Compañía de Aviación Faucett, colloquially known simply as Faucett Perú or Faucett, was a Peruvian airline. Its headquarters were located on the premises of Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima.

History

Beginnings

thumb|right|Douglas DC-3 of Faucett at Lima Airport, Peru, in 1972

thumb|A Faucett Lockheed L-1011-1 at [[Miami International Airport in 1996.]]

Elmer J. Faucett had been sent to Peru as a representative of the Curtiss Export Company, arriving in the country from the United States in 1920. With an initial investment of £2,500, In 1937, the airline absorbed Compañía de Aviación Peruana SA from Panagra. The cargo-only airline Aeronaves del Peru became Faucett's biggest shareholder in 1982.

1990s: Decline and final years

The 1990s economic liberalization under Alberto Fujimori, after years of economic and political chaos (as well as a violent Maoist insurgency), brought a series of measures aimed at the privatization and deregulation of the airline market. A series of short-lived airlines sprung up during this decade (in the style of Russian Babyflots), state-owned Aeroperú was partly sold to Mexican investors and the rise of low-fare Aero Continente as the biggest domestic airline, contributed to the slow decline of Faucett. A series of high-profile accidents, especially Faucett Perú Flight 251 and Aeroperú Flight 603 (both in 1996) affected the safety reputation of the Peruvian airline industry, with the US Embassy in Lima banning their employees from flying on Aero Continente and, more broadly, advising caution to US citizens flying on Peru's airlines.

In the end, problems with the economic-financial structure of the airline (with debts even with CORPAC for airport services), forced it to cease operations on 3 December 1997. Despite claiming that the 45-day closure would be temporary until government approval, all 1,250 employees were dismissed. Faucett incurred over US$1 million in debt. By 1998, the former directors and employees were engaged in legal battles over labor and management issues, as well as accusations over bankrupting the company. The airline was liquidated in 1999.

Destinations

Faucett Perú served the following destinations:

{|class="wikitable"

| style="background:#ffe6bd; width:20px; text-align:center;"|<sup>†</sup>||Hub

|-

| style="background:#d0e7ff; width:20px; text-align:center;"|<sup>‡</sup>||Focus city

|-

| style="background:#dfd; width:20px; text-align:center;"|<sup>#</sup>||Destination served at the time of closure

|}

{|class="wikitable sortable"

!Country (State/Province)

!City

!Airport

!class="unsortable"|Refs

|-

|rowspan="26"|Peru|| style="background:#dfd;"|Arequipa&nbsp;<sup>#</sup>||Rodríguez Ballón International Airport ||align=center|

|-

| style="background:#dfd;"|Ayacucho&nbsp;<sup>#</sup>||Coronel FAP Alfredo Mendívil Duarte Airport||align=center|

|-

| style="background:#dfd;"|Chiclayo&nbsp;<sup>#</sup>||FAP Captain José Abelardo Quiñones González International Airport||align=center|

|-

|Quince Mil||Quince Mil Airport||align=center|

Fleet

thumb|right|Faucett-Stinson F.19 cargo aircraft built by Faucett, exhibited at their base at Lima in April 1972

thumb|[[Douglas DC-4 of Faucett operating an internal Peruvian passenger service from Lima Airport in 1972]]

At March 1990, the airline had 1,300 employees and a fleet of ten aircraft that consisted of two Boeing 727-200s, one Boeing 737-100, four Boeing 737-200s and three McDonnell Douglas DC-8-50s.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:0.5em auto; text-align:center"

|+ Faucett Perú fleet

|-

!Aircraft

!Total

!Introduced

!Retired

!Notes

|-

|Airbus A300B4

|-

|Boeing 737-100

|1

|1988

|1989

|

|-

|Boeing 737-200

|6

|1982

|1997

|One written off as Flight 251

|-

|Douglas C-47 Skytrain

|19

|1946

|1981

|

|-

|Douglas C-54 Skymaster

|8

|1946

|1981

|

|-

|Douglas DC-6B

|6

|1960

|1981

|

|-

|Douglas DC-8-33F

|1

|1979

|1980

|Leased from Rich International

|-

|Douglas DC-8-43F

|1

|1984

|1985

|Leased from Aeronaves del Perú

|-

|Douglas DC-8-51

|1

|1986

|1989

|

|-

|Douglas DC-8-52

|8

|1982

|1997

|

|-

|Douglas DC-8-53F

|1

|1982

|1990

|

|-

|Douglas DC-8-61

|1

|1990

|1991

|

|-

|Douglas DC-8-62H

|1

|1995

|1997

|

|-

|Lockheed L-1011-1 TriStar

|4

|1991

|1998

|

|-

|Stinson Detroiter

|7

|1928

|

|

  • On 3 April 1989, Faucett , registered as OB-R-1314, veered off the runway while landing during a heavy tropical rainstorm at Iquitos Airport in Peru's Amazon region. There were no fatalities among the 130 passengers and crew, but 14 people were injured, and the aircraft was destroyed in the crash landing and its ensuing fire.
  • On 11 September 1990, a Faucett Boeing 727-247 went missing some 180 miles southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. After having been leased to Air Malta, the aircraft was being returned to Peru from Europe via Iceland, when the crew reported a low fuel notice and that they were preparing to ditch. There were apparently zero survivors, as no bodies or wreckage were ever discovered.

Further reading

  • Libro de oro-Faucett 1928-1978, Faucett-Public Relations Office, Lima, 1978

See also

  • List of airlines of Peru
  • Transport in Peru

References

  • Aircraft and Code data