TAM Airlines (Paraguay)

Infobox_Airline
airline=TAM Airlines (Paraguay)
logo=TAMairlinesLogo.gif
logo_size=135px
IATA=PZ
ICAO=LAP
callsign=Paraguaya
parent=TAM
founded=1962
headquarters=Asunción, Paraguay
key_people=Capt. David Barioni Neto (CEO)
hubs=Silvio Pettirossi International Airport
focus_cities=Guarani International Airport
frequent_flyer=Fidelidade TAM
lounge=
alliance=
fleet_size=14
destinations=9
website= http://www.tam.com.py

TAM Airlines, also known as Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur S.A., formerly known as TAM Mercosur and LAP (Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas) Airline codes|PZ|LAP|Paraguaya, is an airline based at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, in Asuncion, Paraguay.

History

The airline was established in 1962 and started operations in 1963 as Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas. It adopted the current name when the TAM Group of Brazil acquired a majority stake in September 1996. In September 1998 the government of Paraguay announced its intention to sell its remaining stake in the airline, but it has not had any takers.

In 1994 Rolim Amaro, owner of TAM Airlines ("TAM Linhas Aéreas") in Brazil, established a separate subsidiary small airline in Paraguay, named ARPA - Aerolineas Paraguayas, whose fleet had mostly consisted of Cessna 208 Caravans formerly of TAM. On September 1, 1996, Amaro purchased an 80% stake in LAP (Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas), the state-owned airline of Paraguay. Merged with ARPA, it was then turned into another TAM, Transportes Aéreos del Mercosur. The airline is owned by TAM (94,98%) and Paraguay government (5,02%).

In 2008, following its major investor branding strategy, the "TAM Mercosur" name has been dropped and the airline corporate identity changed simply to "TAM Airlines", becoming then a foreign unit of Brazilian TAM Airlines instead of a different airline. However, its corporate structure remains the same.

Fleet

Destinations

Domestic

*flagcountry|Paraguay
**Asunción (Silvio Pettirossi International Airport, Hub)
**Ciudad del Este (Guarani International Airport, Focus city)

International

*flagcountry|Argentina
**Buenos Aires (Ministro Pistarini International Airport)
**Córdoba (Ingeniero Aeronáutico Ambrosio L.V. Taravella International Airport)
*flagcountry|Bolivia
**Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Viru Viru International Airport)
*flagcountry|Brazil
**Rio de Janeiro (Galeão International Airport)
**São Paulo (Guarulhos International Airport)
**Curitiba (Afonso Pena International Airport)
*flagcountry|Chile
**Santiago (Comodoro Arturo Merino Benítez International Airport)
*flagcountry|Uruguay
**Montevideo (Carrasco International Airport)

References

External links

* [http://www.tam.com.py/ TAM Airlines]