Cubana de Aviación

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Cubana Airlines
IATA CU	ICAO CUB	Callsign Cubana
Founded		1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss
Hubs		José Martí International Airport
Focus cities		Juan Gualberto Gomez Int'l Airport Frank Pais Int'l Airport Antonio Maceo Int'l Airport Jardines del Rey Int'l Airport
Frequent flyer program		Club Tropical
Member lounge		Club Tropical Lounge
Alliance		Alliances
Fleet size		38 (+4 orders)
Destinations		41 (2007)
Parent company		Corporación de la Aviación Civil S.A
Company slogan		"Puerta de Cuba al Mundo" (Cuba's Gateway to the World)
Headquarters		Havana, Cuba
Key people		Ricardo Santillán Miranda(CEO)
Website: www.cubana.cu

Cubana Airlines (Spanish known as Cubana de Aviación) is Cuba's largest airline and flag carrier. The airline was founded on October 8, 1929, has its corporate headquarters in Havana, Cuba. Cubana's main base is the José Martí International Airport. It is one of the first airlines opening the era of commercial flights. It is a founder and member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Association of Aeronautical Telecommunications (SITA) and of the International Association of Latin American Air Transportation (AITAL). In 2004 the airline celebrated its 75th year anniversary.

Nowadays, Cubana de Aviación S.A is the leading airline of Cuba. It is in charge of passengers' transportation, cargo and mail transportation. It has 32 representatives in other countries and 13 offices all over Cuba. Since May 1959, the airline has been wholly owned by the Cuban government and its current official name is Cubana de Aviación S.A. (or Cubana Airlines in English). Prior to that time Cubana was a private company, owned by Cuban investors. Those investors were expropriated without compensation when the airline was nationalised, after Fidel Castro came to power. Claims against the expropriation have been filed in U.S. courts, but the lack of formal diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba have prevented negotiations to resolve them.

Contents 1 History 1.1 Formation 1.2 Post-revolution 1.3 US embargo 1.4 Expansion in 1980s and 1990s 1.5 Cubana in the '90s 1.6 Modernization 2 Services (scheduled destinations) 3 Alliances 4 Fleet 4.1 Passenger fleet 4.2 Cubana Cargo fleet 5 Club Tropical lounge 6 On board 6.1 Tropical Class (First Class/Business) 6.2 Economy Class 6.3 In-flight food 6.4 Entertaiment 6.5 Magazine 7 Miscellaneous 8 Incidents and accidents 9 Former Names 10 See also 11 References 12 External links 12.1 Official websites 12.2 Other websites

[edit] History

[edit] Formation

Cubana was established on 8 October 1929 as Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, indicating its association with the Curtiss airplane manufacturing company. It was one of the first airlines to emerge in Latin America. Services started with Curtiss Robin aircraft, followed by Sikorsky S-38 hydroplanes and Ford Trimotors. Pan American (then known as Pan American Airways System) bought Cubana in 1932, and the word Curtiss was dropped from the airline's name. Twin-engine Lockheed Electra L-10 aircraft joined Cubana's fleet in 1934, followed by the Douglas DC-3 in 1944 and the Curtiss C-46 in 1946. In 1944 the name of the airline was changed to Compañía Cubana de Aviación S.A. A majority share in the airline was then sold to Cuban investors in 1945, with Pan American Airways retaining a 42% stake.

The first international flight was in 1946 to Miami using Douglas DC-3 airplanes. The Miami route, because of its political and economic significance, would later prove to be an important part of Cubana's history. In 1948 a transatlantic route was started between Havana and Madrid (via Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon) using Douglas DC-4 aircraft. The new route to Europe made Cubana one of the earliest Latin American carriers to establish regular transatlantic service. Later, the DC-4s would be replaced by Lockheed Constellation L-049 and Super Constellation L-1049E aircraft.

In the early 1950s the airline purchased several Lockheed Super "G" Constellation L-1049G from the U.S., and jet-prop Vickers Viscount VV-755 aircraft from Britain to renovate its fleet. The Super Constellations allowed Cubana to start service to New York, Mexico City, and to increase frequencies to Madrid via Bermuda, the Azores and Lisbon. The Viscounts were used for its Miami and Nassau flights, and for its domestic services to Camagüey and Santiago de Cuba. In 1954, the airline became fully Cuban owned when Pan American Airways sold its minority stake.

