Wikipedia

Cubana de Aviación

For other uses, seeCubana (disambiguation).
For the Russian airline with a similar name, seeKuban Airlines.

Cubana de Aviación S.A.,commonly known asCubana,isCuba'sflag carrier,[1]as well as the country's largest airline.[2]It was founded in October 1929, becoming one of the earliest airlines to emerge inLatin America.[3]: 887 It has its corporate headquarters inHavana,and its main base is located atJosé Martí International Airport.[citation needed]Originally a subsidiary ofPan American World Airwaysand later a private company owned by Cuban investors, Cubana has been wholly owned by theCuban governmentsince May 1959.

Cubana de Aviación
IATA ICAO Call sign
CU CUB CUBANA
Founded8 October 1929;95 years ago(1929-10-08)
Commenced operations30 October 1930;94 years ago(1930-10-30)
HubsJosé Martí International Airport
Focus cities
Fleet size16
Destinations20
Parent companyCorporación de la Aviación CivilS.A.(CACSA)
HeadquartersHavana,Cuba
Key peopleArturo Bada Álvarez (CEO)
Websitecubana.cu

Cubana was a founder and is a current member of theInternational Air Transport Association(IATA),[4]theInternational Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications(SITA) and the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL).[5]

History

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Main article:History of Cubana de Aviación

Early years to Cuban revolution

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A Cubana Bristol Britannia 318 atJorge Chávez International Airportin 1972. The carrier received the first of these aircraft in December 1958.[6]

The airline was established byClement Melville Keyson 8 October 1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss S.A., initially as a flying school as well as a chartercarrier,beginning scheduled services in 1930.[7][8]The airline's name indicated its association with theCurtissaircraft manufacturing company. Cubana's early fleet usedCurtiss Robin,amphibianSikorsky S-38,Ford Trimotor,andLockheed Electra(L-10) aircraft.Pan Americanacquired Cubana in 1932,[9]and the word Curtiss was deleted from the carrier's name. By the end of the decade, the carrier had a fleet of four Ford Trimotors and three Lockheed Electras that operated on the domestic Havana–Camaguey,Havana–Guantanamo–BaracoaandSantiago–Baracoa routes.[10]

In 1944, the first International Conference on Civil Aviation was convened, which later would lead to the creation of theInternational Civil Aviation Organization(ICAO). Cuba was a participant in this conference and a founding member of ICAO. In April 1945, the conference that created theInternational Air Transport Association(IATA) was held inHavana.Cubana became a founding member of IATA, and participated in the creation of that organization through its involvement with the Havana conference and the resulting accords. Both conferences and the organizations they spawned helped establish Cubana as an internationally recognized airline company.

In May 1945 Cubana started its first scheduled international flights toMiami,usingDouglas DC-3aircraft, making the airline the first Latin American one to establish scheduled passenger services to this city. In April 1948, a transatlantic route was started betweenHavanaandMadrid(viaBermuda,theAzoresandLisbon) usingDouglas DC-4aircraft. The Madrid route was extended toRomein 1950. The new route to Europe made Cubana one of the earliest Latin American carriers to establish scheduled transatlantic service.

In 1953,Airworksold Cubana threeViscount 755sin advance of delivery.[11]Cubana was also the first Latin American airline to operate turboprop aircraft, starting in the mid-1950s with theVickers Viscount(VV-755), which were put in service in its Miami and domestic routes, and later the Super Viscount (VV-818).

By March 1953, the carrier's fleet consisted ofDC-3sandDC-4s.[12]A year later, the strength of the fleet was 11 —six DC-3s, threeLockheed Constellations,oneC-46and oneStinson— while twoSuper Constellationswere on order.[13]Upon delivery of the first of these aircraft, in late 1954, the airline deployed it on theMexico City–Madrid route.[14]Cubana transported more than 227,000 passenger in 1955, and by that year end it had 715 employees.[9]In May 1957, the airline ordered twoBristol Britannia 318s,intended to serve New York andSpain.[15][16][17]An order for another two aircraft of the type was placed in mid-1958; the combined deal was worthUS$14million.[15]Aimed at replacing theDouglas DC-7son the Havana–New York route,[18]Cubana received the first of these aircraft in December 1958;[6]it was put in service on that route immediately after being phased in.[19]

