PHOTO GALLERY + HISTORICAL INTEREST: Six Jetstream 32's operated by Macair

Macair, the airline purchased by Avianca Argentina in 2016 to rapidly access the Argentine passenger airline market, operated six Jetstream 32 aircraft in its history.  As a side note, Avianca Argentina did not start flying regularly scheduled commercial service until November 2017, which would bring into question the reasons behind its purchase of Macair instead of starting its own operation.

Four Macair Jetstream 32's flew charters from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Iguazu (IGR) on the morning of 06Feb11; LV-ZOW, LV-ZPW, LV-ZPZ and LV-ZRL as pictured below:     

Macair Jetsream 32 LV-ZOW (c/n 869). (Phil Perry Photo) 

  

LV-ZPW (c/n 861).  As far as the editor of this blog knows, this was the only Macair Jetstream 32 to carry Macair Jet titles.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

LV-ZPZ (c/n 931) wore Aerochaco titles reflecting Macair's wet-lease subservices on behalf of the carrier that represented the Argentina province of Chaco, mostly to its capital Resistencia.  These titles were eventually removed, however.  (Phil Perry Photo)

LV-ZRL (c/n 928) at Aeroparque with the early morning sun illuminating its fuselage from the rear.  (Phil Perry Photo)

The two other Jetstream 32's to fly for Macair were LV-ZSB and LV-ZST:


LV-ZSB (c/n 942) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) flying for Aerovip under the Arg Express brand in December 2001.  The aircraft joined the Macair fleet in June 2007.  (Phil Perry Collection)

LV-ZST (c/n 941) taxis at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 11Jul17. This aircraft was in service with AeroVip / ARG Express on 20Jan03 when it struck ground equipment at Aeroparque, damaging its left propeller, fuselage and engine fairing.  The plane was apparently repaired and re-entered service with Aerovip in 2002.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

LV-ZOW and LV-ZPW first flew in 1989 with LV-ZPZ, LV-ZRL, LV-ZSB and LV-ZST all having their first flight in 1991.  All six aircraft flew for American Eagle with some of them operating for other carriers in North America before going on to Argentina in 1999/2000 to fly for Aerovip under several brands, including Aerolineas Argentinas Express, LAPA Vip and ARG Express, finally joining Macair in 2006/2007/2008.  

The aircraft were successively retired from Macair service, especially after  Avianca Argentina bought Macair's Air Operator Certificate in early 2016. 

For a history and profile of Macair's operations, including subservices for Aerochaco and Lineas Aereas Entre Rios, please visit these previous postings in this blog:

Argentina Airline News - ROUTE UPDATES: Macair Jetstream 32P Regional Operations

Argentina Airline News - ROUTE UPDATE: Macair flew Jetstreams in Paraguay as Ad Maiora Lineas Aereas in early 2013

Argentina Airline News - ROUTE UPDATES: Macair to fly Resistencia (RES) to Asuncion (ASU) & Internal Paraguayan Routes

Argentina Airline News - Macair Operations for LAER (Lineas Aereas Entre Rios)

Argentina Airline News - Macair Operations for Aerochaco - Profile & Photos

Sources:

http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zow
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zpw
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zpz
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zrl
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zsb
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/search?q=lv-zst
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avian

PHOTO GALLERY: Ex-Macair Jetstream 32's at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 26Nov17

Engineless ex-Macair Jetstream 32, LV-ZOW (c/n 869), near the military sector on the southeast side of Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 26Nov17.  (Phil Perry Photo)

Ex-Macair Jetstream 32, LV-ZRL (c/n 928), in the same military area on the southeast side of Aeroparque on 26Nov17, also engineless and apparently at the end of its service life.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

Both LV-ZOW and LV-ZRL were reportedly no longer at AEP on 16Dec17, being presumably taken away for scrapping.

Macair operated a total of six Jetstream 32's, which will be the subject of a posting in the near future. 

LV-ZOW (c/n 869) first flew on 06Nov89 and was delivered to American Eagle in 1990, going on to AeroVip in Argentina in 1999 where it flew under several brands, including Aerolineas Argentinas Express, LAPA Vip and ARG Express, before joining Macair in 2007.     

LV-ZRL (c/n 928) first flew on 02Apr91, also being delivered to American Eagle before going on to CC Air where it operated on behalf of US Airways Express in the Carolinas region of the southern United States.  The aircraft went on to join AeroVip in Argentina in 1999, flying under several brands, including Aerolineas Argentinas Express, LAPA Vip and ARG Express and also flying in AeroVip's house colors before joining Macair in 2007.      