In 1957, Cubana purchased several Vickers Super Viscount VV-818 and four long-range Bristol Britannia BB-318 aircraft, all jet-props, for its international services (which included Madrid, New York, Mexico City, Miami, Montego Bay, Nassau, Port-au-Prince), and for some of its domestic routes. By the late 1950s, Cubana was the Latin American airline with most experience in the maintenance and operation of British-made jet-prop aircraft. It also had one of the most advanced fleets in Latin America.

The new Super Viscounts and Britannias entered service in 1958 and provided the only jet-prop flights to Cuba at a time when U.S.-flag carriers and all other airlines flew there only with piston-prop aircraft. On 17 January 1959 one of Cubana's new jet-prop Britannias set a record on the New York-Havana route, flying it in 3 hours 28 minutes, the fastest ever for a commercial flight at that time. Cubana's Britannias also began to displace competing airlines on the Mexico City and Madrid services, flying the routes faster while providing excellent onboard service. Similarly, Cubana's jet-prop Viscounts and Super Viscounts on the Miami flights flew the route faster than competing carriers, with excellent inflight service and amenities upon arrival in Havana. The Miami and New York routes thus became a major source of revenue for the airline. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Cubana remained in the forefront of aviation in the Caribbean.

[edit] Post-revolution

After Fidel Castro came into power in 1959, the airline was nationalised, and the private passenger airline Aerovías Q and private cargo carriers Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano, were merged into Cubana. At that time, Aerovías Q operated Douglas DC-4 and Curtiss C-46 aircraft (modified for passenger use), while Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano used Douglas DC-3 and Curtiss C-46 freighters. Aerovías Q had many daily flights from Havana's Columbia Airport (at the time a mixed use civilian-military airport adjacent to the Miramar district) to Key West, Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Cuba's Isle of Pines (now named Isla de la Juventud), but its operations were moved to José Martí International Airport as a result of the merger. Cuba Aeropostal had frequent cargo flights to Miami and within Cuba, while Expreso Aéreo Interamericano operated cargo flights to Central America and the Caribbean.

The merger of these airlines with Cubana effectively consolidated Cuban commercial aviation under complete government ownership. Cubana's name was changed to Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación S.A., to reflect its nationalisation and merger. By early 1961 Cubana had to discontinue its U.S. routes, which included Miami and New York, along with the merged Aerovías Q's and Cuba Aeropostal's services to Florida. Rising tensions between the U.S. and Cuban governments, threats to impound aircraft in retaliation for the nationalisation of American properties, and the breaking of diplomatic relations between the two countries were the main causes for the cancellation of the routes. After 1960, the quality of Cubana's passenger services and technical standards declined markedly. Many of the airline's most experienced crews and technicians went into exile, reducing its pool of skilled personnel and the quality of service. Political problems inside Cuba, obstacles to emigration, and U.S. government policies toward Cuba also led to occasional hijackings.

Despite these problems, in 1961 Cubana expanded transatlantic services to Prague (in addition to its existing Madrid route) using its Bristol Britannia jet-props. This was the first regular air service by a Latin American carrier to Eastern Europe. Cubana also ceded one of its Britannias to Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA) so that it could start its own Prague-Havana flights, code-shared with Cubana's services on that route. Cubana's crews trained CSA personnel in the operation of the Britannias. This allowed CSA to establish its first-ever transatlantic service in 1962.

[edit] US embargo

With the imposition of the US embargo, Cubana had to turn to the Soviet Union to obtain new aircraft, and the first type delivered was the Ilyushin IL-14 in 1961. Later, Ilyushin IL-18, Antonov AN-12, AN-24 and AN-26 aircraft followed. With the arrival of the Ilyushin IL-62, Cubana was able to replace its aging Britannias and start all-jet service to Europe on its already existing routes to Madrid and Prague via Gander, Canada. A fleet of Tupolev TU-154, Ilyushin IL-76, Yakovlev YAK-40 and YAK-42, and the more advanced Ilyushin IL-62M followed later for its transatlantic, Latin American and domestic services. As a result, Cubana became the Latin American carrier with most experience in the operation of Soviet-built aircraft. Agreements with Soviet-bloc nations supported Cubana's technical capabilities, and although passenger service became comparable to that of Soviet-bloc airlines, its quality remained far below pre-1961 standards.

