Sol del Paraguay

Sol del Paraguay
IATA ICAO Call sign
PI SGU SOLPARAGUAYO
FoundedJuly 1, 2010
Commenced operationsJuly 15, 2011
HubsSilvio Pettirossi International Airport
Fleet size1
Destinations4
Parent companyCrucero del Norte
HeadquartersAsunción, Paraguay
Key peopleJulio Koropeski (CEO)
Websitewww.viajaconsol.com

Sol del Paraguay Líneas Aéreas, S.A. was a Paraguayan passenger airline, based at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport in the city of Asuncion.

History

The project to create the airline began on July 1, 2010. Sol del Paraguay is also a Paraguayan road transportation company that runs national and international routes, and is one of the largest long-distance bus operators in Paraguay. Due to its rapid growth, the company decided to expand, and thus the idea to launch Sol del Paraguay Lineas Aereas came about. It had 3 Fokker 100s with a capacity of 108 passengers, with another on order. The company's first proving flight took place in May 2011, coinciding with the 200th anniversary of Paraguayan independence, and scheduled services began on July 15, 2011. The airline operated two routes, with twice-daily domestic flights between Asunción and Ciudad del Este; and twice-daily between Asunción and Buenos Aires.[1][2][3]

The launch of Sol del Paraguay Lineas Aereas was considered very important in Paraguay. The country had spent 15 years without a national airline, since former flag-carrier, Líneas Aéreas Paraguayas became a part of Brazilian airline TAM Linhas Aéreas in 1996. The initiation of flights in 2011 was somewhat symbolic, as it was the bicentenary of Paraguayan independence, and the company's three aircraft were all named after Paraguayan national symbols: Lago de Ypacaraí, Itapúa Poty, and Héroes del Chaco. It had been reported that Sol del Paraguay would operate domestic flights to Encarnacion and Pedro Juan Caballero,[4] two cities which, despite having airports, did not have any scheduled flights.

On August 1, 2012, the airline ceased all operations due to financial problems following a local economic downturn.[5]

In mid-2014 a proposal came out to revive the company, now only the Paraguayan aeronautical authorities are expected to restart flights. Since the restart of its operations on January 12, 2016, it has operated with a Cessna 208 Caravan to Encarnacion, then Pedro Juan Caballero was added among its destinations, and by July 2019, Ciudad del Este was also added. As of 2022, the airline's only aircraft was retired and its website has been inactive.

Destinations

The company operates to the following destinations (as of 2022):

Country City Airport Notes Refs
Argentina Buenos Aires Ministro Pistarini International Airport Terminated
Paraguay Asunción Silvio Pettirossi International Airport Hub
Ciudad del Este Guaraní International Airport Periodically suspended
Encarnacion Teniente Amin Ayub Gonzalez Airport Periodically suspended
Pedro Juan Caballero Dr. Augusto Roberto Fuster Airport Periodically suspended

Fleet

A former Sol del Paraguay Fokker 100 taxiing at Mexico City International Airport in 2010

Sol del Paraguay operated the following aircraft:

Sol del Paraguay fleet
Aircraft Total Introduced Retired Notes
Cessna 208B Grand Caravan 1 2016 2022
Fokker 100 3 2010 2012

See also

References

  1. ^ "Aerolínea de bandera paraguaya iniciará operaciones en noviembre". paraguay.com. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  2. ^ "Comienza a operar aerolínea de Paraguay". UPI. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Sol del Paraguay operará en dos frecuencias". Archived from the original on 2012-04-05. Retrieved 2012-06-12.
  4. ^ "ABC Color". Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  5. ^ "Sol del Paraguay Líneas Aéreas". viajaconsol.com. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Sol del Paraguay hizo ayer su primer vuelo Asunción-CDE". Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 17, 2011.