Cuban revolution to 1980s

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In May 1959, Cuba's new revolutionary government decided to take over Cubana, expropriating all its investors. The private passenger airline Aerovías Q and private cargo carriers Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano, were then merged into Cubana, which was rebranded as Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación and had an initial state investment of 80%; it started operations on 27 June 1961.[20]The airline had expanded earlier that year its scheduled transatlantic services, addingPragueto its European route network that solely included Madrid.[a]Having stopovers atBermudaand theAzores,the route was flown with Bristol Britannia 318s.[23]Cubana later sold one of its Britannias toCzechoslovak Airlines(CSA) so that this carrier could start their own Prague–Havana flights.[24]Cubana trained CSA's personnel in the operation of the Britannias.[23]CSA's new service started in February 1962 initially flying the Prague–Manchester–Prestwick–Havana route, and then switching to the Prague–Shannon–Gander–Havana run.[25][26]

With the U.S. breaking relations (in 1961) and the imposition of theU.S. embargoon Cuba (in 1962), Cubana was forced to cancel all its U.S. services and turned to theSoviet Unionto obtain new aircraft. The first Soviet-built aircraft were delivered in the early 1960s (Ilyushin Il-14andIl-18), and were used in Cubana's domestic routes. Cubana thus became the first airline in the Americas at that time to operate Soviet-built aircraft. During the decade, theAn-12and theAn-24swere also added to the fleet.[27]Cubana's cooperation made it possible forAeroflotto establish 18-hour non-stop scheduled services betweenMoscowandHavanain 1963, usingTupolev Tu-114turboprop airliners, which were the longest non-stop flights in the world at that time. Cooperation with theEast GermanairlineInterflugalso made it possible for this carrier to establish its first scheduled transatlantic services, linkingEast Berlinwith Havana.

In March 1970 the number of employees was 1,971; at this time the carrier'sfleet consisted of fiveAntonov An-24Bs,fourBritannias 318s,twoC-46s,fourDC-3s,oneDC-4,tenIl-14sand fourIl-18s.[28]: 480 Regular services toPeru,Chile,Panama,Guyanaand several Caribbean destinations were started in the early and mid- 1970s. Cubana also began operating TupolevTu-154,IlyushinIl-76,YakovlevYak-40andYak-42jets in the mid-1970s. These aircraft made it possible to upgrade Cubana's domestic services and to expand or start new services to Central and South America, and to some Caribbean nations. Regular services to Canada were also started, as Cuba began to develop its tourism sector. Routes to Africa were started in the mid-1970s, servingAngola,Guinea-BissauandCabo Verde.Cubana subsequently ceded one of its Il-62M jets to Angola's national airlineTAAGso that it could start its ownLuanda-Havana flights, in cooperation with Cubana's services on that route. This allowed TAAG to start its own, first-ever transatlantic route. In the late 1970s Cubana started services toIraq,becoming the first Latin American carrier to serveAsia,although these services were discontinued in the early 1980s.

1990s

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A CubanaIlyushin Il-62Mon short final toToronto Pearson Airportin 1994

As of March 1990, Cubana had 5,658 employees and its fleet consisted of 12An-24RVs,26Antonov An-26s,fourIl-18s,11 Ilyushin Il-62Ms, twoIl-76Ds,eight Tupolev Tu-154s (five Tu-154B2s and three Tu-154Ms) and 12Yakovlev Yak-40s.At this time, the airline flew internationally toBarbados,Basel,Berlin,Bissau,Buenos Aires,Georgetown,Kingston,Lima,Luanda,Madrid,Managua,Mexico City,Montreal,Panama City,ParisandPrague;it also served a domestic network consisting ofBaracoa,Camagüey,Holguín,Nicaro,Nueva Gerona,Santiago de CubaandLas Tunas.[29]

In the early 1990s, Cubana pursued a multi-faceted strategy to face thechallengesposed by the dissolution of theSocialist blocand theSoviet Union.This strategy targeted a restructuring of Cubana's fleet, the revamping of the airline's technical capabilities, and upgrading the quality of passenger services. After the early 1990s, spare parts for Cubana's Soviet-built aircraft became increasingly harder to source. Limited financial resources and lack of Western financing to replace these aircraft, coupled with restrictions imposed by the U.S. embargo on the sale of American-built aircraft and components (including engines and avionics), made it necessary to keep some of the airline's Soviet-built airplanes in service. Cubana had received its last three new Il-62Ms in late 1990 and early 1991 [along with two other (also new) similar aircraft in 1988 and 1989], and was able to keep them in service long after the Soviet Union's dissolution and the end of all Il-62 production in the mid-1990s. Cubana started leasing some Western aircraft (Airbus,Boeing) for limited periods of time in the mid-1990s, to help sustain its services to Europe, Canada and some Latin American destinations, given the rapid growth of Cuba's tourism sector.