In the 1970s, Cubana also leased Douglas DC-8 aircraft (previously in service with Air Canada) for its Canadian, Caribbean and Guyana services. These aircraft were leased with support from the Canadian government, as part of bilateral trade agreements between Canada and Cuba. They allowed Cubana to gain experience operating U.S.-built jets and made up for delays in deliveries of Soviet-made aircraft. Some of the DC-8s were lost in accidents or sabotage incidents, however, and their lease was terminated in the late 1970s.

In 1975 Cubana's old Bristol Britannias, then held in reserve, were pressed back into service to ferry elite Cuban troops to Angola. The Britannias were modified (with additional fuel tanks placed inside the passenger cabin), to allow non-stop flights from Cuba to Africa and provide greater secrecy. Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez wrote articles in 1976 narrating the role of Cubana's Britannias and its pilots in flying the first contingent of elite Cuban troops, done in complete secrecy, which prevented the invading South African army from occupying Luanda when Angola declared independence.

[edit] Expansion in 1980s and 1990s

By early 1980, Cubana flew scheduled services to Eastern and Western Europe (Prague, East Berlin, Moscow, Madrid, Paris, Lisbon), Sub-Saharan Africa (Luanda), the Middle East and North Africa (Baghdad, Tripoli), Canada (Montréal, Toronto, Gander), and to various Latin American and Caribbean destinations (Mexico City, Panama, Managua, Lima, Kingston, Barbados, Port of Spain, Georgetown). A route to Vietnam was under consideration at that time but was never started.

In the 1990s, with the fall of the Berlin wall and the opening to tourism, Cubana's routes changed from eastern Europe, to western Europe and Latin America. Cubana leased DC-10s for European and long haul South American flights.

Cubana's new 1990s routes covered:

• In Europe: Geneva, London, Manchester, Rome, Milan, Copenhagen, Brussels, Frankfurt, Berlin, Helsinki, Barcelona, Las Palmas, Vitoria, Santiago de Compostela
• In South America: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Santiago de Chile, Bogotá, Caracas, Mendoza, Quito, Guayaquil, Montevideo
• In Central America: Cancún, Guatemala City, San José de Costa Rica
• In the Caribbean: Santo Domingo, St. Maarten, Montego Bay, Fort de France, Nassau, Grand Cayman, Pointe a Pitre

On February 1, 1998, Cubana suspended its flights to Moscow using the Il-62M, and a code-shared Cubana-Aeroflot flight started twice a week using Il-96-300 aircraft and later a Boeing 767. Then, a shortage of aircraft, and competition with various airlines flying to Cuba, forced Cubana to cut off various international destinations after 2000.

[edit] Cubana in the '90s

After the end of the Soviet Union in 1991, Cubana was given license to buy or lease aircraft from elsewhere. The company leased medium-range Airbus A320 aircraft from Air Transat of Canada and long-range McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide-bodies from French airline AOM. Cubana also acquired several Fokker F-27 jet-props from Iberia Airlines of Spain, and Sud Aviation ATR-42 jet-prop aircraft to sustain its short-range routes. From 2001, Airbus A330 and occasionally Boeing 747 and Boeing 767 wide-body aircraft were also leased from various European carriers to support its transatlantic services.

With the collapse of the Soviet bloc, Cubana faced the formidable challenge of improving passenger service. Substantial flight delays, sometimes lasting days, and very uneven passenger service marred Cubana's attempts to attract passengers to what was essentially a company operating with Soviet-bloc airline service standards. Despite efforts in the 1990s, the quality of Cubana's passenger service remained far below pre-1961 standards, when it was considered comparable to, or even better than, that of U.S.-flag airlines. To make matters worse, technical deficiencies and low staff morale added to the airline's difficulties as it tried to compete for passengers in Western Europe, Latin America, and Canada. A series of fatal accidents in the 1990s compounded Cubana's troubles, leading to a negative reputation among many travellers. Beyond these problems, occasional hijackings of Cubana's domestic flights also made it difficult to improve the airline's image and its competitive position, compared with other carriers flying to Cuba.

