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Defunct flag-carrier airline of Ecuador From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
TAME or TAME EP Linea Aerea del Ecuador was an airline founded in Ecuador in 1962. TAME (pronounced "tah-meh") was the flag carrier and the largest airline of Ecuador. TAME headquarters were in Quito, Pichincha Province and the main hub was Mariscal Sucre International Airport in Quito. The airline was formed by the Air Force of Ecuador. In 2011, it became a commercial entity and provided domestic, international and charter flights. On May 20, 2020, the Ecuadorean government decided to cease all operations and liquidate the airline.[citation needed]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
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| Founded | December 17, 1962 | ||||||
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| Ceased operations | May 19, 2020 | ||||||
| Hubs | Mariscal Sucre International Airport | ||||||
| Focus cities | José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport | ||||||
| Frequent-flyer program | TAME Millas | ||||||
| Subsidiaries |
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| Fleet size | 5 | ||||||
| Destinations | 16 | ||||||
| Parent company | Ecuadorian Government | ||||||
| Headquarters | Quito, Ecuador | ||||||
| Key people | Fernando Guerrero (CEO) | ||||||
| Website | www | ||||||
The military airline was founded on December 17, 1962, by Luis A. Ortega under Guillermo Freile Posso, both colonels. It was named Transportes Aéreos Militares Ecuatorianos (TAME). At the time, the Air Force required an income source; governmental transport services to remote and difficult to reach parts of Ecuador; and an entity to train pilots. The airline gradually increased in size infrastructure and number of services.
On December 4, 1962, Luis A. Ortega, Hector Granja, Eduardo Sandoval, Alfredo Barreiro, Oswaldo Lara, Julio Espinosa, Teodoro Malo and Jose Montesinos made inaugural flights in the Douglas C-47. The pilots held the rank of major and noncommissioned officers worked as flight attendants. The first commercial flight was made by Teodoro Malo on a route from Quito, Esmeraldas, Bahía, Manta, Guayaquil, Cuenca and back to Quito. Initially, TAME made domestic flights using C-47 planes. Gradually, over the next two years, DC-3 and DC-6 planes were added and then in 1970, two HS-748 Avro were acquired.
On April 30, 1966, TAME began regular international flights to Havana, Panama and Santiago de Chile.
As its business grew, TAME purchased four Lockheed L-188 Electras from Ecuatoriana de Aviación. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, TAME added three Boeing 727-100s. During the mid-1980s and up until 1992, Tame purchased four Boeing 727-200s. In 1986, three Fokker F28 Fellowship 4000s were added. In December 1998, TAME rented a Boeing 757-200.
In December 1992, the governments of Ecuador and Colombia signed the "Frontier Integration Agreement" establishing a Quito, Esmeraldas (Tachina), Cali, Esmeraldas (Tachina), Quito route. In 1995, TAME offered flights from Quito to Bogotá for Air France passengers.
In 2000, TAME began a long process of fleet renewal beginning with the renting of two Airbus A320s. These planes were delivered at the European Corporation Assemble factory, Toulouse and were renewed in 2008. Also in 2000, the Boeing 727s were retired. TAME found the Embraer 170/190s suited the airline's needs. Over the next two years, two models of the 170 series and one of the 190 series were obtained. On August 25, 2008, one Airbus A319 was obtained and soon after the two Airbus A320s were replaced, completing the fleet renewal.
In 2011, Tame changed its legal status to a state-owned company, no longer under the administration of the Ecuadorian Air Force.
In 2013, TAME incorporated its first and only Airbus A330-200, formerly of Dubai’s Emirates, to cover flights to New York City. In addition, 3 Quest Kodiaks were incorporated for its subsidiary TAME Amazonía for the routes in the country's Amazon.
On May 19, 2020, the Ecuadorean government decided to liquidate the airline and ceased all operations. The airline, which had been struggling for several years, claimed that its difficulties were compounded by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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TAME's colours were blue, light blue, and gold as a decorative element. The original logo, designed by Luis A. Ortega symbolized the flight of a bird with a sun in the background. In 2009, the airline was rebranded with a new logo and colour palette.[1]
TAME's hub was in Quito at Mariscal Sucre International Airport. TAME flew internationally to Cali in Colombia as well as Fort Lauderdale and New York in the United States. The main destinations in Ecuador were Guayaquil, Cuenca, Manta and Esmeraldas.
In 1997, TAME extended its international schedule through an agreement with EVA Air of Taiwan. On December 1, 2010, a codeshare agreement was made with Copa Airlines.[2][3]
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As of March 2020, the TAME fleet comprised the following aircraft:[4][5][6]
| Aircraft | In service |
Orders | Passengers | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J | Y | Total | ||||
| Airbus A319-100 | 1 | — | 10 | 135 | 145 | |
| Airbus A320-200 | 1 | — | 12 | 150 | 162 | |
| ATR 42-500 | 3 | — | – | 50 | 50 | |
| Total | 5 | — | ||||
Since its foundation, the airline's fleet has grown with the following aircraft:[7][6]
| Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbus A330-200 | 1 | 2013 | 2019 | Former Emirates aircraft |
| Beechcraft 200 | 1 | 1980 | 1980 | |
| Boeing 727-100 | 3 | 1984 | 2006 | One crashed as Flight 120 |
| Boeing 727-200 | 6 | 1990 | 2008 | One crashed as Flight 422 |
| Boeing 737-200 | 1 | 1981 | 1983 | Written off |
| Boeing 757-200 | 1 | 1999 | 1999 | Leased from TAESA |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-5 Buffalo | 2 | 1976 | 1990 | |
| de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter | 6 | 1975 | 2011 | |
| Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 11 | 1968 | 1982 | |
| Douglas DC-3 | 1 | 1969 | Unknown | |
| Douglas DC-6B | 4 | 1963 | 1974 | |
| Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia | 2 | 2007 | 2016 | Leased from SAEREO Operated by TAME Xpress |
| Embraer 170LR | 2 | 2006 | 2015 | |
| Embraer 190AR | 5 | 2006 | 2019 | |
| Fokker F-28 Mk 4000 | 3 | 1985 | 2009 | |
| Hawker Siddeley HS 748 | 5 | 1970 | 2009 | |
| Lockheed L-188 Electra | 6 | 1974 | 1989 | Two used for spare parts |
| Quest Kodiak 100 | 3 | 2013 | 2020 | Leased from Air Amazonia Operated by TAME Amazonía |
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