Ecuatoriana de Aviación was an Ecuadorian airline that began operations in August 1957. During the early years, the carrier had Ecuadorian and U.S. investors, the latter leaving in the early 1970s.
The company started with domestic and international operations practically at the same time. The first destinations out of the country were Panama, Lima and Santiago de Chile.
See also: #TBT: Air France flights to Argentina, Brasil, Chile and Uruguay in 1992.
After the departure of the U.S. investors, Ecuatoriana changed its name slightly, becoming Empresa Ecuatoriana de Aviación, and the country’s state-owned airline. The new company incorporated its first Boeing 707 and more international routes, including Buenos Aires and New York.
See also: #TBT: Alitalia flights to Argentina, Brazil and Chile in 1987.
In 1987, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Orlando were part of Ecuatoriana’s destinations in the United States, and Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile in the southern end of the continent.
Ecuatoriana de Aviación schedule – 1987
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| Flight | From | To | Freq. |
|---|---|---|---|
| EU 043 | Quito 07:15 | Guayaquil 08:00 | Monday |
| EU 043 | Guayaquil 09:00 | Santiago 15:45 | Monday |
| EU 043 | Santiago 16:45 | Buenos Aires 18:45 | Monday |
| EU 043 | Quito 11:00 | Guayaquil 11:45 | Friday |
| EU 043 | Guayaquil 12:45 | Santiago 19:30 | Friday |
| EU 043 | Santiago 20:30 | Buenos Aires 22:30 | Friday |
| EU 040 | Buenos Aires 09:15 | Santiago 11:15 | Tuesday |
| EU 040 | Santiago 12:15 | Guayaquil 15:00 | Tuesday |
| EU 040 | Guayaquil 15:45 | Quito 16:30 | Tuesday |
| EU 040 | Buenos Aires 07:30 | Santiago 09:30 | Saturday |
| EU 040 | Santiago 10:30 | Guayaquil 13:15 | Saturday |
| EU 040 | Guayaquil 14:15 | Quito 15:00 | Saturday |
These operations were able to connect with flights to and from Mexico City, Miami, New York and Los Angeles.
See also: #TBT: Aeroflot flights between Russia and Argentina in 1988.
Ecuatoriana de Aviación, after a severe economic crisis, ceased operations in September 1993.
In the privatization process, nine companies expressed interest in obtaining a significant percentage of the airline. Among the participants, VASP was the «winner», acquiring 50.1% of Ecuatoriana de Aviación, leaving the remaining 49.9% with the Ecuadorian government.
See also: #TBT: Aeroperú flights to Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Chile in 1986.
In 1996, the new Ecuatoriana de Aviación incorporated its first aircraft (Boeing 727 and Airbus A310). Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Panama were some of its international markets.
A new economic crisis would hit Ecuatoriana in the early 2000s, collapsing and ceasing operations definitively in 2006.
Source
- Guía Argentina de Tráfico Aéreo (GATA) – 1987.
See also: #TBT: Aerolíneas Argentinas flights between Argentina and Europe in 1967.
