TAB_–_Transportes_Aéreos_Bolivianos
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos
Bolivian airline
Transportes Aéreos Bolivianos (abbreviated TAB and also known as TAB Airlines, TAB Aerocarga or TAB Cargo) is a cargo airline which operates civil cargo flights between Bolivia and the United States.
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| Founded | 7 November 1977; 46 years ago (1977-11-07) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubs | Viru Viru International Airport | ||||||
| Fleet size | 1 | ||||||
| Destinations | 6 | ||||||
| Headquarters | Cochabamba, Bolivia[1] | ||||||
| Website | tab-bolivia | ||||||
TAB was set up in 1977 as a sub-division of the Air Transport Management of the Bolivian Air Force in 1977, originally operating on-demand medium to long-haul heavy cargo flights using a fleet of Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, which were based at El Alto International Airport in La Paz. In 1992, TAB was shut down.
In 1999, the airline was reactivated as a civil company based at Cochabamba, then operating a single military C-130 and a L-382, the civil variant of the preceding. In 1999, TAB moved 84,649 kilograms of cargo, which was increased to over 2 million kilograms in 2000, to 4,176,429 kilograms in 2006.
TAB increased its fleet with the addition of two McDonnell Douglas DC-10s. Currently, the airline is transporting more than 8 thousand tons a year.
In 2014, TAB retired all of its C-130, L-382, DC-10s.[3] It stopped flying most of its DC-10s in 2014, and sold them off to the Bolivian Air Force.[4]
As of May 2019, TAB operates scheduled flights to the following destinations:[5]
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TAB additionally serves a wide range of charter routes.
Current fleet
The TAB fleet consists of the following aircraft (as of January 2023):[6][7]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30F | 1 | — | Last commercial operator |
| Total | 1 | — |
Former fleet
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lockheed C-130 Hercules[8] | 1 | 1977 | 2014 | Transferred to the Bolivian Air Force |
| Lockheed C-382 Hercules | 1 | 1999 | 2014 | |
| Douglas DC-8-54CF | 1 | 1991 | 1999 | Leased from Transconsult Ltd |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10F | 1 | 2007 | 2014 | |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F | 1 | 2008 | 2016 | |
- "Airline codes and callsigns". airodyssey.net. 2005-01-01. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
- "TAB Cargo Fleet Details and History". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Please verify your request". www.planespotters.net. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
- "Global Airline Guide 2019 (Part One)". Airliner World: 7. October 2019.
- "TAB Cargo Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
- "Airframe Details for C-130 #4759". www.c-130.net. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
