# Aeronica

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Nicaraguan airline

Aeronica IATA ICAO Call sign RL [1] ANI AERONICA Founded 1981 Commenced operations 1981 Ceased operations 1992 Hubs Augusto C. Sandino International Airport Headquarters Managua, Nicaragua

**Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A.**, operating as **Aeronica**, was an airline based in [Nicaragua](/source/Nicaragua). Headquartered in the capital [Managua](/source/Managua), it operated scheduled passenger flights within Central America, as well as to Mexico City and the United States from its [hub](/source/Airline_hub) at the city's [Augusto C. Sandino International Airport](/source/Augusto_C._Sandino_International_Airport).[1]

## History

Aeronica was founded in 1981,[1] as a consequence of the demise of [LANICA](/source/LANICA) in earlier that year.[2] Between 1985 and 1990, when the [United States embargo against Nicaragua](/source/United_States_embargo_against_Nicaragua) was in effect, the airline was banned from serving the important United States market. Further, [Soviet](/source/Soviet_Union)-built Tupolev TU-154M were introduced into the Aeronica fleet as spare parts for US-made aircraft such as the [Boeing 707](/source/Boeing_707), [Boeing 720B](/source/Boeing_720B), and [Boeing 727](/source/Boeing_727) could not be acquired.[3] In the early 1990s, Aeronica came under economic, laboral, and political pressure.[4] Many of the airline's workers organized a strike in February 1992, over the privatization of their national airline.[5] On February 28, 1992, [TACA](/source/TACA_Airlines) acquired a 49 percent stake in the company, resulting in the loss of many jobs in Nicaragua.[6] In the same year, the [airline license](/source/Air_Operator's_Certificate) of Aeronica was revoked and in 1993 the airline shut down. Existing Aeronica airport infrastructure was then repurposed by [Grupo TACA](/source/Grupo_TACA) for use in their associated animal-transportation firm.[1]

In 1994, [Grupo TACA](/source/Grupo_TACA) reestablished the airline as **[NICA Airlines](/source/Nicarag%C3%BCense_de_Aviaci%C3%B3n)**, with new colors and fleet. Ten years afterwards, TACA shut down the airline, due to marketing strategies in order to consolidate under the **TACA Airlines** branding in the region.

## Destinations

A [Boeing 707-120B](/source/Boeing_707-120B) of Aeronica, shown stored at [Shannon Airport](/source/Shannon_Airport) in 2003

During the 1980s, Aeronica offered scheduled international passenger flights to the following destinations:[7]

**Costa Rica**

- [San José](/source/San_Jos%C3%A9%2C_Costa_Rica) - [Juan Santamaría International Airport](/source/Juan_Santamar%C3%ADa_International_Airport)

**El Salvador**

- [San Salvador](/source/San_Salvador) - [Cuscatlan International Airport](/source/Cuscatlan_International_Airport)

**Guatemala**

- [Guatemala City](/source/Guatemala_City) - [La Aurora International Airport](/source/La_Aurora_International_Airport)

**Mexico**

- [Mexico City](/source/Mexico_City) - [Mexico City International Airport](/source/Mexico_City_International_Airport)

**Nicaragua**

- [Managua](/source/Managua) - [Augusto C. Sandino International Airport](/source/Augusto_C._Sandino_International_Airport) **(hub)**

**Panama**

- [Panama City](/source/Panama_City) - [Tocumen International Airport](/source/Tocumen_International_Airport)

**United States**

- [Miami](/source/Miami) - [Miami International Airport](/source/Miami_International_Airport)

## Fleet

Over the years of its existence, Aeronica operated the following aircraft types:[1]

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (November 2011)

Aeronica fleet Aircraft Introduced Retired Antonov An-26 Antonov An-32 Boeing 707 / Boeing 720B Boeing 727-100 / Boeing 727-200 CASA C-212 Aviocar Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando Douglas DC-6 Fokker F27 Friendship Tupolev Tu-154M

## Accidents and incidents

- On 12 December 1981, a bomb exploded inside the passenger cabin of a parked Aeronica [Boeing 727-100](/source/Boeing_727-100) ([registered](/source/Aircraft_registration) YN-BXW) at [Mexico City International Airport](/source/Mexico_City_International_Airport), tearing a hole into the fuselage. The captain, two flight attendants, and a ground worker were injured. They had been on board the aircraft for pre-departure checks for a scheduled passenger flight to [San Salvador](/source/San_Salvador) and onwards to [Managua](/source/Managua).[8]

