Líneas Aéreas del Estado (LADE, ) is an airline based in Comodoro Rivadavia, Argentina. It is owned by the government of Argentina and operated by the Argentine Air Force. It provides domestic scheduled services, mainly in Patagonia.

History

The airline was established as an arm of the Argentine Air Force in to service unprofitable routes to remote areas. By , DC-3s, DC-4s and Vikings made up LADE's fleet.

Destinations

LADE operates services to the following domestic scheduled destinations (as of May 2026):

  • Bahía Blanca (Comandante Espora Airport)
  • Bariloche (San Carlos de Bariloche Airport)
  • Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires (Aeroparque Jorge Newbery)
  • Comodoro Rivadavia (General Enrique Mosconi International Airport)
  • El Calafate (Comandante Armando Tola International Airport)
  • Mar del Plata (Astor Piazzolla Airport)
  • Perito Moreno (Perito Moreno Airport)
  • Río Gallegos (Piloto Civil N. Fernández International Airport)
  • Río Grande (Hermes Quijada International Airport)
  • Ushuaia (Malvinas Argentinas International Airport)

Fleet

thumb|right|250px|Saab 340

thumb|right|250px|Fokker F28

The LADE - Líneas Aéreas del Estado fleet consists of the following aircraft ()[https://www.infodefensa.com/latam/2020/09/12/noticia-argentina-reincorporara-aviones-otter-fokker-linea-aerea.html] [https://www.infodefensa.com/latam/2021/04/03/noticia-argentina-capacita-personal-nuevo-avion-boeing-fuerza-aerea.html]

  • 4 Saab 340B
  • 1 Fokker F28
  • 1 de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
  • 1 Boeing 737-700

Those aircraft are for regular flights.

The air force cargo fleet is leased by LADE, consisting of:

  • 2 Lockheed Martin C-130H Hercules
  • 1 Lockheed Martin KC-130H Hercules

Two surviving Lockheed Martin C-130B Hercules were retired by the air force in 2011, while the sole Lockheed Martin L-100-30 Hercules has been inoperative since early 2010.

There is a Presidential Fleet which is normally not assigned to LADE:

  • 1 Boeing 757-200, callsign Tango 01
  • 1 Fokker F28 Mk4000, callsign Tango 02
  • 1 Fokker F28 Mk1000, callsign Tango 03

The rest of the fleet is inoperative:

  • 2 Boeing 707-320B
  • 7 De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter Series 200
  • 2 Fokker F28 Mk1000

nearly all flights were operated by Saab 340 aircraft, with the Fokker F28 fleet flying exclusively for the air force. Fokker F27s were withdrawn from the LADE schedules in April 2009, although they have since been known to operate LADE flights now and again.

Accidents and incidents

{|class="wikitable sortable"

!Date

!Location

!Aircraft

!Tail number

!Aircraft damage

!Fatalities

! class="unsortable"|Description

! class="unsortable"|Refs

|-

|align=center|

|

|align=center|F27-400M

|align=center|TC-73

|align=center|W/O

|align=center|

|Collapse of left main landing gear on touchdown at Jeremie Airport. The aircraft ran off the runway and crashed into a building.

|align=center|

|-

|align=center|

|

|align=center|F27-400M

|align=center|TC-72

|align=center|W/O

|align=center|/53

|Crashed into mountainous terrain in bad weather while flying the last leg of a domestic non-scheduled Comodoro Rivadavia–Villa Reynolds–Córdoba.

|align=center|

|}

See also

  • List of airlines of Argentina
  • Transport in Argentina

References