Sources:

http://linea-ala.blogspot.com.ar/2017/11/ya-no-volaran.html
https://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2018/01/roll-out-n-344-fleet-list.html
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/2010/11/lv-zow-bae-jetstream-313212-cn-869.html
http://loudandclearisnotenought.blogspot.com.ar/2010/11/lv-zrl-bae-jetstream-31-cn-928.html

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: Macair Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Reconquista (RCQ) service operated under Avianca Argentina brand eff 03Apr17

The service flown by Macair, the airline that was previously owned by members of Argentine President Mauricio Macri's family which was bought by Avianca, between Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Reconquista (RCQ) in northern Santa Fe Province has been operating under the Avianca Argentina brand since 03Apr17.  The flights have been operated with 19-seat Jetstream 32 aircraft for several years under the Macair brand along with a few other regional services to smaller cities in the provinces of Cordoba and Santa Fe, such as Villa Maria (VMR) and Sunchales (NCJ). 

The change in airline name being used for the Reconquista (RCQ) flights was a little surprising because the new services to be operated by Avianca Argentina with its new ATR-72-600 fleet had not received the go-ahead yet in early April and the airline was technically not authorized to operate in Argentina yet. However, with the Macair service having operated for several years and with Avianca owning the carrier, there was apparently enough of a "grey area" for Avianca to apply the Avianca Argentina brand to the Macair flights.   

The local chamber of commerce in northern Argentina has been promoting the service in social media and even has a website featuring the Avianca Argentina brand and logo:       

http://www.grupoaeronorte.com.ar/

Macair's Jetstream 32 fleet apparently still consists of at least three aircraft with two of the examples flying in the carrier's colors and titles with one painted with simple wavy lines and sporting a small Macair logo as seen below:  

Macair Jetstream 32, LV-ZST (c/n 941), taxiing at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 17Nov16.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

Sources:

http://www.aviacionline.com/2017/04/se-inauguraron-los-vuelos-non-stop-entre-reconquista-y-buenos-aires-operados-con-aeronaves-de-avianca-argentina/

NEW AIRLINE PLANS: AVIANCA buys Macair Jet to enter Argentina Domestic Airline Market

Macair Jet BAe Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZPW (c/n 861) at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 17Mar16.  (Phil Perry Photo) 

The parent company of AVIANCA Colombian airlines, also with affiliates in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica and El Salvador, recently purchased Macair Jet of Argentina with the apparent intent of gaining a foothold from which to launch an Argentine affiliate.    

MACAIR JET

Macair Jet is an air taxi operator which has also operated scheduled operations on a subcontract basis for Lineas Aereas Entre Rios between Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) and Entre Rios province, including Concordia (COC) and Parana (PRA) with 19-seat Jetstreams, plus it even flew an MD-87 for AeroChaco on charter services.  The attraction for AVIANCA is MacAir's air operator certificate and ready ability to apply for route rights in Argentina's domestic market.  The company belongs to Franco Macri, father of Argentine president Mauricio Macri. 

SOL LINEAS AEREAS

AVIANCA could have tried to purchase other Argentine airline operations, such as the recently dormant Sol Lineas Aereas, but this carrier has a significant amount of debt plus soured labor relations with its employees.  

AUSTRAL LINEAS AEREAS

The idea of AVIANCA purchasing the Austral unit of the Aerolineas Argentinas group was also floated, which was supported by Austral's pilots as a way of returning the carrier to private independent ownership as it was prior to its takeover by Aerolineas in 1980, but this would have been a long and complex process that AVIANCA was not interested in pursuing.  

START-UP PLANS

AVIANCA reportedly intends to start service in Argentina with six ATR-72-600 aircraft, quickly building up to 18 ATR's for a domestic operation centered in Argentina's second largest city, the centrally-located Cordoba (COR).  The idea would be to start slowly, reportedly to give the state-owned airlines, Aerolineas Argentinas and Austral, a couple of years to become more competitive as they increase efficiency under the leadership designated by the new Argentine presidential administration.  Eventually AVIANCA's Argentine affiliate would upgrade to jet service.      

