13 In its last years , Aviaco introduced several logojets , very popular in the late 90s . Some MD-88s promoted the Canary Islands as a major tourist destination . |
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14 A rare bird within the Aviaco fleet was its only DC-9 series 41 EC- DQT , leased from Finnair from May to November 1982 , and bearing this hybrid livery . // CARLOS SALAZAR |
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acquire 67 % of Aviaco ’ s capital , reducing Iberia ’ s stake to 30 %.
Passenger numbers grew exponentially , reaching 1,913,601 in 1975 . The following year , Aviaco began charter flights to more than 20 destinations in the US and Latin America . AO also resumed cargo flights with the purchase of a DC-8- 54F and , later , three DC-8-55Fs and a DC-8-63F , extending its freight network to America , Europe , Africa , and the Far East . It transported all kinds of goods , from livestock and poultry to perishable products like meat , fish , fruit , and flowers .
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In 1979 , Aviaco leased a DC- 10-30 from Iberia for a few months , beginning its first and only regular transoceanic service : Madrid-Gran Canaria- Caracas . In 1980 , Aviaco reached its maximum size with 43 aircraft ( 10 DC-8s , 15 DC-9s , five Caravelles , and 13 Fokker F-27s ) and 2,479 employees . The company also entered its most profitable economic stage , with no significant accidents and several important milestones . In 1983 , passenger numbers exceeded 4 million and , the following year , the company inaugurated its general headquarters |
in Campo de las Naciones ( Madrid ), as well as new offices in Palma and Valencia .
On December 7 , 1988 , the two biggest events in the company ’ s history occurred : for the first time , it broke the billion-peseta barrier and transported more than 5 million passengers .
This was the company ’ s golden era , but the arrival of deregulation and the appearance of multiple competitors on the Spanish scene in the 1990s led to its decline and eventual absorption by Iberia on September 1 , 1999 .
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15 DC-8-52 EC- ASN Murillo was transferred from Iberia in 1973 and sold in 1981 . // ZOGGAVIA COLLECTION |