APSA was founded by C. W. Shelton on September 16, 1956,[6] with 77 percent of the company's shares spread amongst private Peruvian investors.[3] Flight operations were launched on September 17, 1957, on the Lima to Santiago and Miami routes.[3] Originally not a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA was only joined in 1966), APSA could significantly undercut the usual airline fares for flights between South America and the USA.[7] To strengthen its market position, APSA went into a partnership with Transportes Aéreos Nacionales and Compañía Ecuatoriana de Aviación.[7][2]
The Douglas DC-6 being the aircraft most commonly used with the airline in the early 1960s,[7][8] Aerolíneas Peruanas joined the jet age on December 1, 1963 with the introduction of the Convair 990 Coronado.[9] During those years, the network was greatly expanded,[5] which culminated in the launch of transatlantic flights using the Douglas DC-8 by the end of the decade.[10][6]
In the early 1970s, APSA found itself in a worsening financial situation. Plans for a take-over by the Peruvian government and Spanish national airline Iberia failed, so the company was forced to cease all flight operations on May 2, 1971.[11]
Destinations
APSA offered scheduled passenger flights to the following destinations:[2][8][12][4][5]