- On 10 May 1982, two hijackers demanded a [Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando](/source/Curtiss-Wright_C-46_Commando) to leave its [Bluefields](/source/Bluefields)-[Big Corn Island](/source/Corn_Islands) route and land in [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica) instead. The pilots obeyed and landed at [Limón](/source/Lim%C3%B3n), where the perpetrators surrendered.[9]

- On 29 June 1983, an Aeronica [CASA C-212 Aviocar](/source/CASA_C-212_Aviocar) (registered YN-BYZ) was damaged beyond economical repair in a crash landing at [Augusto C. Sandino International Airport](/source/Augusto_C._Sandino_International_Airport), which happened because the copilot had accidentally applied [reverse thrust](/source/Reverse_thrust) rather than the [flaps](/source/Flap_(aircraft)) immediately before landing.[10]

- On 20 April 1985, a problem was encountered with the additional fuel tanks that a [Fokker F27 Friendship](/source/Fokker_F27_Friendship) (registered YN-BZF) had been fitted with for the delivery flight to Aeronica from Europe to Nicaragua. The pilots decided to return to [Kulusuk Airport](/source/Kulusuk_Airport) in [Greenland](/source/Greenland), the place of their most recent fuel stop, but failed to do so. The aircraft crashed on a snow-covered strip, killing two of the five occupants.[11]

- On 28 December 1987 at 14:36 local time, an Aeronica [Douglas DC-6](/source/Douglas_DC-6) lost its inner right engine whilst en route a cargo flight from Managua to [Panama City](/source/Panama_City). Debris had also damaged the outer right engine, forcing the pilots to execute a [water landing](/source/Water_landing) in a river in [Costa Rica](/source/Costa_Rica), which all six persons on board survived.[12]

- The worst accident in the history of Aeronica happened on 26 May 1988, when another DC-6 (registered YN-CBE) crashed near Limón in Costa Rica, killing the six occupants.[13]

- On 10 November 1991, an Aeronica Boeing 727-100 (registered YN-BXW, the same aircraft that had been damaged in a bomb explosion in 1981) was destroyed in a fire at Managua Airport, which had arisen from an ignited [oxygen](/source/Oxygen) leak during maintenance work.[14]

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-atdb_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-atdb_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-atdb_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-atdb_1-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-atdb_1-4) ["ATDB.aero aerotransport.org AeroTransport Data Bank"](http://www.aerotransport.org/). *www.aerotransport.org*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Economic Decisions of the Civil Aeronautics Board"](https://books.google.com/books?id=vE5fqYH5IQ4C&q=lanica+1981&pg=PA839).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["US Policy: Economic Embargo: The War Goes On"](http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/2695). *Revista Envío*. Retrieved 2007-12-25.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Nicaragua"](https://books.google.com/books?id=is8iqKJFPaoC&q=aeronica+1992&pg=PA7). 1992.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["Refworld | Nicaragua: Information on a strike at Aeronica in 1992"](https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac3d3c.html).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Deborah Tyroler (February 28, 1992). ["Nicaragua: Strike By Aeronica Employees, Summary of Developments, February 10 - 24"](https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=8141&context=noticen). Noticen.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-timetables_7-0)** ["Aeronica - Aerolineas Nicaraguenses"](http://www.timetableimages.com/ttimages/rl3.htm). *www.timetableimages.com*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-25 YN-BXW Mexico City-Benito Juárez International Airport (MEX)"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19811212-0). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46F Commando YN-BRG Puerto Limón Airport (LIO)"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19820510-0). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["ASN Aircraft accident CASA C-212 Aviocar 200 YN-BYZ Managua-Augusto C. Sandino Airport (MGA)"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19830629-0). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["ASN Aircraft accident Fokker F-27 Friendship 100 YN-BZF Kulusuk"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19850420-1). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["ASN Aircraft accident Douglas DC-6BF YN-BFO Boca San Carlos"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19871221-1). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** ["ASN Aircraft accident registration unknown"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19880526-1). *aviation-safety.net*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** ["ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-25 YN-BXW Managua Airport (MGA)"](http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19911110-0). *aviation-safety.net*.

- [Nicaragua portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Nicaragua)
- [Aviation portal](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Aviation)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Aeronica](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronica) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeronica?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.