| |||||||
| Founded | 1994 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceased operations | December 2002 | ||||||
| Hubs | Silvio Pettirossi International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 7 | ||||||
| Destinations | 3 | ||||||
| Parent company | TAM Airlines | ||||||
| Headquarters | Luque, Paraguay | ||||||
ARPA – Aerolíneas Paraguayas was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in Luque, Paraguay, near Asunción.[1] It operated scheduled domestic services. Its main base was Silvio Pettirossi International Airport.[2]
History
Aerolíneas Paraguayas (also known as ARPA) was founded in 1994. The inauguration ceremony took place at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport on May 14, 1994. The first regular flights took place on May 16, 1994. The original fleet was composed of three Cessna A208 Caravan 1. ARPA was the first investment of the TAM Group in Paraguay.
At the beginning, ARPA had flights to the most important cities in Paraguay, like Ciudad del Este, Pedro Juan Caballero, Concepción and Encarnación. Eventually, it also flew to Ayolas and Filadelfia (Chaco). In 1995, ARPA received a Cessna Citation II jet to compete with LADESA (Líneas Aéreas del Este S.A.) BAe Jetstream 31s which also covered the route to Ciudad del Este.
Some routes were discontinued due to the poor passenger traffic. By the late 1990s, ARPA was only flying to Ciudad del Este regularly. In the early 2000s, ARPA operated a single Cessna A208 Caravan 1 and a Cessna 208B Gran Caravan.
In December 2002, ARPA was merged with TAM Mercosur. The two Caravans continued operations with TAM and were withdrawn from service a year later.
Destinations
ARPA served the following cities:[2]
- Asunción - Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
- Ciudad del Este - Guaraní International Airport
- Pedro Juan Caballero - Dr. Augusto Roberto Fuster International Airport
Fleet
- 3 Cessna A208 Caravan 1 (leased)
- 2 Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (leased)
- 2 Cessna 550 Citation II (leased)
References
- ^ "Directory: World airlines." Flight International. 16–22 March 2004. 88.
- ^ a b Flight International 27 March 2007