Editing Avianca (section)

===National Airways of Colombia (1940–1994)===
[[File:Avianca Boeing 747-259B (M); EI-CEO@MIA, June 1993 (5659668614).jpg|thumb|Former Avianca [[Boeing 747-100]] at [[Miami International Airport]] in 1993]]
On June 14, 1940, in the city of Barranquilla, SCADTA, under ownership by United States businessmen, merged with regional Colombian airline [[SACO (Colombia)|SACO]], forming the new '''''A'''ero'''vía'''s '''N'''acionales de '''C'''olombi'''a''' S.A.'' or '''Avianca'''. Five Colombians participated in this: Rafael María Palacio, Jacobo A. Correa, Cristobal Restrepo, and Aristides Noguera, as well as [[Germany|German]] citizens Albert Teitjen, Werner Kämerer, and Stuart Hosie, while the post of first President of Avianca was filled by Martín del Corral. Avianca claims SCADTA's history as its own.

In 1946, Avianca began flights to [[Quito]], [[Lima]], [[Panama City]], [[Miami]], [[New York City]] and Europe, using [[Douglas DC-4]]s and [[C-54 Skymaster]]s. In 1951, Avianca acquired [[Lockheed Constellation]]s and [[Super Constellation]]s.{{cn|date=June 2024}} In 1956, the company transported the Colombian delegation to the [[Melbourne Olympics]] on a 61-hour trip, stopping only to refuel.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Avianca |url=https://www.seatmaestro.com/airlines-seating-maps/avianca/history/ |access-date=2023-01-22 |website=SeatMaestro |language=en-US}}</ref>

During the 1960s, the company built the [[Avianca Building]] in Bogotá, designed by the architect Germán Samper, which was inaugurated in 1969 on the south side of [[Santander Park]]. In 1961, Avianca leased two [[Boeing 707]]s to operate its international routes, and on November 2, 1961, it acquired its own [[Boeing 720]]s. In 1976, Avianca became the first [[Latin America]]n airline to continuously operate the [[Boeing 747-100]]. Three years later, it started operations with more 747s, including two Combi aircraft, mixing cargo and passenger operations.{{cn|date=June 2024}}

In 1981, Avianca undertook the construction of a new exclusive terminal called the [[Terminal Puente Aéreo]], which was eventually inaugurated by President Julio César Turbay Ayala. Avianca's original purpose for the terminal was for flights serving Cali, Medellín, Miami, and New York.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://colombia.as.com/actualidad/por-que-el-aeropuerto-internacional-de-colombia-se-llama-el-dorado-historia-y-origen-del-nombre-n/|title=¿Por qué el aeropuerto internacional de Colombia se llama El Dorado?: historia y origen del nombre|website=Colombia.as.com|author=María Fernanda Cedeño|date=15 July 2022 |language=es|access-date=July 15, 2022}}</ref>