La Costeña (airline)
Regional airline in Nicaragua
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aerotaxis La Costeña S.A. is a regional airline based in Managua, Nicaragua. It operates passenger services from Managua and Bluefields to 3 domestic destinations. Its main hubs are at Augusto C. Sandino International Airport and Bluefields Airport.[1]
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| Founded | 1991 | ||||||
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| Hubs | |||||||
| Focus cities | |||||||
| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 4 | ||||||
| Parent company | Regional Airlines Holding LLC | ||||||
| Headquarters | Managua, Nicaragua | ||||||
| Key people | Julio Caballero (Director) | ||||||
| Employees | 140 (2011) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
History
The airline began operations in November 1991. It became part of the Grupo TACA in 1999 as a feeder carrier. By September 2011, it had 140 employees.
On May 31, 2019, Avianca Holdings sold its 62% participation in La Costeña to Regional Airlines Holding LLC, from Delaware, United States.[2][3]
Destinations
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As of April 2024, La Costeña operates limited services to domestic destinations, such as:[4]
Fleet
Current fleet
The La Costeña fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of September 2024):[5]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-320 | 1 | — | 46 | (as of August 2025)[6] |
| Cessna 208 Caravan | 4 | — | 14 | |
| Total | 5 | — | ||
Former Fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42-300 | 1 | 2009 | 2023 |
| Cessna 402 | 1 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Piper PA-34 Seneca | 1 | 1993 | 1998 |
| Short 360 | 2 | 1997 | 2011 |
Accidents and incidents
- On July 30, 1995, a Cessna 208B Grand Caravan (YN-CED) was hijacked by suspected drug traffickers while en route from Managua to Bluefields. On August 1, the body of the pilot was discovered in Zipaquirá, Colombia. He had reportedly been shot twice in the head and once in the back. Nicaraguan authorities suspect that the hijacked aircraft was destined for drug trafficking operations. In August, the plane was found by Colombian police in a hangar at Villavicencio-La Vanguardia Airport.
- On July 20, 1999, the same aircraft (YN-CED) was flying from Managua to Bluefields, but crashed in Cerro Silva, killing both crew members and all 14 passengers. A GPS device had been removed for use in another aircraft before the flight.[7]