2000s and onwards

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In the early 2000s, Cubana refurbished several of its Il-62Ms to use on some of its international routes (all but one of these aircraft were removed from service in 2011), and in 2004 it embarked on a long-term renovation programme. The strategy is based on the purchase of $100 million a year in new generation Russian-built aircraft until 2012.[30]As of 2012, Cubana had completely renovated its fleet with new-generation Russian airliners. As part of its renovation strategy, Cubana has sought to upgrade its technical support capabilities. The airline established a joint venture company withIberia Airlinesof Spain in 2005, to maintain and overhaul Western-built aircraft, such asAirbusandBoeing.

In July 2004, the airline placed an order for two convertibleIlyushin Il-96-300sin aUS$110million deal;[31][32]85% of that price was financed by a loan fromRoseximbank,[33]while Cuba'sAviaimportraised the money for the balance.[34]In December 2005, Cubana received the first of these aircraft,[32][35]becoming the first customer of the type beyond theRussianborders.[1]In April 2006, Cuba signed another deal —worthUS$250million this time— on behalf of Cubana for the purchase of another twoIl-96-300sand threeTupolev Tu-204s.[36]Two of theseTu-204s,one passenger and one cargo version, were handed over to the carrier in June and August 2007, respectively.[37][38]During the August 2007MAKS AirshowCubana signed amemorandum of understandingwith Ilyushin Finance Company (IFC) for the purchase of another two Tu-204s and threeAntonov An-148s.[39]A Tu-204 freighter was never delivered to the company due to financing problems.[40]

In July 2012, Cubana de Aviación signed a contract with IFC for the delivery of three Antonov An-158 aircraft.[41]In February 2013, Cubana signed a deal for the order of three 350-seaterIlyushin Il-96-400s.[42]In April the same year, Cubana received its firstAntonov An-158;[2][43][44]Cubana received another two An-158s during 2013.[45]The delivery of the third example marked the signing of another contract for three more aircraft of the type, scheduled for delivery in 2014.[41]A fourth An-158 was delivered in April 2014; as of July 2014,Antonov was to deliver to the airline a fifth aircraft of the type.[45]

Destinations

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Main article:List of Cubana de Aviación destinations

Cubana operates flights to over 20 destinations in Cuba, Europe, the Caribbean, North, Central and South America.

Codeshare agreements

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Cubana de Aviacióncodeshareswith the following airlines:[46]

Fleet

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Current fleet

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As of October 2019,Cubana operates the following aircraft:[48][49][needs update]

Cubana fleet
Aircraft In fleet Orders Passengers Notes
C Y Total
Antonov An-158 6 — — 99 99[44] First delivered in 2013.[2]
All grounded since May 2018 due to technical issues.[50]
ATR 42-500 1 — — unknown unknown CU-T1240
ATR 72-500 1 — — 66 66 CU-T1548
Ilyushin Il-96-300[51] 3[citation needed] — 18 244 262[52] CU-T1250 returned to Cubana from Russia in December 2023.[citation needed]
CU-T1251 in storage since 2021.[citation needed]
CU-T1717 in storage since 2017.[citation needed]
Tupolev Tu-204-100 2 — 12 212 224[53] CU-T1702 completed D check in Russia.[54]
Cargo fleet
Tupolev Tu-204-100CE 2 — Cargo CU-C1700 and CU-C1703, both stored[55]
Total 16 —
A CubanaTupolev 204in 2012
A CubanaAntonov An-158in 2013
A CubanaIlyushin Il-96-300departingMadrid–Barajasin 2016
A Cubana CargoTupolev Tu-204-100CEin 2010

Former fleet

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The airline operated the following aircraft all through its history:

Accidents and incidents

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Main article:Cubana de Aviación accidents and incidents

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^There exists a discrepancy as to whether these flights started in February 1961,[21][22]or in April the same year.[23]