For the carrier to acquire route rights beyond the few that Macair Jet currently has to the small markets of Goya (OYA), Reconquista (RCQ), Sunchales (NCJ), and Villa Maria (VMA), the Argentine government would need to call for an "Audiencia Publica", roughly translated as a call for proposals for new service in the country.  Some media have indicated that the airline might even aspire to operate some low-density routes for Aerolineas Argentinas that have too little traffic to justify the use of 100-seat Embraer 190's, which are the current smallest aircraft of sister carrier Austral.    

AVIANCA CEO German Efromovich has indicated that the carrier would like the new Argentine division of AVIANCA to feed the other divisions' existing flights from Buenos Aires Ezeiza (EZE) to Lima (LIM) and Bogota (BOG) plus possible new services to Cordoba (COR) and Mendoza (MDZ) and by AVIANCA Brasil between Argentina and Brazil.  

With AVIANCA starting service in Argentina, the country would become one of a relatively few nations with all three major world alliances with a member operating domestic service; Star Alliance (AVIANCA), oneworld (LAN Argentina), and Skyteam (Aerolineas Argentinas / Austral).      
AVIANCA is rumored to have interviewed 160 recently unemployed Sol employees.  

Sources:

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160428/avn-160428.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160421/avn-160421.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160407/avn-160407.html
http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2016/04/los-planes-de-avianca-en-argentina.html
http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160324/avn-160324.html
http://hsbnoticias.com/noticias/economia/avianca-confirmo-compra-de-macair-aerolinea-de-la-familia-de-195456
http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1881840-avianca-confirmo-que-compro-macair-la-aerolinea-de-la-familia-macri

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160317/avn-160317.html

http://www.siscoma.com.ar/online/aviacion/2016/avn160303/avn-160303.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Macair Jetstream 32P Regional Operations

Macair Jetstream 32P, LV-ZST (c/n 941) rests at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 20Jun14.  (Phil Perry Photo)  

Macair, which is based at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), has flown extensive subservices in the past for two airlines, Lineas Aereas Entre Rios and AeroChaco, based in the Argentine provinces of Entre Rios and Chaco located northwest of Buenos Aires but appears to be currently flying regional Jetstream 32P services in its own right.

Current routes are highlighted by two "triangle" patterns from Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) to Sunchales (NCJ), continuing to Villa Maria (VMR) and back to AEP plus AEP to Goya (OYA), continuing to Reconquista (RCQ) and also back to AEP.  Services are flown only on weekdays catering to business travelers.  

Some simple roundtrips from AEP to Sunchales (NCJ) and Villa Maria (VMR) are also flown.  

Flights to Goya (OYA) and Reconquista (RCQ) were suspended in August 2013 because of the moratorium on regional aircraft with fewer than 30 seats at Aeroparque but the airline gained a waiver to this rule.

Macair has six Jetstreams in its regional fleet; LV-ZOW (c/n 869), LV-ZPW (c/n 861), LV-ZPZ (c/n 931), LV-ZRL (c/n 928), LV-ZSB (c/n 942) and LV-ZST (c/n 941). 

Sources:  

www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2014/04/regresan-los-vuelos-de-macair-jet-a-goya-y-reconquista/
www.macairjet.com.ar/vuelos_regionales/
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macair_Jet

ROUTE UPDATE: Macair flew Jetstreams in Paraguay as Ad Maiora Lineas Aereas in early 2013 but service was short-lived

Macair Jetstream 32, LV-ZOW, (c/n 869) at Encarnacion (ENO) for its inaugural flight to Asuncion (ASU) on 18Jan13 (President Franco Photo via Twitter http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar)      

Macair, mostly known for flying subservices for Aerochaco and Lineas Aereas Entre Rios in Argentina (see posts of 04Nov12 and 08Nov12), operated a short-lived service in Paraguay earlier this year under the name of Ad Maiora Lineas Aereas.  

Flights were operated using Macair Jetstream 32's between Asuncion (ASU) and the newly-inaugurated airport in Encarnacion (ENO) 250 miles / 400km to the southeast of the Paraguayan capital.  The inaugural flight of the three-times weekly service took place on 18Jan13 with Paraguayan President Federico Franco present for the ribbon-cutting ceremonies.   

Photos of one aircraft painted with Ad Maiora Lineas Aereas titles appeared on more than one source online.  

The airline had plans to add service from Asuncion (ASU) to three other cities in Paraguay, Ciudad del Este (AGT), Saltos del Guairá and Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC) plus Resistencia (RES) in Argentina but after four months of the Encarnacion (ENO) operation, all flights were discontinued in May due to low passenger numbers.   

