Avianca History: From SCADTA in 1919 to Star Alliance – Airline Employee Shop

Avianca History

Avianca traces its history to SCADTA, founded in Barranquilla in 1919, which makes it one of the world's oldest airlines still flying and Colombia's flag carrier for more than eight decades. Here's a short history of Avianca, plus the Avianca collection that celebrates it.

SCADTA (1919–1940)

Colombian businessmen and German immigrants founded SCADTA in Barranquilla on December 5, 1919. Its first flight, on September 5, 1920, carried 57 pieces of mail from Barranquilla to Puerto Colombia in a Junkers F 13. A month later pilot Helmuth von Krohn followed the Magdalena River inland. In 1922 SCADTA began carrying Colombia's airmail for the government. Austrian industrialist Peter Paul von Bauer, its main shareholder, later sold his shares to Pan Am, under pressure from Washington to keep the airline away from German influence.

The birth of Avianca (1940–1960s)

In June 1940 SCADTA merged with the regional carrier SACO to form Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia, or Avianca. In 1946 it began flights to Quito, Lima, Panama City, Miami, New York and Europe. Avianca took delivery of its own Boeing 720s in late 1961.

Jumbo jets and hard times (1970s–2009)

In 1976 Avianca became the first South American airline to operate the Boeing 747 continuously. Later decades brought financial strain. Its Chapter 11 reorganization was confirmed in December 2004, with backing from Germán Efromovich's Synergy Group and Colombia's coffee growers' federation.

TACA, Star Alliance and Abra (2009–today)

In October 2009 Avianca announced a merger with Central America's TACA. Avianca was admitted to Star Alliance on June 21, 2012, and the TACA name was retired in 2013. The pandemic led to a second Chapter 11 filing on May 10, 2020, and Avianca emerged on December 1, 2021. In 2022 its owners announced the Abra Group, which brings Avianca together with Brazil's GOL.

A few things collectors love

  • SCADTA's 1920 Junkers F 13 mail flight, the start of commercial aviation in Colombia.
  • The 1976 Boeing 747, a first for a South American airline.
  • The name itself: Avianca began as an abbreviation of Aerovías Nacionales de Colombia.

Shop Avianca

Browse Avianca logo T-shirts, coffee mugs, coasters, tote bags and vintage designs in the Avianca collection. Add an airline bag tag or key tag for anyone who loves Colombia's historic airline.

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