
Also, temporarily, a passenger 747 was leased from World Airways to operate passenger flights during the high vacation season in July/August/September to operate to Orlando, FL. Viasa's crews used to refer to it as the "white whale" due to its totally white painted airframe
Upon the devaluation of the bolivar, in 1983, imports dropped precipitously, and Viasa ended the 747 freight operation. It was resumed in 1985 partially leasing another 747 freighter from Flying Tigers, based in Los Angeles. And it was maintanined until 1987 when it finally ended 747 operation forever.-->

===Nationalisation===
[[File:Viasa DC-10-30 YV-133C LHR 1982-5-29.png|thumb|A Viasa [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30]] at [[Heathrow Airport]]. (1982)]]
Viasa had been a model of good management and it had returned a profit every year since its creation. Viasa posted its first ever loss for the October 1975 – September 1976 fiscal year, plagued by rising fuel costs and union problems. The government nationalised the airline and began its downturn. This was not noticeable at first, since Venezuela's strong economy was backed by high oil revenue and the government did not mind pumping in money to cover mounting losses.

By 1979, Viasa had built a fleet of 6 DC-10-30s, 2 DC-8-63s, 2 DC-8-53s and 1 DC-8-63F.

In the summer of 1982, Viasa leased a couple of MD-82s from KLM for Caribbean routes and for new flights from Barquisimeto, Barcelona and Porlamar to Miami. These were returned to KLM in 1984.

In 1985, Viasa got rid of all its DC-8s plus one DC-10-30 and kept just five DC-10-30s. It revamped its livery almost completely in 1986, adopting a whiter body with three-tone blue cheatlines under the windows. The orange tail retained the white Viasa letters adopted in 1978 with the arrival of DC-10-30 YV-135C.

Two former [[Lufthansa]] [[Airbus A300|Airbus A300-B4]] jets were leased from GPA in 1987 for United States and South American services. In the same year, for the first time ever, VIASA began domestic services and made use of empty seats on the Caracas-Maracaibo and Caracas-Porlamar routes.

===Privatisation===
[[File:Viasa DC-10-30 YV-134C CDG 1996-8-17.png|thumb|A VIASA McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 at [[Charles de Gaulle Airport]] in 1996. The aircraft is wearing the livery used by the company throughout the Iberia management.]]
The red ink continued to flow and, with the new government policies adopted in 1989, Viasa became a target for privatisation.{{citation needed|date=February 2013}} The initial plans of the government were to allocate 60% of the company to private investors, keep 20% of the shares, and transfer the balance to the airline workers. In {{start date|df=yes|1991|6}}, Iberia and KLM were approved as bidders in the privatisation process, the former teaming up with Venezuela's [[BBVA Banco Provincial|Banco Provincial]], and the latter partnering with [[Northwest Airlines]] and other four local entities.<ref name="Venezuela Airline Drawing Bidders" /> Iberia was the only bidder left with a {{US$|145.5}}&nbsp;million offer, after KLM stepped aside citing that a price of {{US$|81}}&nbsp;million for 60% of the shares was too high.<ref>{{cite news|title= Iberia to Get Viasa Stake|agency= [[Reuters]]|newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|date= 10 August 1991|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/10/business/company-news-iberia-to-get-viasa-stake.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140410195616/http://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/10/business/company-news-iberia-to-get-viasa-stake.html|archive-date= 10 April 2014|access-date= 20 February 2017|url-status= live}}</ref>

Iberia apparently milked the airline (some Venezuelans point at this as one of Viasa's causes of bankruptcy). While it could be argued that it was not wise to sell a government owned leasing company to another government owned leasing company, changing the old ways of Viasa was an uphill battle. 
All its aircraft were placed under Iberia's ownership, the Airbuses were sent back to GPA, former Iberia 727s were used by Viasa (competing on the US routes versus [[American Airlines|American]]'s [[Boeing 757|757s]] or A300-600s and [[United Airlines|United]]'s 757s) and all supplies were purchased centrally through Madrid.

Short of liquidity, Viasa ceased operations on {{end date|1997|1|23|df=yes}}.<ref name="Viasa future looks bleak" /><ref name="AB25: Births, deaths and marriages" /><ref name="'Amicable' Viasa liquidation agreed"/> Operations came to a halt following the pilots and cabin crew staff rejecting a restructuring plan raised by Iberia and the state-run holding company that had a 40% interest in Viasa at that time, with both consortiums refusing to inject more cash into the airline.<ref name="Viasa future looks bleak" /> Shareholders, with Iberia being the major one having 45% of the stakes at the time, later decided to liquidate the carrier.<ref name="'Amicable' Viasa liquidation agreed" /><ref name="Viasa wreckage"/> Viasa's routes were divided between [[Aeropostal]], [[Avensa]] and [[Aserca]].<ref name="Viasa routes reallocated" />