Oddly, the airline's website is still online http://admaioralineasaereas.com/ as if the company was still operating normally.

Sources: http://www.aeropuertosarg.com.ar/2013/01/macair-jet-inicio-sus-
             vuelos-en-paraguay-como-ad-maiora-lineas-aereas/                                                               Aviacion News 23May13                                      

ROUTE UPDATES: BQB, MacAir & Sol New Service

BQB Lineas Aereas, Macair and Sol Lineas Aereas recently announced new services as follows:

Airline   Routing                                                            Eff           Equip                                                                                  
BQB      Asuncion (ASU) - Punta del Este (PDP)                   27Dec12   ATR-72-212A  2x/week
Sol       Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Villa Gesell (VLG)   01Jan13   Saab 340      6x/week
Macair  Resistencia (RES) - Asuncion (ASU)                       15Jan13   Jetstream     3x/week

The BQB flights will serve the tourist market traveling from Paraguay to the Uruguayan beach resort of Punta del Este on an experimental basis until 17Feb13. 

The Sol flights will also be a summer service to the beaches of Villa Gesell and neighboring Pinamar.

The Macair flights are part of a planned expansion into Paraguay that will likely also include domestic flights within the country.

Sources:  
Aviacion News  20Dec12 & 27Dec12 
http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/nuevo-destino-para-macair.html

http://aeronauticaparaguay.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/vuelos-de-cabotaje-activaran-el-turismo.html

ROUTE UPDATES: Macair to fly Resistencia (RES) to Asuncion (ASU) & Internal Paraguayan Routes

Macair Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZRL, (c/n 928) with no titles at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 01Oct10.  (Phil Perry Photo)

According to Paraguayan press reports, Macair, the Argentine aircraft charter and airline subservice company based out of Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP), will start flying from Resistencia (RES) in northeastern Argentina to the Paraguayan capital Asuncion (ASU) three-times weekly, effective 15Jan13.  

The start of service to Asuncion (ASU) is intended to be a first step into the Paraguayan market with the company expected to start flying domestically from Asuncion (ASU) to Ciudad del Este (AGT) in eastern Paraguay near the "Triple Frontier" area where Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay all meet, plus Asuncion (ASU) to Encarnacion (ENO) in the southern part of the country, near Posadas, Argentina.

Further services might be operated from Asuncion (ASU) to Pedro Juan Caballero (PJC) in north central Paraguay and Saltos del Guairá in the northeastern region of the country. 

Macair has a fleet of business jets, including Learjets, available for charter plus at least four active 19-seat Jetstream 32EP's that it operates for AeroChaco and LAER (Lineas Aereas Entre Rios) out of the provinces of the same names located north of Buenos Aires.  The company will presumably also use the Jetstreams on the new Paraguayan routes.

Sources: 

http://aerospotter.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/nuevo-destino-para-macair.html

http://aeronauticaparaguay.blogspot.com.ar/2012/12/vuelos-de-cabotaje-activaran-el-turismo.html

http://www.macairjet.com.ar/aeronaves.html

Macair Operations for LAER (Lineas Aereas Entre Rios)

Similar to Macair's operations for Aerochaco detailed in the posting of 04Nov12, the aircraft charter company also operates Jetstream 32EP's for LAER (Lineas Aereas Entre Rios) from Buenos Aires to points in Corrientes and Entre Rios provinces, both to the north/northwest of the Argentine capital.  

These routes are for local and business travelers plus foreign tourists looking to fish in Corrientes, for example.  There is also a route to the resort city of Necochea in southwestern Buenos Aires province.      

The routes and frequencies flown include: 

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Parana, Entre Rios (PRA), 6x/weekly

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Parana, Entre Rios (PRA) - Goya, Corrientes (OYA), 1x/weekly

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Concordia, Entre Rios (COC), 3x/weekly

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Concordia, Entre Rios (COC) - Goya, Corrientes (OYA), 2x/weekly

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Necochea (NEC), 2x/weekly

The airline is planning to soon extend flights from Goya (OYA) to Reconquista (RCQ) and Mercedes (MDX) near the Esteros del Ibera marshlands tourist area.

LAER dates back to 1967 and has flown aircraft as diverse as the Argentine small transport FMA IA-50 Guarani II, Jetstream 31, ATR-42-320, and F.28-1000.   

