Spantax

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Spantax was a Spanish airline that operated from 1959 to 1988. Based in the Canary Islands, it was founded on October 6, 1959 as “Spanish Air Taxi.” Tourist flights to the Canary Islands and the Spanish Sahara, as well as the transporting of cargo and personnel to the oil-fields at Laâyoune (El Aaiún), helped its expansion.

In 1963, the company, renamed as Spantax S.A., grew as it began to schedule transatlantic charter flights, and expanded its fleet, operating DC-3, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7 piston-engined aircraft. In 1967 entered service its first jet, the Convair CV.990 Coronado, taking delivery of 14 of these machines until 1975

In the 1970s received 2 DC-8-61CF and DC-10 for transatlantic operations. Later this decade took delivery of DC-9. In the 1980s leased Boeing 737

In 1987, plagued by financial troubles and labor strikes, Spantax was sold to the Aviation Finance Group, based in Luxembourg. Attempts to revamp and refinance the service, renew its fleet with MD-83 and negotiations with China Airlines for the further expansion of the fleet with B-767 were unsuccessful; Spantax collapsed on March 29, 1988.

[edit] Incidents and accidents

• On December 3, 1972, a Coronado belonging to the Spantax fleet was involved in a plane crash at the airport of Los Rodeos.
• On September 13, 1982, a DC-10-30CF operated by Spantax crashed on takeoff in Malaga, Spain.