Nuevo Continente
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Nuevo Continente is an airline based in Lima, Peru. It operates scheduled and charter domestic and international services.
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History
The airline was established as Aero Continente on 4 January 1992 and started operations on 25 May 1992. It was formed in Tarapoto to take advantage of tax incentives for investments in outlying regions. Initial operations focused on charter work in support of oil exploration, but commercial flights were added on 20 July 1993.
During the company's early stages, it faced major competition from Peru's flag carrier, Aeroperu. But Aeroperu faced economic problems and Aero Continente began to gain ground on its main rival. After the demise of Aeroperu in 1999, Aero Continente became Peru's largest international air carrier.
Aero Continente joined forces with a Chilean investment group in late 1999 to launch Aero Continente Chile. However, the Chilean government accused the airline's personnel of using their airplanes for trafficking drugs and subsequently grounded Areo Continente Chile in June 2002 and seized their assets. The airline declared itself bankrupt the following month and accused the Chilean government of working to undermine Aero Continente Chile in order to benefit LAN Chile. It has also helped to set up affiliate airline Aero Continente Dominicana in the Dominican Republic.
In January 2004, Aero Continete's founder, Fernando Zevallos, was banned from entering the United States by American immigration officials. That same year, Aero Continente planes were banned from entering United States airspace due to safety concerns the US government had. On June 1, 2004, the United States Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control added the airline to its Listing of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, making it illegal for Americans to trade with the company in any way. The same day, US President George W. Bush designated Fernando Zevallos as a "foreign narcotics kingpin" and imposed sanctions upon him. The United States government had long suspected that Aero Continente was being used to launder money from drug traffickers. The airline's directors denied any connection with drug dealing.
The addition of the airline to the Listing of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons devastated Aero Continente. Because Global Aerospace, Aero Continente's insurer, is partially owned by Americans, Global Aerospace suspended all business with Aero Continente. Peruvian law requires that airlines operating in Peru have insurance, and Aero Continente had to suspend allf lights from 12 July 2004.
After being grounded for ten days the airline restarted operations under a new ownership structure and a new brand Nuevo Continente. The airline is wholly owned by its employees. The United States Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control added Nuevo Continente to its list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons.
Services
Nuevo Continente operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (at January 2005): Arequipa, Cajamarca, Chiclayo, Cuzco, Iquitos, Juliaca, Lima, Piura, Pucallpa, Puerto Maldonado, Tacna, Tarapoto, Trujillo and Tumbes.
Fleet
The Nuevo Continente fleet consists of the following aircraft (at January 2005):
- 1 BAe Jetstream 31
- 3 Boeing 727-100
- 2 Fokker F28 Mk1000
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