In the 1990s Cubana undertook many special flights involving humanitarian missions. When in 1998 the hurricanes George and Mitch caused great damage in Central America and the Caribbean, for example, Cuban medical brigades and first-aid provisions were flown to Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras and Nicaragua in Cubana aircraft. Cubana has also flown sporting delegations from Cuba and other Caribbean nations to international competitions, particularly the Central American and Pan-American Games.

[edit] Modernization

Cubana's Soviet-built aircraft began to suffer from old age, with spare parts for those planes becoming hard to find. Cubana's management made efforts to renovate its fleet and in 2005 purchased several new long-range Ilyushin IL-96-300 wide-body jets from Russia, to replace the leased Western-built wide-bodies and its aged Soviet-era aircraft. New medium-range Russian Tupolev TU-204 jets were also ordered.

Ilyushin IL-96-300 and IL-62M aircraft showing Cubana livery, but with specially configured executive cabins and medical facilities, are typically used by Cuban government officials on trips abroad. Those aircraft are never used on commercial flights, and they are maintained and kept under close guard at a military airport near Havana. Cubana's pilots have typically served in the Cuban air force, and are well versed in the operation of multiple types of aircraft.

See Miscellaneous for additional information.

[edit] Services (scheduled destinations)

Cubana de Aviación operates flights to over 40 destinations in Cuba, Europe, the Caribbean, North, Central and South America.

Further information: Cubana de Aviación destinations

[edit] Alliances

Cubana de Aviación has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of January 2007:

• Aeroflot Russian Airlines: Through this alliance, Cubana offers nonstop service from Havana to Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport.
• Blue Panorama Airlines: Through this alliance, Cubana codeshare flights with Blue Panorama to Rome and Milan from various destinations in Cuba.
• Air Europa: Through this alliance, Air Europa and Cubana operate 9 weekly flights from Madrid Barajas Airport to Havana and Santiago de Cuba.
• Aerocaribbean: With this agreement, Cubana offers more domestic destinations and more Caribbean destinations.
• Aeropostal: Through this alliance, Cubana offers daily flights to Caracas Simon Bolivar International Airport.
• Copa Airlines: With this agreement, Copa Airlines and Cubana operate 14 weekly flights (twice daily) to Panama City from Havana.
• Air Jamaica: With this agreement, Cubana codeshares with Air Jamaica to Kingston and Montego Bay, Jamaica.

[edit] Fleet

[edit] Passenger fleet

The Cubana fleet includes the following aircraft (at January 2007):

Cubana fleet

Aircraft	Number	Passengers (Tropical*/Economy)	Routes	Notes
Airbus A320-200	4	150 (12/138)	North America	Mexico City, Montréal, Toronto routes. Leased from TACA (EI-TAA, EI-TAB, EI-TAC and EI-TAE)
Antonov An-24D	10	48 (48)	Domestic	All economy class configuration
Boeing 767-300ER	1	260 (12/248)	Europe	Aircraft itself is in liveryof Air Europa, being leased from this partner airline
Ilyushin IL-62M	10	158 (8/150)	South America, Caribbean & Gran Canaria	Medium to long-haul worldwide routes
Ilyushin IL-96-300	3 (1 on order)	262 (18/244)	Europe, South America & Toronto	1 more on order. Cubana took delivery of two new Ilyushin IL-96-300 jets in 2006 and one more in 2007. (CU-T1250, CU-T1251 & CU-T1254)
Tupolev Tu-204-100	(2 on order)			Replaces: Old short-medium haul fleet
Yakovlev Yak-42RV	7	120 (120)	Central America, Caribbean and domestic	All economy class configuration.

^{*Tropical class is available on selected aircraft, the Boeing 767, A320, Il-62M and Il-96-300.}

[edit] Cubana Cargo fleet

Cubana Cargo offers a load transportation service inside Cuba and in more than 40 countries. The Cubana Cargo fleet consists of the following aircraft as of January 2007:

Cubana Cargo fleet

Aircraft	Total	Notes
Boeing 727-200F	2	Leased from AllCanada Express
Tupolev Tu-204C	(1 on order)	Replaces: Leased 727s

Among other types of cargo aircraft used in the past were the Ilyushin IL-76 and the Antonov AN-12.

