The airline was established on March 11, 1973, by Luís H. Coulson, Captain Juan Fernando Mesa, Captain Orlando Botero Escobar, and Captain Anibal Obando Echeverri. It commenced operations with a Douglas DC-6A, which formed part of the initial acquired fleet. These were retired in the early 1980s.[1]
After overcoming several crises due to drug trafficking problems in one of its aircraft, in 1988, Tampa Cargo decided to renew its fleet by bringing Douglas DC-8s with the most modern technology of its time, including GPS positioning systems and CFM engines.
Martinair signed an agreement to acquire a 40% stake in Tampa Cargo in 1996, which was later increased to 58% in 2003.
On July 26, 2003, the company inaugurated its Maintenance Hangar in Rionegro-Antioquia, and the new route to Peru was placed in operation that same year. In September 2004, Tampa Cargo started its fleet renovation by incorporating the Boeing 767-200ER.[2]
Avianca acquired a 100% stake in Tampa Cargo in July 2008.[3]
On February 1, 2010, Tampa Cargo was advised that after concluding the regulatory approval and the approval of competencies required to concrete the union announced in October 2009, Synergy Group, the owner of Avianca, and Kingsland Holding Limited, the owner of Grupo TACA, signed the Agreement through which the closing that started up the strategic union of their businesses was made official, and that the name of the strategic union was AviancaTaca Holding. Then, the holding created the Cargo Vice-Presidency to which Tampa Cargo and its cargo aircraft fleet belong, naming Tampa Cargo the administrator of the Avianca and Taca commercial aircraft capacity.
On September 27, 2011, Avianca ordered four Airbus A330-200Fs to replace the existing Tampa Cargo fleet, with deliveries to commence in December 2012. This made Tampa Cargo the first A330F operator in Latin America.[4]
The airline was rebranded as Avianca Cargo on May 28, 2013.[5]
On December 14, 1983, a Boeing 707-320C (registered HK-2401X) crashed into a factory after taking off from Medellín's Olaya Herrera Airport. The cause of the accident was a failure of engines 3 and 4 by foreign objects during the initial ascent. All 3 crew members on board died, plus 22 on the ground.[14]
On July 14, 1989, a Douglas DC-8-63F (registered HK-3490X) took off from Miami International Airport, when the main cargo door opened shortly after. The aircraft returned to the airport and landed safely.[15]
On October 9, 1994, a Boeing 707-320C (registered HK-3355X) was flying from São Paulo to Santa Cruz de la Sierra. When climbing, the second hydraulic pump light of the engine 3 illuminated. The leak couldn't be stopped and the aircraft returned to São Paulo. The nosegear didn't extend and the main gear didn't lock down and the aircraft slid during the emergency landing. None of the 5 occupants on board were killed.[16]
On February 4, 2007, a Douglas DC-8-71F (registered HK-4277), operating a cargo flight to Miami, veered to the right during landing approach. The pilot thought it may have been due to a crosswind, but he soon realized that the right main landing gear had collapsed. The NTSB post-accident investigation later determined that the aircraft's landing gear had collapsed due to improper torque of a landing gear lockbolt by company maintenance personnel during landing gear installation. None of the 3 occupants on board were killed, while the aircraft was damaged beyond repair.[17]
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