SATENA

SATENA was first established on April 12, 1962, by then President of the Republic, Alberto Lleras Camargo, via decree to:

"to form an aerial transport service for the benefit of the underdeveloped regions of the country, with the object of promoting the welfare of educational campaigns, agricultural and pastoral development, and the economic and social progress of such territories."

To achieve this under government auspices, the airline was then entrusted to the control of the Colombian Air Force, initiating its first operations with the routes Bogotá - Leticia and Leticia – Tarapacá – El Encanto – Puerto Leguízamo. The Government equipped the company with one C-54, two C-47, two Beaver L-20, and later added two PBY Catalina amphibious, the property of the Rotary Fund of the Colombian Air Force. Later, in 1964, it added three additional C-47 and two more C-54 aircraft, all of them donated by the United States International Development Agency.

In 1965, SATENA, in coordination with the Bank of Bogotá, began a new service named AeroBanco, which was created to facilitate air travel to other areas largely or completely inaccessible by road. Due to great success in the areas served by the airline, President Carlos Lleras Restrepo put into effect Law 80 of December 12, 1968, where it was decreed that SATENA would be treated as a public establishment, with all legal functions controlled by the Ministry of National Defence.

In 1972, SATENA acquired newer British-Built AVRO HS-748 turboprops capable of carrying 48 passengers. Between 1984 and 1985, the airline incorporated two Fokker F28 jet aircraft with the capacity to transport 65 passengers.

Since its creation, the airline has performed many public services on behalf of the Colombian people, having provided service during crises in the country's history, as was the case of the Huila and Cauca earthquake of June 6, 1994, when SATENA performed search and rescue operations, airlifted residents, as well as transporting needed medicines, foods and aid in general to the site of the tragedy.

In 1996, the largest modernization of the airline began, with the arrival of six Dornier 328s capable of carrying 32 passengers. These aircraft represent the new generation of equipment for regional routes.

In 2002, SATENA incorporated into its fleet one Embraer ERJ 145 with a capacity for 50 passengers, which arrived to replace the departing Fokker F28, which was reaching its maximum airframe hours. In 2004, SATENA became the airline with the newest and most modern aerial fleet in Colombia, when it incorporated two new Embraer ERJ 145 aircraft, allowing it to perform faster and more efficient services to its most isolated destinations.

At the end of 2010, SATENA suffered a financial crisis, consisting of bank debts amounting to 120 billion pesos and losses totaling 25 billion pesos. Due to this, the National Government proposed a law that would allow the commercial airline to get out of said crisis and compete in the air transport market in the country. This law consists of capitalizing this company at 98 billion pesos, where 49% of the company's shares will be put up for sale in a democratic process and within two years, while the remaining 51% would continue in the hands of the state, something that was never done in the end.

On April 29, 2018, the airline moved all its routes to Terminal Puente Aéreo belonging to El Dorado International Airport, to facilitate the service to passengers on regional flights.^[5]

SATENA operates to the following airports (as of January 2026):^[6]

Colombia

More information City, Airport ...