[edit] Club Tropical lounge

Members of 'Club Tropical', the VIP club, can take advantage of an open lounge with all kinds of Cuban liquor and beverages on the airport. The Club Tropical Lounge can be found at the Havana's José Martí International Airport, Varadero's Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport, Cayo Coco Jardines del Rey Airport, Holguin's Frank Pais Airport among others. The special drinks served, are Havana Club rum, Mojitos among other Cuban drinks.

[edit] On board

[edit] Tropical Class (First Class/Business)

Cubana's first class, Club Tropical Class cabin is fitted with 61" pitch seat configuration. Enjoyment and relaxation is heightened by dedicated check-in at the airport, a generous baggage allowance, use of the VIP lounge, fast track in the airport, Champagne upon boarding the aircraft, assortment of beverages that are provided throughout the flight, an option of three different plates at the time of lunch/dinner, a fully reclining seat and attentive personal service.

[edit] Economy Class

The Economy class cabin is fitted with 32" pitch seat configuration, complying with all requirements for long haul flights, alcoholic drinks to purchase, hot lunch/dinner, free drinks plus a cold snack before touch down on all international flights, and attentive service. Onboard entertainment options include Hollywood movies, programs presented by Aerovision, the Cubana airline in-flight channel. There is also a wide selection of music for private listening, or the in-flight magazine, called Sol Y Son, for interesting articles and information about the people and life in Cuba.

[edit] In-flight food

Cubana Airlines offers a variety of meals, depending on seat class, destinations and flight length. For long haul flights Cubana offers breakfast, lunch and dinner. Economy breakfast on the Boeing 767-300ER and IL-96-300 for long hauls (Paris, Madrid, London, Rome, Milan, Buenos Aires) Cubana serves natural muffins, currant bun, fruits, salad, bread, jam, butter, cheese; for lunch it's serve celeriac and jam salad, feef with potatoes and string beans, bread, butter, cheese, chocolate-filled roll; and for dinner raw vegetables, beef with rice, carrot and string beans, bread, butter, biscuits, and chocolate cake.

For medium hauls, onboard the Airbus A320 and the Il-62M (Toronto, Montréal, Mexico City, São Paulo, Gran Canaria, Bogotá, Caracas, Santo Domingo) Cubana's economy class offers ham, chorizo, cheese slices, bread roll, chocolate muffin, jam and butter for lunch; chicken, roast beef, cheese slices, cucumber and tomato pieces, bread roll, butter, jam, fruit salad, black forest and cake square for dinner.

For short hauls, onboard the Yak-42 and ATR-42 the offered meal is a snack, one ham sandwich, one cheese sandwich and a pack of Orion chocolate cream biscuits and soda to drink.

Cubana's Club Tropical class onboard the B-767, A320, IL-62M, and IL-96-300 lunch is served by Cuban salad of leaf lettuce, carrots, and tomato, then steamed lobster medallions with a tomato garlic mayo, and the entree of filet mignon, rice, and carrots, a cake square followed by bread and Danish cheeses. Drinks included are Marques de Caceras Rioja, red and white, Freixinet Cava Sparkling to begin, Havana Club 7 year old dark rum after lunch, and Cuban espresso.

[edit] Entertaiment

Onboard entertainment is presented by Aerovision, the Cubana airline in-flight channel. Options include the latest Hollywood movies, and interesting informational and nature videos called Destiny Programs. There is also a wide selection of music for private listening.

• Aerovision In-flight Programs by Destinations:
  • Aerovision European flights television programs are: Inside The Caiman, 2 Hollywood films, All About Cuba 3, Come Closer 3, Wake Up Program, Onboard Sale Program, and Variet Dinner.
  • Aerovision Brazil/Argentina inflight television programs are: Natual Vision, Inside The Caiman, Hollywood film, Wake Up, and Dinner.
  • Aerovision Canadian inflight television programs are: Natural Vision, and a Hollywood film.
  • Aerovision Venezuelan flights: All About Cuba.
  • Aerovision Colombia/ Dominican Republic inflight television programs are: Natural Vision.
  • Aerovision Mexico inflight television programs are: Natural Vision 3, and Natural Vision 6.

