Aviation References - A

Avianca Costa Rica Airbus A320-200 arriving at Toronto Lester B. Pearson International Airport (YYZ) from El Salvador Oscar Arnulfo Romero International Airport (SAL) on a fabulous Saturday 2019. To understand why this aircraft was en route from San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, and not Costa Rica (as would seem from the airline's name), it is important to note Avianca Costa Rica's parent company, Avianca. Avianca is a group of eight Latin American flagship airlines, each of which uses the "Avianca" title followed by the flag country of the airline for their names. Due to the close ties these airlines share, we expect that the fleets may be dived up among the individual parties as Avianca and its subsidiaries essentially act as one brand. Hence, this aircraft, although operated by Avianca Costa Rica, could be serving on an Avianca El Salvador route. Historically, the modern Avianca group was created in 2009 when TACA, the leading airline in South America at the time, and Avianca Colombia merged, forming a new pan-Latin American Avianca. Interestingly, Avianca Colombia, the national carrier of Columbia when in operation, was formed one hundred years ago this December 5th as SCADTA, making Avianca, due to the merger in 2009, the second oldest airline in the world behind KLM. The livery of Avianca Costa Rica is shared between the other airlines in the Avianca group, and the design is of 2013, a result of the merger between Avianca Colombia and TACA. The new logo is rooted in the bird symbols of both airlines, a condor, long associated with the Latin Americas, in the case of Avianca. Also, it appears that the logo is a map of the Americas, denoting the region from which the modern group soars. From Avianca's slogans "With Pleasure" and "It's for You"; to see a piece of Latin America fly into North America is always a pleasure. Enjoy!