City	Airport	IATA Code	Destinations	Notes
Amazonas
La Chorrera	La Chorrera Airport	LCR	Leticia San José del Guaviare
La Pedrera	La Pedrera Airport	LPD	Leticia
Leticia	Alfredo Vásquez Cobo International Airport	LET	La Chorrera La Predera Tarapacá
Tarapacá	Tarapacá Airport	TCD	Leticia
Antioquia
Apartadó	Antonio Roldán Betancur Airport	APO	Bogotá Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Caucasia	Juan H. White Airport	CAQ	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
El Bagre	El Bagre Airport	EBG	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Medellín	Olaya Herrera Airport	EOH	Acandí Apartadó Bahía Solano Barranquilla Bogotá Bucaramanga Buenaventura Caucasia Condoto El Bagre Mompox Montelíbano Nuquí Ocaña Paipa Quibdo San Gíl Tolú Yopal Valledupar	Hub
Arauca
Arauca	Santiago Pérez Quiroz Airport	AUC	Bogotá Bucaramanga Cúcuta
Saravena	Los Colonizadores Airport	RVE	Bogotá Bucaramanga
Tame	Gabriel Vargas Santos Airport	TME	Bogotá
Atlántico
Barranquilla	Ernesto Cortissoz International Airport	BAQ	Cúcuta Medellín-Olaya Herrera Montería Riohacha Valledupar
Bolívar
Santa Cruz de Mompox	San Bernardo Airport	MMP	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Bogotá - Capital District
Bogotá	El Dorado International Airport	BOG	Aguachica Apartado Arauca Buenaventura Corozal Florencia Inírida La Macarena Medellín-Olaya Herrera Mitú Nuquí Pitalito Puerto Asís Puerto Carreño Puerto Leguízamo San José del Guaviare San Vicente del Caguán Saravena Tame Tolú Tumaco Quibdó Villagarzón Villavicencio	Hub
Boyacá
Paipa	Juan José Rondón Airport	RON	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Caquetá
Florencia	Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport	FLA	Bogotá Cali Puerto Leguízamo
San Vicente del Caguán	Eduardo Falla Solano Airport	SVI	Bogotá
Casanare
Yopal	El Alcaraván Airport	RON	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Cauca
Guapi	Guapi Airport	GPI	Cali Popayán
Popayán	Guillermo León Valencia Airport	PPN	Guapi Timbiquí
Timbiquí	Timbiqui Airport	TBD	Cali Popayán
Cesar
Aguachica	Hacaritama Airport	HAY	Bogotá
Valledupar	Alfonso López Pumarejo Airport	VUP	Barranquilla Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Chocó
Acandí	Alcides Fernández Airport	ACD	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Bahía Solano	José Celestino Mutis Airport	BSC	Cali Medellín-Olaya Herrera Quibdó
Condoto	Mandinga Airport	COG	Cali Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Nuquí	Reyes Murillo Airport	NQU	Bogotá Cali Medellín-Olaya Herrera Quibdó
Quibdó	El Caraño Airport	UIB	Bahía Solano Bogotá Medellín-Olaya Herrera Nuquí
Córdoba
Montelíbano	Montelíbano Airport	MTB	Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Montería	Los Garzones Airport	MTR	Barranquilla
Guainía
Inírida	César Gaviria Trujillo Airport	PDA	Bogotá Villavicencio
Guaviare
San José del Guaviare	Jorge Enrique González Torres Airport	SJE	Bogotá La Chorrera
Huila
Neiva	Benito Salas Airport	NVA	Cali
Pitalito	Contador Airport	PTX	Bogotá Cali
La Guajira
Riohacha	Almirante Padilla Airport	RCH	Barranquilla
Meta
La Macarena	La Macarena Airport	LMC	Bogotá Villavicencio
Villavicencio	La Vanguardia Airport	VVC	Bogotá Inírida La Macarena Mitú Puerto Carreño	Focus city
Nariño
El Charco	El Charco Airport	ECR	Cali
Tumaco	La Florida Airport	TCO	Bogotá Cali
Norte de Santander
Cúcuta	Camilo Daza International Airport	CUC	Arauca Barranquilla Ocaña Tibú
Ocaña	Aguas Claras Airport	OCV	Cúcuta Medellín-Olaya Herrera
Tibú	Tibú Airport	TIB	Cúcuta
Putumayo
Puerto Asís	Tres de Mayo Airport	PUU	Bogotá Cali Ipiales Puerto Leguízamo
Puerto Leguízamo	Caucayá Airport	LQM	Bogotá Florencia Puerto Asís
Villagarzón	Villa Garzón Airport	VGZ	Bogotá
San Andrés y Providencia
Providencia	El Embrujo Airport	PVA	San Andrés
San Andrés	Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport	ADZ	Providencia
Santander
Bucaramanga	Palonegro International Airport	BGA	Arauca Saravena
San Gil	Los Pozos Airport	LPZ	Medellín-EOH
Sucre
Corozal	Las Brujas Airport	CZU	Bogotá
Tolú	Golfo de Morrosquillo Airport	TLU	Bogotá Medellín-EOH
Valle del Cauca
Buenaventura	Gerardo Tobar López Airport	BUN	Bogotá
Cali	Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport	CLO	Bahía Solano Condoto El Charco Florencia Guapi Ipiales Neiva Nuquí Pitalito Puerto Asís Timbiquí Tumaco	Hub
Vaupés
Mitú	Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport	MVP	Bogotá Villavicencio
Vichada
Puerto Carreño	Germán Olano Airport	PCR	Bogotá Villavicencio

Close

• On September 8, 1969, a Douglas C-47 FAC-685 crashed near Apiay Air Force Base killing all 32 people on board. The aircraft was operating a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Monterrey Airport to Apiay.^[13]
• On January 21, 1972, a Douglas DC-3 FAC-661 crashed at San Nicolas whilst operating a domestic non-scheduled passenger flight from Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín to Gerardo Tobar López Airport, Buenaventura.^[14]
• On January 9, 1974, a HS 748 (FAC 1103) crashed into the Gabinete Peak 50 km north of Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport Florencia whilst on a flight from Florencia to Bogota. All 31 people on board were killed.^[15]
• On January 8, 1975, a Douglas DC-3 (FAC-688) crashed shortly after take-off from Benito Salas Airport, Neiva on a flight to Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport, Florencia. All 30 people on board were killed.^[16]
• On May 3, 1975, a Douglas DC-3 (FAC-663) crashed at Sardinata. The aircraft was on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Aguas Claras Airport, Ocaña to Camilo Daza Airport, Cúcuta. Three of the six occupants were killed.^[17]
• On April 2, 1976, a Douglas DC-3 (FAC-676) crashed on approach to Tres de Mayo Airport, Puerto Asís. The aircraft was on a flight from Gustavo Artunduaga Paredes Airport, Florencia. Five of the 16 people on board were killed.^[18]
• On February 17, 1977, a Douglas C-47B (FAC-1125) was damaged beyond economic repair in a take-off accident at Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport, Mitú. All 28 people on board survived.^[19]
• On November 20, 1977, a Douglas C-47B (FAC-1127) crashed in Colombia.^[20]
• On November 20, 1977, a Douglas C-47A (FAC-1120) crashed at Llanos del Yori, Colombia.^[21]
• On February 21, 1978, a Douglas DC-3 (FAC-668) crashed at Serranía los Cobardes in Colombia.^[22]
• On June 25, 1981, a Douglas C-47 (FAC-1129) was damaged beyond repair in an accident. The aircraft was subsequently withdrawn from use and stored at La Vanguardia Airport, Villavicencio.^[23]
• On May 3, 1983, a Douglas C-47B (FAC-1126) was damaged beyond repair in an accident at Palmaseca Airport, Cali.^[24]
• On May 5, 2010, an Embraer ERJ-145 overran the runway at Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport, Mitú, Colombia. The aircraft crashed through the airport fence and then came to rest in a field, suffering substantial damage. None of the 37 passengers and 4 crew were injured.^[25] The runway at the time of the accident was wet as it had recently rained in the area.
• On January 28, 2026, a Beechcraft 1900D operating as Flight 8849 went missing shortly after takeoff from Cucuta, Colombia. The flight was later found and no survivors were found out of the 15 passengers and crew.

• List of airlines of Colombia