AeroRepública

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<tr><td colspan="3" style="text-align: center; background-color: #FFFFFF;">Image:AeroRepública.PNG</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Hubs</th><td>El Dorado International Airport</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Focus cities / secondary hubs</th><td>Tocumen International Airport</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Frequent flyer program</th><td>OnePass</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Member lounge</th><td>Presidents Club</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Alliance</th><td>SkyTeam (future subsidiary airline member sponsored by Copa Airlines)</td></tr><tr><th colspan="2">Parent company</th><td>Copa Holdings S.A.</td></tr>

AeroRepública
IATA P5	ICAO RPB	Callsign AEROREPUBLICA
Founded		November 23, 1992
Fleet size		16 (2006)
Destinations		15 (2006)
Headquarters		Bogotá, Colombia Image:Flag of Colombia.svg
Key people		Roberto Junguito, CEO
Website: www.aerorepublica.com

Image:Aerorepublica logo.PNG

Image:AeroRepública McDonnell Douglas MD-80.jpg

Image:AeroRepública OnePass.PNG

Image:Aerorepública new livery.jpg

Image:AeroRepública Presidents Club.PNG

Image:AeroRepública Cargo.PNG

AeroRepública is an airline based at El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the second largest air carrier in Colombia. It operates domestic flights around Colombia as well as international flights to Central America, South America and Europe; it also operates charter flights to several Latin American countries.

1 History
2 New corporate image
3 Incidents and accidents
4 Destinations
5 Fleet
6 Alliances
7 References
8 External links

[edit] History

The airline was established on November 23, 1992 by founders Amos Gindor and Dr. Alfonso Avila. It started operations on June 19, 1993 with a fleet of 3 Boeing B727-100 aircraft, between Bogotá, D.C. El Dorado International Airport and Cartagena and Santa Marta, as well as the offshore Colombian island of San Andrés. It was the first new airline in Colombia for over 25 years when it began trading in 1993. Plans were announced to begin international services to the USA in 1997, but these have yet to begin.

AeroRepública corporate headquarters was located in Pereira, Colombia. The airline was owned by Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela (33%) and Promotora de Inversiones Superior (at January 2005). It is Colombia's third largest airline holding a 16.1% market share.

On June 1, 2005, Copa Airlines, Panama's flag carrier, announced that it had purchased 90% of AeroRepública after having earlier announced plans to codeshare with them. The airline also announced it was planning to make AeroRepública the second largest carrier in Colombia after the nation's flag carrier, Avianca. It also plans to increase domestic destinations, modernize its fleet, and initiate the airline's first international destinations starting in 2006.

On October 18, 2006 announced that it has signed with GE Commercial Aviation Services (GECAS) a lease agreement for an EMB 190 aircraft to be delivered in the fourth quarter of 2007. This agreement increases AeroRepublica's delivery commitments to eight Embraer 190 aircraft through 2007, three of which will be leased through GECAS and five purchased directly form the manufacturer. In addition to these commitments, AeroRepublica has options and purchase rights for twenty additional EMB-190 aircraft through 2011.

AeroRepublica's CEO announced a lay off in order to reduce expenses in its future merger with Copa.

[edit] New corporate image

AeroRepublica announced the unveiling of its new corporate image on September 8, 2006. The new image is the result of a comprehensive market study performed by well-recognized branding experts/advisors. This new image, which will maintain the company's name, leverages AeroRepublica's most valued attributes and introduces Copa Airlines' logo, livery and overall image. The formal unveiling of AeroRepublica's new image was presented yesterday in Bogotá in the presence of the local press, travel agents and invited guests. This new corporate image is an important step among a broad set of initiatives being implemented by AeroRepública, which also include:

Initiation of international flights into Copa Airlines' Hub of the Americas in Panamá.
The upcoming renewal of its fleet with new Embraer 190 aircraft.
Implementation of Continental's award-winning Frequent Flyer Program OnePass.
Introduction of E-ticketing.

"Our new image combines the best of both companies. We will merge the name of AeroRepública, maintaining the established name recognition and affinity of the Colombian market, with the international image and brand positioning of Copa and Continental Airlines," commented Roberto Junguito, CEO of AeroRepública.

Pedro Heilbron, CEO of Copa Holdings, added: "We are committed to the development and growth of AeroRepública, which has shown significant improvement in operational performance during the last months. With this new image, Copa Airlines and AeroRepública consolidate their alliance and their commitment to providing a world class product."

[edit] Incidents and accidents

On 8 January, 2005 an AeroRepública McDonnell Douglas MD-83 aircraft overran the runway at Cali's Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport , Colombia, and the landing gear separated. There were no fatalities among the 6 crew and 164 passengers (ref: Flight International, July 2005).