References

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  1. ^ab"Cuba Replaces Soviet-Era Passenger Aircraft".Airwise News.Reuters.29 March 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 31 January 2016.
  2. ^abc
  3. ^
  4. ^"The International Air Transport Association History (The Founding of IATA)".Archived fromthe originalon 2 January 2008.Retrieved5 September2007.
  5. ^"Cubana is a founder and member of the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA) and of the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL)".2005. Archived fromthe originalon 20 December 2008.
  6. ^abc"Air commerce – Cubana Britannias".Flight:159. 30 January 1959. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2015.
  7. ^abcd"Directory: world airlines – Cubana de Aviacion".Flight International.165(4926): 59. 23–29 March 2004.ISSN0015-3710.Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2015.
  8. ^abcd"World Airline Directory—Compania Cubana de Aviacion, S.A. – Cubana".Flight.73(2569): 535. 18 April 1958. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2015.
  9. ^ab"World airline directory—Compania Cubana de Aviación S.A. – Cubana".Flight:600. 3 May 1957. Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2013.
  10. ^"Airline companies of the World – Cia. Nacional Cubana de Aviacion, S.A."Flight.XXXV(1583): 433. 27 April 1939. Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2014.
  11. ^"Airwork Viscounts sold".Flight:27. 6 January 1956. Archived fromthe originalon 24 April 2015.
  12. ^"The World's Airlines...–Compañía Cubana de Aviación, S.A."Flight:311. 6 March 1953. Archived fromthe originalon 29 September 2013.Retrieved26 June2012.
  13. ^"The World's Airlines...–Compañia Cubana de Aviación, S.A."Flight:676. 21 May 1954. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved26 June2012.
  14. ^"Brevities".Flight:816. 3 December 1954. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved26 June2012.Cuba's international airline, Compania Cubana de Aviacion, last week inaugurated a Super Constellation service from Mexico City to Madrid via Havana, Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon. The first of this company's three Super Connies has established an unofficial record for the 2,300-mile journey from Havana to Los Angeles, covering the route in 7 hr 20 min at an average speed of just over 313 m.p.h.
  15. ^ab"Brevities..."Flight:246. 15 August 1958. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved24 June2012.As this issue went to press Bristol announced a Cubana repeat-order for two more Britannia 318s for delivery next spring. The two aircraft ordered in May 1957 will be delivered by the end of this year. Both orders together are valued at $14m.
  16. ^"Brevities..."Flight:851. 21 June 1957. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Compania Cubana de Aviacion —who recently announced their order for two Britannia 310s— have also ordered twoBoeing 707sand taken an option on a third.
  17. ^"Civil aviation – Britannias for Cubana".Flight:816. 14 June 1957. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.
  18. ^"Cubana's revolution".Flight:988. 26 December 1958. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.
  19. ^"From all quarters".Flight.75:52. 9 January 1959. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2016.The first of four Britannia 318s ordered by Compania Cubana inaugurated scheduled services on 22 December between Havana—whither it had been delivered the previous week—and New York.
  20. ^"World airline survey... – Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación".Flight International:510. 2 April 1964. Archived fromthe originalon 30 October 2013.
  21. ^"The World's airlines... – Compania Cubana de Aviacion SA—Cubana".Flight International:560. 12 April 1962. Archived fromthe originalon 18 January 2013.Retrieved18 January2013.
  22. ^"Brevities".Flight:27. 6 July 1961. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.Retrieved18 January2013.
  23. ^abc"New CSA service to Havana".Flight International:73. 11 January 1962. Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2013.Retrieved23 June2012.
  24. ^"Brevities".Flight:797. 23 November 1961. Archived fromthe originalon 25 October 2012.Retrieved23 June2012.A Bristol Britannia 318 has been acquired by the Czech airline CSA from Cubana.
  25. ^"The World's Airlines—Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie–CSA".Flight International:562. 12 April 1962. Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2013.Retrieved18 January2013.
  26. ^"Air commerce..."Flight International:238. 15 February 1962. Archived fromthe originalon 7 April 2014.First picture of the Britannia 318, formerly operated by Cubana, in the markings of CSA. Earlier this month the Czechoslovak airline inaugurated a scheduled service between Prague and Havana with transit rights at Manchester and Prestwick, where this picture was taken
  27. ^"Air transport..."Flight International:50. 13 January 1966. Archived fromthe originalon 13 April 2015.Cubana's only Antonov An-12 seen at Shannon Airport at the end of last month on its first flight outside Cuba since delivery about two years ago.
