Checking out some new satellite photos on Google Maps, southern of runway 09/27 there are, at least, 50 planes parked in a way it seems they wont fly any more. It gets worse, if you go very close to runway 27, just few steps south of it.
There are some hangars there (Conviasa, Aeropostal, Aserca and Laser) but there is also the "Aeropuerto Viejo de Maiquetía" (Old Terminal) and it seems that is not used by commercial planes any more.
One idea was it could be some Venezuelan Air Force Base, but they have a bigger base (the main in the country) called La Carlota (seems pretty small though)...
If anyone has new photos, or some more info, i'd be pleased. I'm a native Spanish speaker, but couldn't find lot of new info...
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Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
how about a photo of what your refer to so we can all see it.
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
From the VirtualGlobetrotting site:
"These are mostly DC-9s and Boeing 727s of Avensa which went bankrupt due to poor management in 2002. It has since been financially restructured and continues with a much smaller fleet."
"These are mostly DC-9s and Boeing 727s of Avensa which went bankrupt due to poor management in 2002. It has since been financially restructured and continues with a much smaller fleet."
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
Well I doubt the conviasa a340 will fly again or the 737-200, the md's further on down might find a new lease somewhere maybe?
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
eielef wrote:they have a bigger base (the main in the country) called La Carlota (seems pretty small though)...
If anyone has new photos, or some more info, i'd be pleased. I'm a native Spanish speaker, but couldn't find lot of new info...
Nope, the main base is Base libertador in Maracay - SW of Caracas.
Even the lazy jellyfish do it!
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
I wonder if any of those planes are salvageable.
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
There are three distinct possibilities as to the origin of those planes:
1. Planes that used to belong to long defunct airlines such as Avensa.
2. Planes that belong to Conviasa, such as an A342, E190s, ATR-42, et al. V0 is a monument to the corruption, greed and sheer ineptitude of the Chavistas.
3. Planes that belong to existing privately-owned airlines that are awaiting service checks. These airlines need US dollars to pay for those checks and they need to obtain the foreign currency from the government. Naturally, they are not getting any seeing that the government clique and its cronies are busy using those dollars obtained at the ridiculously low official exchange rate and selling them thru complex schemes in the black market and pocketing the HUGE difference.
1. Planes that used to belong to long defunct airlines such as Avensa.
2. Planes that belong to Conviasa, such as an A342, E190s, ATR-42, et al. V0 is a monument to the corruption, greed and sheer ineptitude of the Chavistas.
3. Planes that belong to existing privately-owned airlines that are awaiting service checks. These airlines need US dollars to pay for those checks and they need to obtain the foreign currency from the government. Naturally, they are not getting any seeing that the government clique and its cronies are busy using those dollars obtained at the ridiculously low official exchange rate and selling them thru complex schemes in the black market and pocketing the HUGE difference.
Keep calm and wash your hands.
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
There is just one four-engine plane, maybe the A342. But many planes with engines in the tail, maybe DC9, B727 or MD80, so it makes sense.
I can't post a photo, but I can give you links to both places:
https://goo.gl/maps/zg3e1D8KcYt is next to runway 27 - (from Right to Left) 3 Red planes, 3 unknown planes, 3 MD80s white , a road, another MD80, many unknown things (eventually wings?), a plane without a tail, a small business jet, two B732 with orange tails, and four planes that seems to me as turboprops. Then, three more smaller plane.
https://goo.gl/maps/q4Xu8NSxjvS2 is much harder to understand what it is. The left-mostest plane, in my opinion, should be YV1004, Simón Bolivar el Libertador, the A340-200 of Conviasa. The rest, I can't even guess. I'm not a very export.
Thanks to all!
I can't post a photo, but I can give you links to both places:
https://goo.gl/maps/zg3e1D8KcYt is next to runway 27 - (from Right to Left) 3 Red planes, 3 unknown planes, 3 MD80s white , a road, another MD80, many unknown things (eventually wings?), a plane without a tail, a small business jet, two B732 with orange tails, and four planes that seems to me as turboprops. Then, three more smaller plane.
https://goo.gl/maps/q4Xu8NSxjvS2 is much harder to understand what it is. The left-mostest plane, in my opinion, should be YV1004, Simón Bolivar el Libertador, the A340-200 of Conviasa. The rest, I can't even guess. I'm not a very export.
Thanks to all!
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
For the second link, If you zoom in close enough on google maps, you will have the solution to quite many of the planes. Number 3 of dcajets suggestion above applies here. From left to right you have the service hangars of Conviasa (white planes with orange tails, I guess the A342, three E190, a 733 and a 732), Aserca (red/silver planes), some smaller ones which could be anything, Aeropostal (white with blue tails; apparently grounded since September 24th), LASER (white with green tails)
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
In the first link the all red ones are probably ex SBA birds. Man they have those things packed like sardines on that remote parking spot!
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
On a side note, I can count 20 bridges (gates), and four planes using it...the massive exodus of airlines out of Venezuela...that terminal looks like a ghost town. The dozens of aircraft parked in the remote stands is a sad view....one wrecked plane at the end or side of a runway is the only thing missing to make this airport a copy paste of some African airfields....the achievements of the brilliant people in charge, ruining a country that literally swims in crude oil.
Gear Up!!: DC-3 / EMB-110 / FH-227 / A318-19-20-21 / B732 / B763 / B789 / B788 / A343 / ATR72-600
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
Gonzalo wrote:On a side note, I can count 20 bridges (gates), and four planes using it...the massive exodus of airlines out of Venezuela...that terminal looks like a ghost town. The dozens of aircraft parked in the remote stands is a sad view....one wrecked plane at the end or side of a runway is the only thing missing to make this airport a copy paste of some African airfields....the achievements of the brilliant people in charge, ruining a country that literally swims in crude oil.
The airport that once was one of Latin America's most dynamic is now almost a ghost town. The situation is so precarious that airlines such as COPA have abandoned late evening arrivals and overnighting their planes @ CCS due to concerns about the safety of their assets and staff. There have been episodes of airline staff getting robbed when leaving the airport at night, and a passenger was killed by two thieves on a motorbike when walking from the international to the domestic terminals last year.
Keep calm and wash your hands.
Re: Caracas Airport - Abandoned planes
Adding to what DCAJet said, there is some deep problems also with the domestic flights in Venezuela, as most of the airlines can't afford the fuel, or the spare parts for their already aging planes, specially the MD80.
Maracaibo, Venezuela 2nd largest city, used to have about 8-12 daily flights from Caracas, and now, some days, it has none, but few times over one daily.
Maracaibo, Venezuela 2nd largest city, used to have about 8-12 daily flights from Caracas, and now, some days, it has none, but few times over one daily.
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