[edit] Magazine

Cubana Airlines in-flight magazine, Sol Y Son, offers interesting articles and information about the people and life in Cuba. The magazine is provided to all Tropical/ Economy class passengers on all flights. Sol Y Son magazine has 14 years of circulation, it has also acquired a leading position in the international magazines of Cuba, not only because of the amount of distributed copies that are destined to a third part of the visitors and to the majority of Cuban travellers, but also because of its content. Passengers have the first impressions of the country through this magazine.

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Cubana was the first Latin American airline to establish scheduled service to Miami, in 1946.
• Cubana was one of the first Latin American carriers to start regular transatlantic services, in 1948.
• Cubana was the first airline in Latin America to operate jet-prop aircraft, starting with the Vickers Viscount in 1956.
• Cubana was the first Latin American carrier to fly jet-prop aircraft across the Atlantic, using Bristol Britannias on its Madrid route, in the late 1950s.
• Cubana was the first Latin American airline to fly to Eastern Europe, with scheduled service to Prague starting in 1961, using jet-prop Bristol Britannias.
• Cubana was the first Latin American airline to fly Soviet-built aircraft, operating eight different types of short-, medium- and long-range Soviet-made airplanes between 1961 and 1991.
• Cuban leader Fidel Castro travelled in one of Cubana's Britannias to Caracas, Washington and New York in January and the spring of 1959, his first official trips abroad after taking power. The Britannia Mr. Castro flew in was christened "Libertad" (freedom).
• In September 1960, Cuban Prime Minister Fidel Castro flew in one of Cubana's Bristol Britannias to New York, to address the United Nations General Assembly. The Britannia he travelled in was impounded to allegedly settle debts incurred by the airline with a New York advertising agency. The Britannia's crew then asked for political asylum and remained in the U.S. After the crew of a second Britannia sent to New York also sought political asylum, Mr. Castro returned to Havana in Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev's personal aircraft, an Ilyushin IL-18. The two Britannias were later returned to Cuba.
• Argentine-Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara flew in Cubana's Britannias on official trips abroad, which included Egypt, the Soviet Union, China, and various nations in eastern Europe in 1960, Brazil and Uruguay in 1961, New York to address the United Nations' General Assembly in December 1964, Algeria, China and various eastern and western African nations in late 1964 and early 1965, among others.
• When French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre and author Simone de Beauvoir visited Cuba in 1960 they flew there in a Cubana scheduled flight, aboard one of the airline's legendary Bristol Britannias.
• In the early 1960s many of Cubana's most experienced pilots and management went into exile. Among them was Cubana's longstanding chief pilot, William Cook, and the airline's former president, Sergio Clark. Pilots who went into exile were not allowed to return or visit Cuba again.
• During the early and mid-1960s many aspiring revolutionaries flew to Havana in Cubana's Britannias, for meetings and training. Among them was the East German-Argentine Tamara Bunke (nom de guerre: Tania), who died in Bolivia fighting alongside Che Guevara in 1967.
• Nobel Prize winning poet Pablo Neruda flew to Havana on Cubana, usually on scheduled flights from Mexico City during the 1960s. When Cubana started a route to Santiago, Chile in 1971, Neruda was one of the first passengers to fly it. Ilyushin IL-62 aircraft were used on that route.
• After Cubana started service to Prague in 1961, one of its Britannias was ceded to Czechoslovak Airlines (CSA), so that it could start its own Prague-Havana service as a counterpart to Cubana's. CSA had no long-range aircraft in its fleet, and the use of Cubana's Britannia allowed it to start its first-ever transatlantic service in February 1962. Cubana crews trained CSA personnel in the operation of the Britannia.
• Since the 1960s, revolutionary guerrilla fighters from Colombia, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Nicaragua, El Salvador and other nations often flew to Cuba for medical treatment and training, on special Cubana flights. In the 1960s, many of them flew to Cuba from Prague in Cubana's or Czechoslovak Airlines' Britannias, since at that time most Latin American nations had no diplomatic relations with Cuba. The only regular flights available during that time between Cuba and the rest of Latin America were Cubana's from Mexico City, which were closely monitored by Western intelligence agencies.
• Nobel Prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez wrote articles about the role of Cubana's pilots and Bristol Britannia aircraft flying Cuban troops to Angola in 1975, which helped defeat the advance of apartheid South Africa's army into Luanda. García Márquez flew frequently on Cubana, starting in the 1960s.
• In the 1970s and 1980s, Cubana's Ilyushin IL-62, IL-18 and IL-76 aircraft frequently carried Cuban military and medical personnel to Ethiopia, Syria, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Angola, Guinea-Bissau, Tanzania, Sierra Leone and other nations, in special flights.
• Cubana aircraft typically carry Cuban medical and disaster relief personnel to areas affected by natural disasters throughout Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa.
• Cuba's growing biotechnology, pharmaceutical and medical tourism sectors rely greatly on Cubana's passenger and cargo services.
• Cubana is the only major Latin American carrier flying Russian-built airplanes, and in 2005 became the first Latin American airline to operate the Ilyushin IL-96 wide-body jet in its scheduled transatlantic and South American routes.
• Cuba's national sports teams usually fly on Cubana to major international events.
• In the film The Godfather Part II, when Michael Corleone left Havana he boarded a Cubana aircraft.

