LAP - Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas (also referred as LAP and later LAPSA Air Paraguay) was a Paraguayan airline that was founded in 1962 to be the flag carrier airline of Paraguay. Its main base was Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, in Asunción. The airline ceased operations in 1996 after being sold to TAM Linhas Aéreas.
LAP was a creation of the Paraguayan Military Aviation on November 17, 1962. It was officially founded by the government through the Decree Nr.337 of March 18, 1963. It began services on August 20, 1963, using three Convair CV-240. Services included flights to Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Sao Paulo and Curitiba from the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion.
The CV-240s were replaced by three Lockheed L-188A Electra turboprop airliners which were acquired from Eastern Air Lines in 1969 and were operated by LAP for over 20 years. On February 26, 1969, the airline entered into regular operation, with 3 weekly frequencies for Sao Paulo. Once a week, the flight continued to Rio de Janeiro, before returning to Asunción. In 1970, service started to Santa Cruz, Resistencia and Salta with a Douglas C-47 transferred from the Military Air Transport of the FAP. In 1972, La Paz, Bolivia was added to LAP's network. In 1973 a route to Lima was inaugurated and in 1978 to Santiago.
The good service offered by the Lockheed Electras made LAP have a presence in Latin America. By March 1977, the number of weekly frequencies for Brazil had already increased. The pure jet age came in 1978 with the purchase of two Boeing 707-320 from Pan American Airways and with those services to Miami began. In 1979, services started to Madrid and Frankfurt. When another 707 was bought in 1982, service to Brussels started. Due to noise restrictions, a DC-8-63 ex-Air Canada was bought in 1984 for the route to Miami. During the 1980s other routes were tried like Mexico City and Panama City, but just for a few months. In 1988, an ex-Spantax DC-8-61 was bought. In 1990 and was replaced by a leased DC-8-62 for a few months.
On February 2, 1989, General of the Paraguayan Army carried out a coup, putting an end to the dictatorial government of General Alfredo Stroessner. A short time later, the changes that took place in the country would reach LAP. Audits carried out revealed that there were other officials and the quality of LAP's services was deteriorating. The president would order in 1989 that the airline be maintained using its own income. Also in 1990, LAP received an ex-United Airlines DC-8-71, followed by another similar aircraft in 1991.
In 1992 a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 came into service. Eventually LAP received two more DC-10s, one ex-Air France for a few months and the other ex-Varig. Operations to US and Europe were performed by the DC-10s and regional flights with a 707 and the DC-8-63. In 1993, and for a few months, a BAe 146-300 was leased and operated on loan from the factory. Since LAP was a government losing company, attempts to privatize were not fruitful and the money losing operation was shut down on March 8, 1994.
In October of that year, it was privatised and sold to SAETA, along with an Ecuadorian-Paraguayan Consortium, which restarted operations on February 7, 1995, under the new name, LAPSA Air Paraguay with two Boeing 737-200, two Airbus A320-200, and one Airbus A310-300. Flights to Europe were not initiated.
This company was sold to the Brazilian airlines TAM Linhas Aéreas on September 1, 1996, which used two Fokker 100 jets to cover all regional destinations. The airline was renamed TAM Mercosur (Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur). Routes to Miami and Europe never restarted. In 2008, TAM Mercosur was renamed as TAM Paraguay, which continues to operate today.
On August 3, 2020, the director of the Dirección Nacional de Aeronáutica Civil, Félix Kanazawa, announced that the state had reacquired the company and consequently its routes in the Americas, the United States and Europe. The Director also mentioned that a decision has not yet been made on whether the company will be 100% state-owned, but has announced that a possible reactivation of the defunct Paraguayan flag airline is being considered.
In 2021, Nella Linhas Aéreas announced its strategy of expanding operations in several Latin American countries with the re-launch of LAP. The airline is expected to return to service in March 2022 under the name LAP by Nella, with 2 Boeing 737-800s.
LAP used throughout the years the following aircraft:
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