  28. ^ab
  29. ^"World airline directory–Cubana (Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviacion".Flight International.137(4237): 84. 14–20 March 1990.ISSN0015-3710.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2017.
  30. ^"Russia expands a key aircraft market in Cuba".Reuters.6 August 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 20 August 2012.Retrieved18 September2012.
  31. ^"Cuba Il-96-300s".Flightglobal.Flight International. 27 July 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2016.Retrieved18 September2012.
  32. ^abKarnozov, Vladimir (10 January 2006)."Cubana takes first VIP Ilyushin Il-96".Moscow:Flightglobal.Flight International.Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2015.
  33. ^"Russian loans for Cubana".Flightglobal.Airline Business.23 January 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2016.Retrieved18 September2012.
  34. ^"Cubana's Il-96-300 ready as VASO gets a boost".Flightglobal.Flight International. 2 August 2005. Archived fromthe originalon 23 January 2015.Retrieved19 September2012.
  35. ^Kaminski-Morrow, David (22 August 2006)."Russia completes 'hot and high' testing with Cubana Ilyushin Il-96-300 in Ecuador".London:Flightglobal.Archived fromthe originalon 22 January 2015.The tests involved one of the Il-96-300s, registered CU-T1251, delivered to Cuban flag-carrier Cubana de Aviación towards the end of last year.
  36. ^"Other News - 04/11/2006".Air Transport World.12 April 2006. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2013.Retrieved18 September2012.
  37. ^Karnozov, Vladimir (12 June 2007)."Pictures: First Tupolev Tu-204 for Cubana prepared for delivery".London:Flightglobal.Archived fromthe originalon 10 December 2011.Retrieved18 September2012.
  38. ^"PICTURE: Cubana takes delivery of first Tu-204 freighter".London:Flightglobal.3 August 2007. Archived fromthe originalon 1 February 2016.Retrieved18 September2012.
  39. ^Straus, Brian (24 August 2007)."MAKS: Atlant-Soyuz customer for four 737-700s; Ilyushin sells 96 more aircraft".Air Transport World. Archived fromthe originalon 26 May 2024.Retrieved18 September2012.
  40. ^"Russia delivers, barely".Flightglobal.Flight International.2 February 2009. Archived fromthe originalon 1 April 2013.Retrieved19 September2012.Cubana de Aviacion did not take a Tu-204-100CE freighter, rebuffing attempts by Russia's VneshTorgBank to charge it a higher interest rate than the agreed 7-8%, a figure that had been approved by the Russian and Cuban governments.
  41. ^ab"Cubana de Aviacion получила третий самолет АН-158"[Cubana de Aviacion received a third An-158].ДЕЛО(in Ukrainian). 28 August 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2014.
  42. ^Vogelaar, Rob (22 February 2013)."Cubana buys Antonov An-158 and Il-96-400s".AviationNews.eu.Ria Novosti.Archived fromthe originalon 4 October 2013.
  43. ^""Антонов" передал второй Ан-158 на Кубу "[Antonov handed over the second An-158 to Cuba].unian.net(in Russian). 25 July 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 26 July 2013.
  44. ^ab"Antonov Enterprise passes second regional An-158 aircraft to Cubana de Aviacion".Interfax Europe. 24 July 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 5 October 2013.
  45. ^ab"Украина отправит на Кубу уже пятый Ан-158"[Ukraine to deliver the fifth An-158 to Cuba].Телеграф(in Ukrainian). 17 July 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 9 August 2014.
  46. ^"Profile on Cubana de Aviacion".CAPA Centre for Aviation.Archivedfrom the original on 13 April 2017.
  47. ^"CUBANA / SUNRISE AIRWAYS BEGINS CODESHARE PARTNERSHIP FROM NOV 2022".Aeroroutes.25 November 2022.Retrieved28 November2022.
  48. ^"Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)".Airliner World(October 2019): 13.
  49. ^Suárez, Michel (21 November 2016)."Cubana's fleet: VIPs come first".Diario de Cuba.Retrieved6 February2017.
  50. ^Miami Herald(subscription required)
  51. ^Montag-Girmes, Polina (10 February 2017)."Russian manufacturer to modernize the Ilyushin Il-96".Air Transport World.Archived fromthe originalon 11 February 2017.
  52. ^"Antonov AN-24D".Cubana de Aviación. Archived fromthe originalon 5 November 2012.Retrieved1 September2012.
  53. ^"Tupolev TU-204 CE".Cubana de Aviación. Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2013.Retrieved1 September2012.
  54. ^"Diese Tupolew war über drei Jahre in der Wartung"[This Tupolev was in maintenance for over three years].Flug Revue(in German). 5 September 2022.
  55. ^"Карточка оператора: Cubana de Aviacion ✈ russianplanes.net ✈ наша авиация".
  56. ^abc"World airline survey – Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviacion".Flight International.Vol. 91, no. 3031. 13 April 1967. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2015.

Further reading

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  • Lloyd, Barry (2023).Cubana: A Caribbean Survivor.Airlines Series, Vol. 10. Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing.ISBN9781802824728.
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