• The similarly named Kuban Airlines is an unrelated airline based in Krasnodar, Russia.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

Main article: List of Cubana de Aviación accidents and incidents

Cubana de Aviación has been involved in 43 incidents and accidents between 1950 and 2003 with 544 fatalities. (Note: only fatal accidents are listed before 1990)

• On September 3, 1989, a Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin 62M (CU-T1281) on a non-scheduled international passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport), Cuba to Cologne/Bonn (Cologne Bonn Airport), Germany crashed shortly after take-off. All of the 115 passengers and 11 crew members as well as 45 persons on the ground were killed and the aircraft was written off. Most of the passengers were Italian tourists, who returned from holidays.
• On August 29, 1998, a Cubana de Aviación Tupolev 154M (CU-T1264) on a scheduled passenger flight from Quito (Mariscal Sucre Airport), Ecuador to Guayaquil (Simón Bolívar International Airport), Ecuador crashed after the crew aborted the take-off with only 800 metres left of the runway. The aircraft overran the runway before coming to a stop. 56 of the 77 passengers and the entire crew of 14 were killed as well as 10 people on the ground, and the aircraft was written off.
• On December 21, 1999, a Cubana de Aviación McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (F-GTDI) on lease from AOM French Airlines on an international non-scheduled passenger flight from Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) suffered a landing accident at Guatemala City (La Aurora International Airport), Guatemala. The aircraft overran runway 19 and continued down a steep slope before coming to rest in a residential area. 8 of the 296 passengers and 8 of the 18 crew as well as 2 people on the ground were killed and the aircraft written off.
• On March 31, 2003, a Cubana de Aviación Antonov An-24 (CU-T1294) on a domestic scheduled passenger flight from Nueva Gerona was forced to fly to Key West, Florida by a man with hand grenades. The plane had to stop in Havana (Jose Marti International Airport) for refueling. In Havana at least 26 of the 40 passengers and 6 crew members in the plane escaped or were released. The aircraft then proceeded on to Key West (Key West International Airport) where the FBI awaited the plane.

[edit] Former Names

• 1929-10-08 Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación Curtiss, S.A. - (Associated with the Curtiss aircraft manufacturing company.)
• 1932-03-22 Compañía Nacional Cubana de Aviación S.A - (Purchased from Curtiss by Pan American Airways).
• 1944-03-21 Compañía Cubana de Aviación, S.A. - (Controlled by Cuban investors)
• 1959-05-25 Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación - (Merged Aerovías Q, Cuba Aeropostal and Expreso Aéreo Interamericano into Cubana.)
• 1961-06-27 Empresa Consolidada Cubana de Aviación - (Nationalized)
• 1996 Cubana de Aviación S.A. -(Current name)

[edit] See also

• List of Cuba-US aircraft hijackings

[edit] References

[edit] External links

[edit] Official websites

• Cubana de Aviación
• Cubana Argentina - www.cubanadeaviacion.com.ar
• Cubana Russia - www.cubana.ru
• Cubana UK - www.cubana-uk.com
• Sol Y Son - Cubana Airlines Inflight Magazine

[edit] Other websites

• Cubana de Aviación Fleet Age
• Cubana Airbus Fleet Detail at http://www.planespotters.net
• Cubana Passenger Opinions at Skytrax
• Cubana de Aviación at the Aviation Safety Network Database
• All about Cubana