Aerolíneas Estelar (formerly Estelar Latinoamérica C.A.) is a Venezuelan airline headquartered in Caracas operating out of Simón Bolívar International Airport.
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| Founded | 2009 | ||||||
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| Hubs | Simón Bolívar International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
| Destinations | 10 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Caracas, Venezuela | ||||||
| Key people | Boris Serrano (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | flyestelar | ||||||
History
The airline was founded in 2009. Its first flights were to Porlamar and within months it commenced a route to and from Maracaibo.[2] It was a charter flight company, until it managed to consolidate itself over the years.
On November 6, 2017, the Chilean airline Latin American Wings terminated the contract with Estelar for non-payment, which caused passengers on the Santiago route to be stranded for three days at the airport.[3]
In December 2017, Estelar announced its first intercontinental route from Caracas to Madrid, Spain. Therefore, it expanded its narrow-body fleet with an Airbus A340-300 leased from Hi Fly Malta.[4] The route to Madrid was operated with three weekly frequencies, replacing the old route operated by Conviasa. It also flew to Buenos Aires, with three frequencies a week. In July 2019, the airline leased an Airbus A380-800 from Hi Fly Malta because the leased A340 it had was under repairs, making Estelar Americas' first airline in history to operate the aircraft type.[5]
Destinations
As of November 2023[update], Estelar serves the following domestic and international scheduled destinations:[6]
Interline agreement
Fleet
Current
As of July 2023[update], the Estelar fleet consists of the following aircraft:[14][needs update]
| Aircraft | In service | Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A340-300 | 1 | — | 267 | |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | — | 118 | |
| Boeing 737-300 | 3 | — | 148 | |
| Total | 4 | — | ||
Former
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A380-800 | 1 | 2019 | 2019 | Leased from Hi Fly Malta[5] |
Accidents and incidents
- On March 19, 2018, a Boeing 737-300 (registered YV2918) burst both tires on the right main gear after landing at Simón Bolívar International Airport.[15] No one on board was injured and the aircraft was repaired.
- On March 18, 2020, a Boeing 737-300 (registered YV-642T) was flying from Buenos Aires to Caracas when it was diverted to Cacique Aramare Airport due to atmospheric pressure issues, according to the airline.[16]
