TAM - Transporte Aéreo Militar

TAM - Transporte Aéreo Militar (the Bolivian Military Airline) is an airline based in La Paz, Bolivia. It is the civilian wing of the 'Fuerza Aérea Boliviana' (the Bolivian Air Force), operating passenger services to remote towns and communities in the North and Northeast of Bolivia.

A similar airline serving the Beni Department with small planes is Línea Aérea Amaszonas, [ [http://www.amaszonas.com Amaszonas] ] using smaller planes than TAM.

History

The TAM website relates the history and Raison d'être of TAM

"El Grupo Aéreo "71" (the Air group "71") known by the civil populace as Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM), is an essential part of the structure of the Bolivian Air Force and the fundamental element for the development and integration of the populations in the distant parts of the national territory."

—TAM website,Historical summary/review. [ [http://www.fab.mil.bo/I/48000/48100/48130/Principal.htm TAM website] .]

The original name (from 1944) was "el Escuadrón de Transporte Aéreo" (ETA). In 1953 the name was changed to Transporte Aéreo Militar. Back in 1945 the first planes were Douglas C-47s.

This heritage is reflected in the words "Grupo Aéreo 71" appearing as part of the TAM logo.

Routes

TAM has services from La Paz and Santa Cruz (in eastern Bolivia) to many towns in the Beni Department and between towns in the Beni area. The major destinations are Trinidad (capital of the Beni Department) and Rurrenabaque (on the Beni River). [ [http://www.fab.mil.bo/I/48000/48100/48130/Principal.htm TAM website] ]

With its Fokker F27 (with 44 seats) and other smaller planes TAM supports the connection between the small towns and villages in the Departamentos Beni and Pando. The runways of those towns are grass- and mud-fields that unsuitable for larger aircraft. For example Boeing 727s, used by LAB and AeroSur, are not able to land or take off from these fields.

As an example TAM's focus is on Rurrenabaque (popularly known as Rurre) a popular tourist destination) indirectly serving Reyes (close to Rurre by road) and San Borja ("within reach" by road from Rurre). Itineraries from the TAM timetable of 2006/2007 include:

*Monday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - SB San Borja - LP La Paz

*Wednesday: CZ Santa Cruz - TR Trinidad - RQ Rurrenabaque - TR *Trinidad

*Wednesday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - LP La Paz

*Thursday: TR Trinidad - SR Santa Rosa - RY Reyes - SB San Borja - TR Trinidad

*Friday: LP La Paz - RQ Rurrenabaque - LP La Paz

Fleet

The TAM - Transporte Aéreo Militar fleet consists of:

*2 Fokker F27 Mk400

*2 Ma - 60

*1 Convair CV-280

*1 Beechcraft 1900

*2 BAE 146-200

This information may need updating, as 4 plane types are mentioned on the TAM website under "Itinerary of Flights" (Fokker F-27, Beechcraft B-1900, CL-66B and CASA 212).

References

External links

* [http://www.fab.mil.bo/I/48000/48100/48130/Principal.htm TAM] (in Spanish)
* [http://www.fab.mil.bo Fuerza Aérea Boliviana] (the website of the FAB the Bolivian Air Force).