For a view of these aircraft types, click the www.airliners.net links below:

Jetstream 31:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/LAER---Lineas/British-Aerospace-BAe-3100/1475498/&sid=7862c4f8a1dcfe1cd6f640cbda39848d

ATR- 42-320: 

http://www.airliners.net/photo/LAER---Lineas/ATR-ATR-42-320/1834102/&sid=7862c4f8a1dcfe1cd6f640cbda39848d

F.28-1000:

http://www.airliners.net/photo/LAER---Lineas/Fokker-F-28-1000-Fellowship/0496420/&sid=7862c4f8a1dcfe1cd6f640cbda39848d

Another aircraft charter company, Flying America, previously operated two Metro III's for LAER as illustrated below:

Flying America Fairchild Swearingen SA-227AC Metro III, LV-YIC, (c/n AC-448) rests at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 10Jul10.     

Flying America Fairchild Swearingen SA-227AC Metro III, LV-BGH, (c/n AC-467) being towed at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) on 24Sep10. 

Former LAER Jetstream 31, LV-VEI, (c/n 830) sits dismantled at Moron Airport (MOR) west of Buenos Aires on 10Oct12.  

Sources:  http://www.flyingamerica.com.ar/
                 http://www.airliners.net
                 Aviacion News

                 LV - Lima Victor magazine 

              Wikipedia

Photos:    Phil Perry

Macair Operations for Aerochaco - Profile & Photos

Macair Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZPZ, (c/n 931) with Aerochaco titles and rear fuselage design   

 Macair Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZPW, (c/n 861) with "Macair Jet" titles 

Macair Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZOW, (c/n 869) with no titles 

Macair Jetstream 32EP, LV-ZRL, (c/n 928) with no titles

The four aircraft above were all photographed at Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) early on the morning of Sunday, 06Feb11, operating tourist charters to Iguazu Falls (IGR).  The editor of this blog does not know who they were operating on behalf of.  Note the "M" tail logo on all of the planes. 

Macair is an Argentine aircraft charter company that operates executive and group charters plus emergency medical flights using a fleet of Learjets, a Citation, and a Gulfstream G-IV from its Buenos Aires - Aeroparque (AEP) base.  

The company also operates Jetstream 32's on behalf of Aerochaco, an Argentine carrier that is the state airline of the northern province of Chaco.  Some sources indicate that Macair operates six Jetstreams but research by the editor of this blog only turned up four such aircraft currently in the Macair fleet.  

These aircraft operate scheduled services on behalf of Aerochaco on several routes with only one route including the city of Resistencia, the capital of Chaco.  Scheduled routes include:

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Villa Maria (VMA) - 2x/weekly

Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - Sunchales (NCJ) - 5x/weekly

Cordoba (COR) - Sunchales (NCJ) - Resistancia (RES) - 3x/weekly

Cordoba (COR) - Villa Maria (VMA) - Buenos Aires Aeroparque (AEP) - 1x/weekly

Cordoba is the capital of Cordoba province and the second-largest city in Argentina with 1.2 million people.  It is in the heart of one of the nation's most important and productive farm regions and home to several prominent educational institutions.     

Villa Maria is the third-largest city in Cordoba province (after Rio Cuarto) with a population of 70,000 and metro area of 140,000, also in the heart of farm country.  

Sunchales is a small city (18,000 people) in Santa Fe province to the north of Cordoba in the heart of dairy country and home to SanCor, a large cooperative that turns out 20% of Argentina's dairy production.  

Macair also flew MD-87, LV-BZH (c/n 49780) on charter flights on behalf of Aerochaco with the airline's titles and special sticker "Official Airline of Boca Juniors" professional soccer club.  It also flew without the titles or sticker as illustrated below.  The aircraft left the Macair fleet approx. late 2010.

Macair Jet MD-87, LV-BZH, (c/n 49780/1674) at Aeroparque on 01Aug10

The same aircraft with Aerochaco titles and soccer team sticker: 

http://www.airliners.net/photo/Aerochaco/McDonnell-Douglas-MD-87/1570546/L/&sid=5d82cf7f620ecde89ae906eea0d1941b

Aerochaco flew another MD-87, LV-BSC, (c/n 49727/1621), which was reportedly leased from Flying America and not Macair as shown here:

 http://www.airliners.net/photo/Aerochaco/McDonnell-Douglas-MD-87/1516208/L/&sid=a07aa421adfbec94df6973a78e85830c

Sources:  http://www.macairjet.com.ar
              http://www.aerochaco.com.ar
              www.airliners.net
              www.airfleets.net
              www.wikipedia.org
      
Photos:    Phil Perry